Satellite Imagery Covering Panama

The intent for this page is to display GOES-8 satellite imagery for the proposed STERAO-B Project Area in Panama. Initially, sample imagery, both visible and IR, will be displayed for the early morning time of 1215 UT, just after local dawn. Preliminary looks at the incoming satellite imagery has shown that the cloud cover at dawn is a useful indicator of the likely convective activity for most of the daylight hours. Also, the low angle illumination of the early morning sun highlights quite dramatically the cloud top structure and highlights the overshooting tops of the convective cores.

Subsequent additions will include some diurnal images and, perhaps, an animation or two. The animations and diurnal imagery are available below. The animations, however, are very large for downloading over the net unless you have excellent connectivity.

DATA ARCHIVE: The images presented on this page are taken from a digital archive of the corresponding visible and IR imagery that is being maintained as a background resource for the STERAO-B project. That archive is maintained at full resolution in Terascan data format (TDF). For information about this data archive, contact David Johnson at NCAR/MMM (djohnson@ucar.edu).

Early Morning Imagery, Visible and Infrared

Each link connects to a two panel illustration showing both a visible and a thermal IR (Channel 4) image from GOES-8. The domain covered has been remapped to a latitude-longitude grid, and is roughly 700 km across. The pixel resolution (both visible and IR) is 2 km, representing a reduction in resolution from the 1 km full resolution GOES visible imagery in the Data Archive and an overstatement of the true resolution of the 4 km resolution IR data in the archive. Each pair of morning images will range from 100-150 k to download.

WARNING: For simultaneous viewing of the visible and infrared images you will almost certainly have to resize your Browser window. Increasing the width until both images are display side by side is probably your best bet.

June 4, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 5, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 6, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 7, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 8, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 9, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 10, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 11, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 12, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 13, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 14, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 15, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 16, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 17, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 18, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 19, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 20, 1996 (VIS & IR)
June 21, 1996 (VIS & IR)

IR Animations for June 13 and 14

These animations present two full days of half hourly IR imagery over Panama. These consecutive days do not appear to be particularly special, but rather show what appears to be typical convective activity for mid-June. Deep is widespread throughout the 48 hour period, but with the locations for convective initiation dominated by local forcings, such as the mountains of Columbia and convergence zones along the coastlines.

June 13, 1996 IR Animation (784 k)

June 14, 1996 IR Animation (825 k)

Sample Single Frame Imagery from the June 13-14 Animations

June 13, 1996 (individual images range from 16-18 k)

1115 GMT (just after dawn)
1415 GMT
1715 GMT (near local noon)
2015 GMT
2315 GMT (just about sunset)
0215 GMT (next day, June 14)
0515 GMT (still night ...)
0815 GMT (still night ...)

June 14, 1996 (individual images range from 16-18 k)

1115 GMT (just after dawn)
1415 GMT
1715 GMT (near local noon)
2015 GMT
2315 GMT (just about sunset)
0215 GMT (next day, June 15)
0515 GMT (still night ...)
0815 GMT (still night ...)

Return to Image Gallery

Return to NCAR/MMM Satellite Page

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA
Questions or comments? Contact David B. Johnson at djohnson@ucar.edu
last updated, 6/21/96