Open AccessAccuracy of geophysical parameters derived from Atmospheric Infrared Sounder/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit as a function of fractional cloud cover
Author(s) -
Susskind Joel,
Barnet Chris,
Blaisdell John,
Iredell Lena,
Keita Fricky,
Kouvaris Lou,
Molnar Gyula,
Chahine Moustafa
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2005jd006272
Subject(s) - advanced microwave sounding unit , atmospheric infrared sounder , depth sounding , remote sensing , atmospheric sounding , environmental science , troposphere , cloud cover , precipitable water , meteorology , cloud top , cloud computing , microwave , computer science , geology , water vapor , physics , telecommunications , oceanography , operating system
AIRS was launched on EOS Aqua on 4 May 2002, together with AMSU A and HSB, to form a next generation polar orbiting infrared and microwave atmospheric sounding system. The primary products of AIRS/AMSU are twice daily global fields of atmospheric temperature‐humidity profiles, ozone profiles, sea/land surface skin temperature, and cloud related parameters including OLR. The sounding goals of AIRS are to produce 1 km tropospheric layer mean temperatures with an RMS error of 1 K, and layer precipitable water with an RMS error of 20%, in cases with up to 80% effective cloud cover. The basic theory used to analyze AIRS/AMSU/HSB data in the presence of clouds, called the at‐launch algorithm, was described previously. Prelaunch simulation studies using this algorithm indicated that these results should be achievable. Some modifications have been made to the at‐launch retrieval algorithm as described in this paper. Sample fields of parameters retrieved from AIRS/AMSU/HSB data are presented and validated as a function of retrieved fractional cloud cover. As in simulation, the degradation of retrieval accuracy with increasing cloud cover is small and the RMS accuracy of lower‐tropospheric temperature retrieved with 80% cloud cover is about 0.5 K poorer than for clear cases. HSB failed in February 2003, and consequently, HSB channel radiances are not used in the results shown in this paper. The AIRS/AMSU retrieval algorithm described in this paper, called version 4, become operational at the Goddard DAAC (Distributed Active Archive Center) in April 2003 and is being used to analyze near‐real time AIRS/AMSU data. Historical AIRS/AMSU data, going backward from March 2005 through September 2002, is also being analyzed by the DAAC using the version 4 algorithm.