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Sea‐surface emissivity parametrization from microwaves to millimetre waves
Author(s) -
Prigent C.,
Aires F.,
Wang D.,
Fox S.,
Harlow C.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.2953
Subject(s) - emissivity , parametrization (atmospheric modeling) , microwave , radiometer , remote sensing , radiative transfer , environmental science , microwave radiometer , atmospheric radiative transfer codes , satellite , meteorology , physics , geology , optics , computer science , telecommunications , astronomy
In preparation for new observations on board the next generation of the European operational meteorological satellite ( EUMETSAT Polar System—Second Generation ( EPS‐SG )), a parametrization of the sea‐surface emissivity is proposed from 10–700 GHz: Tool to Estimate Sea‐Surface Emissivity from Microwaves to sub‐Millimeter waves (TESSEM 2 ). It is based on the community model FAST microwave Emissivity Model (FASTEM) at frequencies up to 200 GHz, where FASTEM has been calibrated and validated operationally. It follows a physical emissivity model at higher frequencies. A preliminary evaluation of TESSEM 2 has been conducted with success, by comparison with airborne International Sub‐Millimetre Airborne Radiometer (ISMAR) observations from 118–325 GHz, under low wind speed (3–5 m s −1 ) off the coast of Scotland. TESSEM 2 is a fast parametrization that can easily be implemented in a community radiative transfer model. The code is available to the community and will be distributed with the next version of Radiative Transfer for the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (RTTOV).