Insights
  • Success Stories
  • Satellite Science & Environmental Intelligence

Atmospheric Processing System Support

map of globe with swirls of orange around the center and blue around the poles

The NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) is an operational retrieval algorithm that NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services has been using since 2002. This system generates near real-time atmospheric profiles of temperature, water vapour, and trace gases, as well as Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) needed for weather forecasting. CSS Remote Sensing Scientist supporting the STC Atmospheric Science and Technology Applications team provides science, programming, and algorithm development support for this system.

Major tasks for this effort include

  • Outgoing Longwave Radiation – the longwave radiation emitted to space from the top of Earth’s atmosphere.
  • AWS cloud-based mission-long reprocessing – one-stop place to access all NUCAPS products
  • AEROSE field campaigns – collect and analyze atmospheric temperature, water vapour and ozone profiles, as well as aerosol optical depth and its origins.

For each of these tasks, the CSS remote sensing scientist’s contributions further develop and maintain these critical operations necessary for accurately forecasting and characterization of potentially dangerous weather events.

satellite image of earth on top. Arrow points to a hurricane. Heat map on bottom. Arrow points to a blue blob on bottom indicating the same hurricane as above.
Above is major hurricane Erin, category 4 at the time, shown on the VIIRS true-color image as a typical cloud cover and its correlative NUCAPS top-of-the-atmosphere outgoing longwave radiation or OLR observations from NOAA-21 CrIS sensor on August 19, 2025.

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Map of Mississippi River Basin showing major contributing rivers.
  • Success Stories
  • Satellite Science & Environmental Intelligence

Supporting the Mississippi River Basin Drought and Water Dashboard Development 

Congratulations to NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) on the launch of the Mississippi River Basin Drought and Water Dashboard. This dashboard provides crucial, timely information to support decision-making for those living and working in the basin, which spans 31 states and 40 percent of the contiguous U.S. The team created the dashboard to…

Bank of a river lined with oyster shells and tall grass
  • Success Stories, Uncategorized
  • Environmental Resource Assessment & Management

Organizing National Mussel Watch Program Sample Collection Missions

Established in 1986, NOAA’s National Mussel Watch Program has been systematically monitoring nearly 600 chemical contaminants (including legacy organic contaminants, trace metals, and contaminants of emerging concern) and biological indicators for the establishment of baseline contamination levels in coastal waters around the U.S., including the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands. CSS employee…

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  • Community Spotlight, Success Stories, Uncategorized
  • Emergency Preparedness & Response

Supporting Response Efforts Following California Fires 

Following the fires that devastated Los Angeles, California and surrounding areas in January 2025, CSS employee owners were deployed to the area as a subcontractor to Weston Solutions, Inc. to assist with the response. This effort supports U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 Superfund Technical Assessment & Response Team (START) program.   Initially, a CSS…