Atmospheric Motion Vectors Derived from an Infrared Window Channel of a Geostationary Satellite Using Particle Image Velocimetry

As the new-generation geostationary satellite Himawari-8 provides a greater frequency and more observation channels than its predecessor, the Multifunctional Transport Satellite series (e.g., MTSAT-2), an opportunity arises to generate atmospheric motion vectors (AMVs) with an increased accuracy and extensive distribution over eastern Asia. In this work AMVs were derived from consecutive images of an infrared-window channel (IR1) of the Himawari-8 satellite using particle image velocimetry (PIV) based on the theory of cross-correlation schemes. A multipass scheme and an adaptive interrogation scheme were also employed to increase spatial resolution and accuracy. For height assignment, an infrared-window method was applied for opaque cloud, while an H2O-intercept method was employed for semitransparent cloud. Validation was conducted by comparing the PIV-derived AMVs with wind fields obtained from NWP analysis, radiosonde observations, and the operational system from the Meteorological Satellite Center (MSC) of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) or JMA/MSC. The comparison of wind velocity maps with the NWP data shows that the PIV-derived AMVs are capable of quantitatively depicting full-field wind field maps and strong jets in atmospheric circulation. Through comparisons with radiosonde observations, the root-mean-square error and wind speed bias (4.29 and −1.05 m s−1) of the PIV-derived AMVs are comparable to, although slightly greater than, that of the NWP data (3.88 and −0.26 m s−1). Based on comparison between the PIV-derived AMVs and wind fields obtained from the JMA/MSC operational system, the PIV-derived AMVs are again comparable, producing a slightly lower error but a larger wind speed bias (−1.05 vs 0.20 m s−1). This also implies that a better height assignment algorithm is necessary.