A powerful instrument designed to give scientists more refined information about Earth’s atmosphere and improve weather and climate forecasts is now active and sending its first data back to Earth from America’s newest polar-orbiting satellite.
The Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) will produce high resolution, three-dimensional temperature, atmospheric pressure, and moisture profiles that will be used in NOAA’s weather prediction computer models to forecast severe weather days in advance. Over longer timescales this information will also help scientists understand climate phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña.
“Having data from CrIS will improve the quality, timeliness and accuracy of NOAA’s weather and climate predictions, which directly benefits everyone in America,” said Mary Kicza, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service.
