2023/03/24
DM03-23.01 Activation of Metop-C ASCAT Winds on the Satellite Broadcast Network

NOXX10 KWBC 022107
DM03-23.01

NOUS41/KWBC/221700
PNSWSH

Service Change Notice 23-19
National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD
1200 PM EST Wed Feb 22 2023

To: Subscribers:
  -NOAA Weather Wire Service
  -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
  -NOAAPort
  Other NWS Partners... Users and Employees

From: Ajay Mehta
      Director... NWS Office of Observations

Subject: Activation of Metop-C ASCAT Winds on the Satellite 
Broadcast Network on or about March 24... 2023

On or about March 24... 2023... ocean surface wind vectors from the
Advanced Scatterometer /ASCAT/ aboard the Metop-C satellite will
become available via the NWS Satellite Broadcast Network /SBN/’s
NMC channel /Port 1201...
PID 101/.

ASCAT winds from the Metop-A and/or Metop-B satellites have been
on SBN since November 2008... as described in Technical
Implementation Notice TIN08-68... and more recently in Service
Change Notice SCN22-72.

ASCAT winds from Metop-C on SBN will have the following WMO
Headers:

 JSXX01 KNES JSXX02 KNES JSXX03 KNES JSXX04 KNES JSXX05 KNES
 JSXX06 KNES JSXX07 KNES JSXX08 KNES JSXX09 KNES JSXX10 KNES

The first nine /9/ WMO headers /JSXX0[1-9] KNES/ will denote
Metop-C ASCAT winds data that intersects the nine geographic areas
listed in TIN08-68:

 JSXX01 KNES: 35S to 37N / 35W westward to 90W
 JSXX02 KNES: 37N to 75N / 35W westward to 90W
 JSXX03 KNES: 35S to 37N / 90W westward to 109W
 JSXX04 KNES: 37N to 75N / 90W westward to 109W
 JSXX05 KNES: 35S to 42N / 109W westward to 140W
 JSXX06 KNES: 42N to 75N / 109W westward to 128W
            and 4N to 42N / 128W westward to 140W
 JSXX07 KNES: 35S to 50N / 140W westward to 180
 JSXX08 KNES: 35S to 50N / 180 westward to 130E
 JSXX09 KNES: 52N to 75N / 128W westward to 140W
            and 50N to 75N / 140W westward to 130E

These headers were previously used for Metop-A ASCAT winds... until
Metop-A ceased operations in November 2021. Sites still configured
to receive Metop-A ASCAT winds will begin receiving Metop-C ASCAT
winds for these nine areas without any further configuration.

A 10th WMO header /JSXX10 KNES/ will denote Metop-C ASCAT winds
data outside the nine areas listed in TIN08-68. This 10th area is
therefore bounded by the following coordinates:

 JSXX10 KNES: 35S to 75N / 130E westward to 35W
            and 75N to 90N /all longitudes/
            and 90S to 35S /all longitudes/

This area includes the North and South Atlantic Oceans east of 35W;
the Indian Ocean... the North and South Pacific Oceans west of
130E...the polar region north of 75N... and all points south of 35S.

The "JSXX10 KNES" header has not been previously used on SBN: sites
wishing to receive Metop-C ASCAT winds data outside the nine areas
may need to configure their systems to recognize this WMO header.

ASCAT winds from Metop-C will add about 400 files/day to the SBN...
amounting to about 24 MB/day /i.e.... 1 MB/hr... 0.002 Mbps/.

ASCAT winds data are encoded as BUFR files with the following
parameters:

 Parameter Units
 —-------------------------- —------
 Wind direction at 10 meters degrees
 Wind speed at 10 meters m/s
 Rainfall detection 0 or 1

Additional details about ASCAT Winds are available from NOAA OSPO
/https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/atmosphere/ascat// and EUMETSAT
/https://www.eumetsat.int/ascat/.

Critical weather or other factors may affect the timing of this
change.

For questions pertaining to this change... please contact:
 NOAA/NWS Office of Observations
 Silver Spring... MD
 Email: NWS-OBS-Satellites@noaa.gov
 or
 AWIPS Network Control Facility /NCF/ Help Desk
 NOAA/NWS Office of Central Processing
 Silver Spring... MD
 Phone: 888-808-8624

For questions regarding the content or distribution of the products
listed here... please contact:

 Environmental Satellite Processing Center /ESPC/ Help Desk
 Suitland... MD
 Phone: 301-817-3880
 Email: espcoperations@noaa.gov

National Service Change Notices are online at:
https://www.weather.gov/notification/
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