scholarly journals Radiative Transfer Simulations Using Mesoscale Cloud Model Outputs: Comparisons with Passive Microwave and Infrared Satellite Observations for Midlatitudes

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1550-1568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Meirold-Mautner ◽  
Catherine Prigent ◽  
Eric Defer ◽  
Juan R. Pardo ◽  
Jean-Pierre Chaboureau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Cloud Model ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Specific Situation ◽  
Dynamical Structure ◽  
Atmospheric Transmission ◽  
Brightness Temperatures

Abstract Real midlatitude meteorological cases are simulated over western Europe with the cloud mesoscale model Méso-NH, and the outputs are used to calculate brightness temperatures at microwave frequencies with the Atmospheric Transmission at Microwave (ATM) radiative transfer model. Satellite-observed brightness temperatures (TBs) from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Unit B (AMSU-B) and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) are compared to the simulated ones. In this paper, one specific situation is examined in detail. The infrared responses have also been calculated and compared to the Meteosat coincident observations. Overall agreement is obtained between the simulated and the observed brightness temperatures in the microwave and in the infrared. The large-scale dynamical structure of the cloud system is well captured by Méso-NH. However, in regions with large quantities of frozen hydrometeors, the comparison shows that the simulated microwave TBs are higher than the measured ones in the window channels at high frequencies, indicating that the calculation does not predict enough scattering. The factors responsible for the scattering (frozen particle distribution, calculation of particle dielectric properties, and nonsphericity of the particles) are analyzed. To assess the quality of the cloud and precipitation simulations by Méso-NH, the microphysical fields predicted by the German Lokal-Modell are also considered. Results show that in these midlatitude situations, the treatment of the snow category has a high impact on the simulated brightness temperatures. The snow scattering parameters are tuned to match the discrete dipole approximation calculations and to obtain a good agreement between simulations and observations even in the areas with significant frozen particles. Analysis of the other meteorological simulations confirms these results. Comparing simulations and observations in the microwave provides a powerful evaluation of resolved clouds in mesoscale models, especially the precipitating ice phase.

scholarly journals Meso-scale modelling and radiative transfer simulations of a snowfall event over France at microwaves for passive and active modes and evaluation with satellite observations

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1605-1616 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. S. Galligani ◽  
C. Prigent ◽  
E. Defer ◽  
C. Jimenez ◽  
P. Eriksson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cloud Model ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Dynamical Structure ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Brightness Temperatures ◽  
Scale Modelling ◽  
Retrieval Scheme ◽  
Snowfall Event

Abstract. Microwave passive and active radiative transfer simulations are performed with the Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator (ARTS) for a mid-latitude snowfall event, using outputs from the Meso-NH mesoscale cloud model. The results are compared to the corresponding microwave observations available from MHS and CloudSat. The spatial structures of the simulated and observed brightness temperatures show an overall agreement since the large-scale dynamical structure of the cloud system is reasonably well captured by Meso-NH. However, with the initial assumptions on the single-scattering properties of snow, there is an obvious underestimation of the strong scattering observed in regions with large frozen hydrometeor quantities. A sensitivity analysis of both active and passive simulations to the microphysical parametrizations is conducted. Simultaneous analysis of passive and active calculations provides strong constraints on the assumptions made to simulate the observations. Good agreements are obtained with both MHS and CloudSat observations when the single-scattering properties are calculated using the "soft sphere" parametrization from Liu (2004), along with the Meso-NH outputs. This is an important step toward building a robust data set of simulated measurements to train a statistically based retrieval scheme.

scholarly journals Meso-scale modeling and radiative transfer simulations of a snowfall event over France at microwaves for passive and active modes and evaluation with satellite observations

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 7175-7206
Author(s):  
V. S. Galligani ◽  
C. Prigent ◽  
E. Defer ◽  
C. Jimenez ◽  
P. Eriksson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cloud Model ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Dynamical Structure ◽  
Brightness Temperatures ◽  
Scale Modeling ◽  
Retrieval Scheme ◽  
Snowfall Event ◽  
Strong Scattering

Abstract. Microwave passive and active radiative transfer simulations are performed with the Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator (ARTS) for a mid-latitude snowfall event, using outputs from the Meso-NH mesoscale cloud model. The results are compared to the corresponding microwave observations available from MHS and CloudSat. The spatial structures of the simulated and observed brightness temperatures show an overall agreement since the large-scale dynamical structure of the cloud system is reasonably well captured by Meso-NH. However, with the initial assumptions on the single scattering properties of snow, there is an obvious underestimation of the strong scattering observed in regions with large frozen hydrometeor quantities. A sensitivity analysis of both active and passive simulations to the microphysical parameterizations is conducted. Simultaneous analysis of passive and active calculations provides strong constraints on the assumptions made to simulate the observations. Good agreements are obtained with both MHS and CloudSat observations when the single scattering properties are calculated using the "soft sphere" parameterization from Liu (2004), along with the Meso-NH outputs. This is an important step toward building a robust dataset of simulated measurements to train a statistically-based retrieval scheme.

scholarly journals Comparison of measured brightness temperatures from SMOS with modelled ones from ORCHIDEE and H-TESSEL over the Iberian Peninsula

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 13019-13067
Author(s):  
A. Barella-Ortiz ◽  
J. Polcher ◽  
P. de Rosnay ◽  
M. Piles ◽  
E. Gelati
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Microwave Emission ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Retrieval Algorithm ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Brightness Temperatures

Abstract. L-Band radiometry is considered to be one of the most suitable techniques to estimate surface soil moisture by means of remote sensing. Brightness temperatures are key in this process, as they are the main input in the retrieval algorithm. The work exposed compares brightness temperatures measured by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission to two different sets of modelled ones, over the Iberian Peninsula from 2010 to 2012. The latter were estimated using a radiative transfer model and state variables from two land surface models: (i) ORganising Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic EcosystEms (ORCHIDEE) and (ii) Hydrology – Tiled ECMWF Scheme for Surface Exchanges over Land (H-TESSEL). The radiative transfer model used is the Community Microwave Emission Model (CMEM). A good agreement in the temporal evolution of measured and modelled brightness temperatures is observed. However, their spatial structures are not consistent between them. An Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis of the brightness temperature's error identifies a dominant structure over the South-West of the Iberian Peninsula which evolves during the year and is maximum in Fall and Winter. Hypotheses concerning forcing induced biases and assumptions made in the radiative transfer model are analysed to explain this inconsistency, but no candidate is found to be responsible for it at the moment. Further hypotheses are proposed at the end of the paper.

scholarly journals Large-scale validation of SCIAMACHY reflectance in the ultraviolet

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1771-1796 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. van Soest ◽  
L. G. Tilstra ◽  
P. Stammes
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Validation Study ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Scale Validation ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Time Level ◽  
Standard Calibration ◽  
Level 1 ◽  
Reflectance Data

Abstract. In this paper we present an extensive validation of calibrated SCIAMACHY nadir reflectance in the UV (240–400 nm) by comparison with spectra calculated with a fast radiative transfer model. We use operationally delivered near-real-time level 1 data, processed with 5 standard calibration tools. A total of 9 months of data has been analysed. This is the first reflectance validation study incorporating such a large amount of data. It is shown that this method is a valuable tool for spotting spatial and temporal anomalies. We conclude that SCIAMACHY reflectance data in this wavelength range are stable over the investigated period. In addition, we show an example of an 10 anomaly in the data due to an error in the processing chain that could be detected by our comparison. This validation method could be extremely useful too for validation of other satellite spectrometers, such as OMI and GOME-2.

scholarly journals Clear-Sky Mask for the Advanced Clear-Sky Processor for Oceans

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 1609-1623 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Petrenko ◽  
A. Ignatov ◽  
Y. Kihai ◽  
A. Heidinger
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Brightness Temperatures ◽  
Spatial Uniformity ◽  
Uniformity Test ◽  
Cross Platform

Abstract The Advanced Clear Sky Processor for Oceans (ACSPO) generates clear-sky products, such as SST, clear-sky radiances, and aerosol, from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)-like measurements. The ACSPO clear-sky mask (ACSM) identifies clear-sky pixels within the ACSPO products. This paper describes the ACSM structure and compares the performances of ACSM and its predecessor, Clouds from AVHRR Extended Algorithm (CLAVRx). ACSM essentially employs online clear-sky radiative transfer simulations enabled within ACSPO with the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) in conjunction with numerical weather prediction atmospheric [Global Forecast System (GFS)] and SST [Reynolds daily high-resolution blended SST (DSST)] fields. The baseline ACSM tests verify the accuracy of fitting observed brightness temperatures with CRTM, check retrieved SST for consistency with Reynolds SST, and identify ambient cloudiness at the boundaries of cloudy systems. Residual cloud effects are screened out with several tests, adopted from CLAVRx, and with the SST spatial uniformity test designed to minimize misclassification of sharp SST gradients as clouds. Cross-platform and temporal consistencies of retrieved SSTs are maintained by accounting for SST and brightness temperature biases, estimated within ACSPO online and independently from ACSM. The performance of ACSM is characterized in terms of statistics of deviations of retrieved SST from the DSST. ACSM increases the amount of “clear” pixels by 30% to 40% and improves statistics of retrieved SST compared with CLAVRx. ACSM is also shown to be capable of producing satisfactory statistics of SST anomalies if the reference SST field for the exact date of observations is unavailable at the time of processing.

Characterization of Bias of Advanced Himawari Imager Infrared Observations from NWP Background Simulations Using CRTM and RTTOV

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 2553-2567 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Zou ◽  
X. Zhuge ◽  
F. Weng
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Brightness Temperatures ◽  
Emissivity Model ◽  
New Generation

AbstractStarting in 2014, the new generation of Japanese geostationary meteorological satellites carries an Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) to provide the observations of visible, near infrared, and infrared with much improved spatial and temporal resolutions. For applications of the AHI measurements in numerical weather prediction (NWP) data assimilation systems, the biases of the AHI brightness temperatures at channels 7–16 from the model simulations are first characterized and evaluated using both the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) and the Radiative Transfer for the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (RTTOV). It is found that AHI biases under a clear-sky atmosphere are independent of satellite zenith angle except for channel 7. The biases of three water vapor channels increase with scene brightness temperatures and are nearly constant except at high brightness temperatures for the remaining infrared channels. The AHI biases at all the infrared channels are less than 0.6 and 1.2 K over ocean and land, respectively. The differences in biases between RTTOV and CRTM with the land surface emissivity model used in RTTOV are small except for the upper-tropospheric water vapor channels 8 and 9 and the low-tropospheric carbon dioxide channel 16. Since the inputs used for simulations are the same for CRTM and RTTOV, the differential biases at the water vapor channels may be associated with subtle differences in forward models.

scholarly journals Bulk hydrometeor optical properties for microwave and sub-mm radiative transfer in RTTOV-SCATT v13.0

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Jon Geer ◽  
Peter Bauer ◽  
Katrin Lonitz ◽  
Vasileios Barlakas ◽  
Patrick Eriksson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Weather Forecasting ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Mass Composition ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Emit Radiation ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Brightness Temperatures ◽  
Scattering Spectrum

Abstract. Satellite observations of radiation in the microwave and sub-mm spectral regions (broadly from 1 to 1000 GHz) can have strong sensitivity to cloud and precipitation particles in the atmosphere. These particles (known as hydrometeors) scatter, absorb and emit radiation according to their mass, composition, shape, internal structure, and orientation. Hence, microwave and sub-mm observations have applications including weather forecasting, geophysical retrievals and model validation. To simulate these observations requires a scattering-capable radiative transfer model and an estimate of the bulk optical properties of the hydrometeors. This article describes the module used to integrate single-particle optical properties over a particle size distribution (PSD) to provide bulk optical properties for the Radiative Transfer for TOVS microwave and sub-mm scattering code, RTTOV-SCATT, a widely-used fast model. Bulk optical properties can be derived from a range of particle models including Mie spheres (liquid and frozen) and non-spherical ice habits from the Liu and Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator (ARTS) databases, which include pristine crystals, aggregates and hail. The effects of different PSD and particle options on simulated brightness temperatures are explored, based on an analytical two-stream solution for a homogeneous cloud slab. The hydrometeor scattering "spectrum" below 1000 GHz is described, along with its sensitivities to particle composition (liquid or ice), size and shape. The optical behaviour of frozen particles changes in the frequencies above 200 GHz, moving towards an optically thick and emission-dominated regime more familiar from the infrared. This region is previously little explored but will soon be covered by the Ice Cloud Imager (ICI).

Adaptive Observation Error Inflation for Assimilating All-Sky Satellite Radiance

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (3) ◽  
pp. 1063-1081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masashi Minamide ◽  
Fuqing Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
System Simulation ◽  
Error Variance ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Observation Error ◽  
Simulation Experiments ◽  
Observation Operator ◽  
Brightness Temperatures ◽  
Adaptive Observation

An empirical flow-dependent adaptive observation error inflation (AOEI) method is proposed for assimilating all-sky satellite brightness temperatures through observing system simulation experiments with an ensemble Kalman filter. The AOEI method adaptively inflates the observation error when the absolute difference (innovation) between the observed and simulated brightness temperatures is greater than the square root of the combined variance of the uninflated observational error variance and ensemble-estimated background error variance. This adaptive method is designed to limit erroneous analysis increments where there are large representativeness errors, as is often the case for cloudy-affected radiances, even if the forecast model and the observation operator (the radiative transfer model) are perfect. The promising performance of this newly proposed AOEI method is demonstrated through observing system simulation experiments assimilating all-sky brightness temperatures from GOES-R (now GOES-16) in comparison with experiments using an alternative empirical observation error inflation method proposed by Geer and Bauer. It is found that both inflation methods perform similarly in the accuracy of the analysis and in the containment of potential representativeness errors; both outperform experiments using a constant observation error without inflation. Besides being easier to implement, the empirical AOEI method proposed here also shows some advantage over the Geer–Bauer method in better updating variables at large scales. Large representative errors are likely to be compounded by unavoidable uncertainties in the forecast system and/or nonlinear observation operator (as for the radiative transfer model), in particular in the areas of moist processes, as will be the case for real-data cloudy radiances, which will be further investigated in future studies.

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