Measurements from satellite and aircraft sensors, in conjunction with in situ measurements, are used to study spatial and spectral resolution and temporal variability effects on determination of land surface energy fluxes, hydrometeorological characteristics, and biophysical components. The effects of spatial and temporal scale on land surface interface processes are assessed using mesoscale hydrometeorological and Global Circulation Models. Geographic information systems play an important research role in integrating and modeling remote sensing and ancillary data for analysis of the spatial and temporal dynamics of land surface hydrometeorological interactions. The Defense Satellite Meteorological Program has launched a series of satellites with passive microwave sensors. Future research in the usage of one or a combination of these data sets for global multi-year or seasonal assessments of hydrometeorological parameters is desired.
Water vapor is a key component of the Earth's hydrologic cycle.
This research focuses on the measurement of atmospheric water to determine bulk water vapor variability and to infer upper-level winds by tracking of water vapor features. Geostationary satellite data from the GOES-VAS and GOES Next satellites are used for local, regional, and hemispheric analysis in support of budget and model studies of the hydrologic and energy cycles. Laboratory facilities exist to calibrate and characterize Lidar systems. The research is directed toward understanding the physical processes leading to the generation of electrical energy within thunderstorms, developing global lightning climatologies, and understanding the global electric circuit. Modeling, analytic, and observational approaches are used in these studies.