Question 4

The spatial characteristics of a NOAA ATOVS sounding are best described by which of the following? (Click the button for the best answer below.) a) A cylinder whose horizontal extent widens toward the swath edges. b) A cylinder whose horizontal extent varies with latitude and longitude. c) A series of point measurements in the vertical equally spaced across the orbital swath. d) A series of point measurements in the vertical whose horizontal spacing widens toward the swath edges. Discussion a) is the correct response. POES satellite sounding profiles are volumetric, defined by the horizontal resolution of the sounder and transcended atmospheric path. The atmospheric path for a NOAA sounder is vertical at nadir and increasingly slanted toward the edges of the orbit track.