Category Archives: news and events

Wildfire smoke can be transported far from its origin, adversely impacting human health. The height of the atmospheric mixing layer, the near-surface layer of the troposphere in which turbulent convection leads to vertical mixing, is called the mixing height. Mixing height is a critical input in the smoke dispersion and air quality models used by…

A parallax shift is a displacement in the apparent navigated position of a feature that arises because of its perspective from the viewing platform and is also a function of the feature height. For Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imagery, this shift is especially apparent away from the satellite subpoint. Users should understand the degree…

Strong wind in the lower levels of the atmosphere near major airports can impact normal air traffic control (ATC) operations with respect to the horizontal spacing of aircraft. This is known in the ATC community as wind compression. Wind compression occurs when a strong wind from a specific direction and speed (at critical altitudes) impact…