GOES Satellites Monitor the Earth For Severe Weather

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A go is a lot of things: the energy to pursue something; the spirit that propels one through a tough situation; the ability to do a task at an optimal level. But, when it comes to meteorology, a go is also an important piece of the puzzle: The GOES satellites in geostationary orbit constantly monitor the Earth for severe weather conditions like tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes.

The GOES (Government Operations Satellite) system consists of four satellites in a quad-satellite configuration, each with two instruments: an Imager and a Sounder.

GOES is NOAA’s primary satellite program, providing near-real-time imagery of the Earth to support meteorological forecasting and warnings. Each satellite can be assigned to a specific geographic region, such as the East Coast of the US, West Coast of the US, or a particular continent. The GOES-R series of satellites provides the next generation of GOES imagery and data for NOAA’s National Weather Service and is being developed by Lockheed Martin on the A2100 satellite bus.

GOES satellites are named for their first letter (A, B, C, etc) and then once they reach orbit they are designated by a number (1, 2, 3, etc). Those that were launched successfully have been redesignated with numbers (A-F, skipping GOES-G, as GOES-H to GOES-16, skipping GOES-Q because it never got built).

Each of the GOES-R satellites has two instruments: the Advanced Baseline Imager for multispectral imaging and the Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors for solar monitoring. GOES-R also has a new feature called the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), which will provide a high-resolution view of lightning activity in real time.

The GOES-R series of satellites is designed to last for at least seven years, though they will carry excess fuel to allow them to operate longer if necessary. They are designed to be a third of the size and weight of their predecessors, with lower power requirements.

Unlike POES satellites, which track storms in the polar regions, GOES-R satellites stay in geostationary orbit above a fixed point on Earth and provide continuous surveillance of a specific region. This allows meteorologists to be more nimble in the way they respond to the atmospheric “triggers” that lead to severe weather events like thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes. They can also provide vital images to monitor wildfires and estimate rainfall. GOES-R images are used daily for forecasting and in warnings issued by NOAA’s National Weather Service. This is particularly important for hurricanes because the more detailed images GOES-R can provide can lead to improved hurricane track and intensity predictions. This year, the GOES-R system has been particularly busy with hurricanes and has already captured some remarkable images. [5]

The Dangers of a Culture of Niceness

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Nice is a word that has many different meanings. It can mean pleasant, agreeable, or charming. It can also mean kind, considerate, or thoughtful. But one of the most popular definitions is the quality of being polite and showing respect for others. It is a desirable trait in a person, as well as a quality of people and places.

The City of Nice, a Mediterranean resort in southeast France, is the leading tourist destination on the French Riviera. Its famous Promenade des Anglais is a walkway lined with palm trees and cafés. The Cours Saleya, the city’s main market, is held daily on this square. The Palais des Rois Sardes (Palace of the Kings of Sardinia) is also located here.

There has been a lot of talk about toxic workplace cultures and what it takes to create safe work environments. But a culture of niceness could be just as damaging, according to Tessa West, a social psychologist. She said that while being a kind, empathetic and caring person are all positive traits, they can become harmful if taken too far.

A person who is nice is often too concerned with keeping the peace and making everyone else happy that they have a hard time saying no or setting firm boundaries. This is especially true if the person is in a position of authority, where they may be in fear of losing their job or being disliked by coworkers.

Eventually, nice people aren’t sure of themselves and start to lose their identities. For example, if their friends are pressuring them to join in on something that goes against their values, they’ll give into peer pressure and go along with the crowd. They may even feel guilty later about it. A good person, on the other hand, will speak up if they are being mistreated or violated.

They aren’t afraid to set a boundary for themselves and they aren’t willing to compromise their values. If they’re not happy with their job, they’ll find another position rather than staying and trying to force themselves to like it.

Nice people can also fall prey to the sin of mediocrity. Psychologist Adam Grant believes that a culture of niceness can lead to a lack of accountability and a failure to push employees out of their comfort zone. He said that the reason is that when employees are worried about being liked, they’re not challenged to do their best work.

Ultimately, a culture of niceness can make it hard to hold people accountable for their performance and create a situation where good workers are lost. West said that in order to prevent this, leaders should make sure they have a healthy balance of interpersonal warmth and accountability.

People who use the word nice to describe themselves are aiming for all of the above definitions. It is a quality that makes them a joy to be around and they’re a great influencer in their social circles. They’re also very respectful of other people and they always try to do the right thing.