Using the MAPL Orbital Component with SatSim

The MAPL_OrbGridComp module is a gridded component that creates satellite ground tracts. From these tracks, masks on the imput grid are created. The component has been integrated in the GEOS5 GCM and is a child of the AGCM gridded component. Thus far it has been interfaced with the SatSim gridded component. Exports of the SatSim component can be masked and the masked fields can be output via the History componnent. To use this capability the user must provide two resource files that follow the standards of ESMF resource files. The first is MAPL_OrbGridComp.rc An example MAPL_OrbGridComp.rc is shown below:

#                            ----------------
#                            Mask Definitions
#                            ----------------
Nominal_Orbits::
#                              Swath
# Instrument   Satellite       (km)      Halo              Long Name
# ----------  -----------   ----------  ------    ---------------------------------------------------
   TERRA       TERRA               0       0         Orbital Mask for TERRA (Satellite Sub-point)
   MOPITT      TERRA             616       0         Orbital Mask for MOPITT
   ASTER       TERRA              60       0         Orbital Mask for ASTER
   MODIS_T     TERRA            2330       0         Orbital Mask for MODIS TERRA
   MISR        TERRA             380       0         Orbital Mask for MISR
#
   AQUA        AQUA                0       0         Orbital Mask for AQUA (Satellite Sub-point)
   AIRS        AQUA             1650       0         Orbital Mask for AIRS
   AMSR_E      AQUA             1445       0         Orbital Mask for AMSR-E
   MODIS_A     AQUA             2330       0         Orbital Mask for MODIS AQUA
#
   AURA        AURA                0       0         Orbital Mask for AURA (Satellite Sub-point)
   HIRDLS      AURA             3000       0         Orbital Mask for HIRDLS
   OMI         AURA             2600       0         Orbital Mask for OMI
   TES         AURA              180       0         Orbital Mask for TES
#
   CALIPSO     CALIPSO             0       0         Orbital Mask for CALIPSO
   CLOUDSAT    CLOUDSAT            0       0         Orbital Mask for CLOUDSAT
::

The file must have a Nominal_Orbits label. Following the label each line has the following text entries.

Instrument - This is the name that will be used for the export state created by GEOS5

Satellite - This is the satellite name. Currently the valid satellites are TERRA, AQUA, AURA, CALIPSO, and CLOUDSAT.

Swath - This the the size of the swath in kilometers. Note the actual swath size is twice this since this is the size of the swath on either side of the groud track. If this is 0 you will just get the ground track of the actual satellite.

Halo - This allows one to had a halo around the swath where the number is the number of extra grid points to swath outside of the generated sattellite swath

Long Name - this parameter is not read but you can place additional text after the Halo for information