A TIROS III cloud interpretation exercise

A description is given of an exercise conducted on 9th August 1961, when an augmented team of ground and air observers was organised for the specific purpose of enabling a comparison to be made between observations of cloud obtained in this manner and also simultaneously by TIROS III television camera. In this exercise satellite cloud photographs were obtained of a cut-off low over southeast Australia. The characteristic appearance of certain cloud types in satellite pictures is discussed and reference made to difficulties in cloud identification in some other cases. The pattern of the major cloud features is studied in relation to the synoptic situation, including a ring-like cloud feature believed to be associated with the cold core at about the 700 mb level.