OFFICIAL

Satellite Earth Observations for early
warnings of weather hazards in the AsiaPacificAgnes Lane, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
AOGEO SymposiumSpecial Session 1: Earth Intelligence to implement EW4ALL
September 3, 2024

OFFICIALFlood, Drought,
Tropical cyclones,andThunderstorms are thetop hazards.

Based on the results of the Rapid
Assessment conducted by the WMO(Nov, 2023)

0Flash-floods
Drought/Dry spell
Riverine Floods
Tropical cyclone
Thunderstorms/Squall lines
Landslide/Mudslide &…
Storm surge/Coastal flood
TsunamiWindRain/Wet Spell
Heat wave
High Seas/Rogue waves etc.
Dust storm/Sandstorm
Wild land fire/Forest fire
Avalanche
Hail
FrostHaze/Smoke
Lightning
Volcanic ash

Weather hazards in the Asia Pacific region
Top hazards identified by WMO member countries

2520151052

The need for early warnings• In the South Pacific in 2020, economic losses from cyclones and flooding were around $1 billion
with at least 71 lives lost
• In Asia in 2021, there were a total of more than 100 natural hazard events, of which 80 percent wereflood and storm events. These resulted in almost 4,000 fatalities, about 80 percent caused byflooding. Weather and water-related hazards caused total damage of US$35.6 billion, affecting nearly
50 million people• Individual events can cause very significant losses:• TC Harold (2020). Tragically, people in Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji lost their lives, while
many more were injured• Twin Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin (2023) affected 197,388 people in Fiji representing
approximately 66% of the total population. The impact of the disaster was 40% of the grossdomestic product with recovery costs estimated at $50 million
Given that severe weather events cause higheconomic losses and social impacts, there needs tobe a priority on early warnings.
Weather agencies deliver forecasts and warnings thatare essential to the safety and well-being of AsiaPacific people and communities.
Floods in Cambodia, August 2024, captured by MODIS. Image credit: NASA Worldview
application (https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/), part of the NASA Earth Observing System
Data and Information System (EOSDIS).

3

WMO and EW4All• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) provides world leadership and expertise in international
cooperation in the delivery and use of high-quality, authoritative weather, climate, hydrological andrelated environmental services by its Members, to improve the well-being of all.
• Early Warnings for All (EW4All) is a high priority initiative for WMO. The aim is to ensure thateveryone on Earth is protected from hazardous weather, water, or climate events through life-saving

early warning systems by the end of 2027.

How are satellite Earth observations contributing to EW4All?
• There are limited in-situ observations in southern hemisphere, so satellite observations are essential
for weather and warning services in the Asia-Oceania region• WMO members in the Asia-Pacific region are working together to strengthen national multi-hazard
early warning/alert service systems and support, including the EW4All initiative starting withmapping the satellite related gaps and developing a regional implementation plan for EW4All by ~mid2025

Importance of satellite observations for early warnings
o Global weather model data from international agencies are critical, but often not fine enough resolution
for Pacific Islands. In-situ and satellite data are used together to cross-check for consistency andrefine their own meteorological understanding. This is required in the moist tropics where subtle
influences can be missed in model output.

o Visible imagery have a large positive impact. Used for monitoring Tropical Cyclones, fires, volcaniceruption, etc
o Rainfall products such as GSMaP for floods, thunderstorms and warnings of the key hazards

o 2.5 min "rapidscan" observations from geostationary satellites for localized convective
thunderstorms and tropical cyclones that have a rapid development cycle. Also for forest fires• For ocean applications: sea surface winds and significant wave height• Multi-sensor microwave imagery for tropical cyclones

Image of TC Harold in 2020 using VIIRS day-night band data.
Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory.

Main challenges and obstacles
1.

Training.
•Ongoing training needed on interpretation of different satellite product types, where to findthe products, which ones to use in different situations, etc.

2.

•WMO VLab program delivers training – mostly online.

•Lack of capability to develop satellite applications or tune products to local conditions.

•IT training and documentation required for maintenance of hardware and software.

Fast and reliable comms infrastructure. Internet is most common method of data access, but
it's expensive and at times unreliable. Many countries can't receive 10 min geostationary data.

3.

Visualisation tools. Many users report that data is displayed in web browsers with no local
data manipulation capability. Users need a common platform for visualisation and analysis ofdifferent data.

6".. the whole value cycle of multi-hazard early warning systems is built
on collaborative efforts of various national and international stakeholders
inclusive of multilateral and bilateral development partners, in the public,
private, and academic sectors, and their collective and collaborative
efforts at global, regional, and national levels are fundamentallyneeded."(WMO Resolution 4, United Nations Early Warning for All initiative)

7