Rapid response for cloud monitoring through Meteosat VIS‐IR and NOAA–A/TOVS image fusion: civil aviation application. A first approach to MSG‐SEVIRI

Abstract

The aim of this work is to show an automatic method of cloud classification for direct application in civil aviation. We start from the premise of an acceptable trade‐off between calculation speed and accuracy in the output data. For this reason, visible and infrared channels of the Meteosat satellite were used alongside data provided by the A/TOVS (Advanced/Tiros‐N Operational Vertical Sounder) probe onboard NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) polar satellites. A historical database of mean temperatures at ground level was also used. The analysis of different significant synoptic and mesoscale situations highlighted the efficacy of this method in the representation of the different cloud structures that normally appear in these situations. Considering the results of the study and given its speed and accuracy, it can be concluded that the method is appropriate for monitoring cloud systems in real time.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the Spanish Institute of Meteorology (INM). and are grateful for comments made by the anonymous referees of our paper.