Development of a Global Infrared Land Surface Emissivity Database for Application to Clear Sky Sounding Retrievals from Multispectral Satellite Radiance Measurements

2008 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne W. Seemann ◽  
Eva E. Borbas ◽  
Robert O. Knuteson ◽  
Gordon R. Stephenson ◽  
Hung-Lung Huang

Abstract A global database of infrared (IR) land surface emissivity is introduced to support more accurate retrievals of atmospheric properties such as temperature and moisture profiles from multispectral satellite radiance measurements. Emissivity is derived using input from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) operational land surface emissivity product (MOD11). The baseline fit method, based on a conceptual model developed from laboratory measurements of surface emissivity, is applied to fill in the spectral gaps between the six emissivity wavelengths available in MOD11. The six available MOD11 wavelengths span only three spectral regions (3.8–4, 8.6, and 11–12 μm), while the retrievals of atmospheric temperature and moisture from satellite IR sounder radiances require surface emissivity at higher spectral resolution. Emissivity in the database presented here is available globally at 10 wavelengths (3.6, 4.3, 5.0, 5.8, 7.6, 8.3, 9.3, 10.8, 12.1, and 14.3 μm) with 0.05° spatial resolution. The wavelengths in the database were chosen as hinge points to capture as much of the shape of the higher-resolution emissivity spectra as possible between 3.6 and 14.3 μm. The surface emissivity from this database is applied to the IR regression retrieval of atmospheric moisture profiles using radiances from MODIS, and improvement is shown over retrievals made with the typical assumption of constant emissivity.

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunlei Meng ◽  
Huoqing Li

AbstractFengyun-4A is the new generation of Chinese geostationary meteorological satellites. Land surface albedo, land surface emissivity and land surface temperature are key states for land surface modelling. In this paper, the land surface albedo, land surface emissivity and land surface temperature data from Fengyun-4A were assimilated into the Integrated Urban land Model. The Fengyun-4A data are one of the data sources for the land data assimilation system which devoted to produce the high spatial and temporal resolution, multiple parameters near real-time land data sets. The Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LSA and LSE data, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, China Academy of Sciences (IAP) 325 m tower observation data and the observed 5 cm and 10 cm soil temperature data in more than 100 sites are used for validation. The results indicate the MODIS land surface albedo is much smaller than the Fengyun-4A and is superior to the Fengyun-4A for the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, China Academy of Sciences 325 m tower site. The Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer land surface emissivity is smaller than the Fengyun-4A in barren land surface and the differences is relatively small for other land use and land cover categories. In most regions of the research area, the Fengyun-4A land surface albedo and land surface emissivity are larger than those of the simulations. After the land surface albedo assimilation, in most regions the simulated net radiation was decreased. After the land surface emissivity assimilation, in most regions the simulated net radiation was increased. After the land surface temperature assimilation, the biases of the land surface temperature were decreased apparently; the biases of the daily average 5 cm and 10 cm soil temperature were decreased.


2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1225-1235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhigang Yao ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Jinlong Li ◽  
Hong Zhang

AbstractAn accurate land surface emissivity (LSE) is critical for the retrieval of atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles along with land surface temperature from hyperspectral infrared (IR) sounder radiances; it is also critical to assimilating IR radiances in numerical weather prediction models over land. To investigate the impact of different LSE datasets on Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) sounding retrievals, experiments are conducted by using a one-dimensional variational (1DVAR) retrieval algorithm. Sounding retrievals using constant LSE, the LSE dataset from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), and the baseline fit dataset from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are performed. AIRS observations over northern Africa on 1–7 January and 1–7 July 2007 are used in the experiments. From the limited regional comparisons presented here, it is revealed that the LSE from the IASI obtained the best agreement between the retrieval results and the ECMWF reanalysis, whereas the constant LSE gets the worst results when the emissivities are fixed in the retrieval process. The results also confirm that the simultaneous retrieval of atmospheric profile and surface parameters could reduce the dependence of soundings on the LSE choice and finally improve sounding accuracy when the emissivities are adjusted in the iterative retrieval. In addition, emissivity angle dependence is investigated with AIRS radiance measurements. The retrieved emissivity spectra from AIRS over the ocean reveal weak angle dependence, which is consistent with that from an ocean emissivity model. This result demonstrates the reliability of the 1DVAR simultaneous algorithm for emissivity retrieval from hyperspectral IR radiance measurements.


2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 907-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satya Prakash ◽  
Hamid Norouzi ◽  
Marzi Azarderakhsh ◽  
Reginald Blake ◽  
Catherine Prigent ◽  
...  

AbstractAccurate estimation of passive microwave land surface emissivity (LSE) is crucial for numerical weather prediction model data assimilation, for microwave retrievals of land precipitation and atmospheric profiles, and for a better understanding of land surface and subsurface characteristics. In this study, global instantaneous LSE is estimated for a 9-yr period from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) and for a 5-yr period from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) sensors. Estimates of LSE from both sensors were obtained by using an updated algorithm that minimizes the discrepancy between the differences in penetration depths from microwave and infrared remote sensing observations. Concurrent ancillary datasets such as skin temperature from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and profiles of air temperature and humidity from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder are used. The latest collection 6 of MODIS skin temperature is used for the LSE estimation, and the differences between collections 6 and 5 are also comprehensively assessed. Analyses reveal that the differences between these two versions of infrared-based skin temperatures could lead to approximately a 0.015 difference in passive microwave LSE values, especially in arid regions. The comparison of global mean LSE features from the combined use of AMSR-E and AMSR2 with an independent product—Tool to Estimate Land Surface Emissivity from Microwave to Submillimeter Waves (TELSEM2)—shows spatial pattern correlations of order 0.92 at all frequencies. However, there are considerable differences in magnitude between these two LSE estimates, possibly because of differences in incidence angles, frequencies, observation times, and ancillary datasets.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aynigar Yalkun ◽  
Ali Mamtimin ◽  
Suhong Liu ◽  
Fan Yang ◽  
Qing He ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this paper, the Taklimakan Desert land surface emissivity measured by portable Fourier Transform thermal InfraRed spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to re-estimate Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS) BroadBand Emissivity (BBE) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) BBE optimal coefficients equations. In addition, the revised BBE equations of both GLASS and MODIS with the optimized coefficients were obtained. Comparing the FTIR and MODIS BBE data with the values retrieved before and after the revised GLASS BBE equation, it was found that the revised GLASS BBE equation is more accurate than the original one. First, according to the error analysis with FTIR data, the value of R2 is increased from 0.4 to 0.9, and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Bias are reduced by 1 and 3 magnitude orders, respectively. Second, with MODIS BBE data, the value of R2 is increased from 0.6 to 0.9, the RMSE and Bias are reduced by 1 and 2 magnitude orders, respectively. Finally, the Taklimakan Desert BBE was calculated using the revised GLASS BBE equation. The results showed that the BBE values are between 0.890 and 0.920 in the desert center, between 0.920 and 0.950 in the sparse vegetation areas, and between 0.950 and 0.980 in the oasis edges.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caixia Gao ◽  
Enyu Zhao ◽  
Chuanrong Li ◽  
Yonggang Qian ◽  
Lingling Ma ◽  
...  

The aim of this study is to evaluate the aerosol influence on LST retrieval with two algorithms (split-window (SW) method and a four-channel based method) using simulated data under typical conditions. The results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) decreases to approximately 2.3 K for SW method and 1.5 K for four channel based method when VZA = 60° and visibility = 3 km; an RMSE would be increased by approximately 1.0 K when visibility varies from 3 km to 23 km. Moreover, a detailed sensitivity analysis under a visibility of 3 km and 23 km is performed in terms of uncertainties of land surface emissivity (LSE), water vapor content (WVC), and instrument noise, respectively. It is noted that the four-channel based method is more sensitive to LSE than SW method, especially for dry atmosphere; LST error caused by a WVC uncertainty of 20% is within 1.5 K for SW method and within 0.8 K for four-channel based method; the instrument noise would introduce LST error with a maximum standard deviation of 0.5 K and 0.04 K for the four-channel based method and SW method, respectively.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document