scholarly journals Sampling bias adjustment for sparsely sampled satellite measurements applied to ACE-FTS carbonyl sulfide observations

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 2129-2138
Author(s):  
Corinna Kloss ◽  
Marc von Hobe ◽  
Michael Höpfner ◽  
Kaley A. Walker ◽  
Martin Riese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
Carbonyl Sulfide ◽  
Sampling Bias ◽  
Adjustment Factor ◽  
Satellite Measurements ◽  
Bias Adjustment ◽  
Adjustment Procedure ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Data Product ◽  
Sampling Biases

Abstract. When computing climatological averages of atmospheric trace-gas mixing ratios obtained from satellite-based measurements, sampling biases arise if data coverage is not uniform in space and time. Homogeneous spatiotemporal coverage is essentially impossible to achieve. Solar occultation measurements, by virtue of satellite orbit and the requirement of direct observation of the sun through the atmosphere, result in particularly sparse spatial coverage. In this proof-of-concept study, a method is presented to adjust for such sampling biases when calculating climatological means. The method is demonstrated using carbonyl sulfide (OCS) measurements at 16 km altitude from the ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer). At this altitude, OCS mixing ratios show a steep gradient between the poles and Equator. ACE-FTS measurements, which are provided as vertically resolved profiles, and integrated stratospheric OCS columns are used in this study. The bias adjustment procedure requires no additional information other than the satellite data product itself. In particular, the method does not rely on atmospheric models with potentially unreliable transport or chemistry parameterizations, and the results can be used uncompromised to test and validate such models. It is expected to be generally applicable when constructing climatologies of long-lived tracers from sparsely and heterogeneously sampled satellite measurements. In the first step of the adjustment procedure, a regression model is used to fit a 2-D surface to all available ACE-FTS OCS measurements as a function of day-of-year and latitude. The regression model fit is used to calculate an adjustment factor that is then used to adjust each measurement individually. The mean of the adjusted measurement points of a chosen latitude range and season is then used as the bias-free climatological value. When applying the adjustment factor to seasonal averages in 30∘ zones, the maximum spatiotemporal sampling bias adjustment was 11 % for OCS mixing ratios at 16 km and 5 % for the stratospheric OCS column. The adjustments were validated against the much denser and more homogeneous OCS data product from the limb-sounding MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) instrument, and both the direction and magnitude of the adjustments were in agreement with the adjustment of the ACE-FTS data.

scholarly journals On sampling bias adjustment for sparsely observing satellite instruments for the example of carbonyl sulfide (OCS)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna Kloss ◽  
Marc von Hobe ◽  
Michael Höpfner ◽  
Kaley A. Walker ◽  
Martin Riese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Carbonyl Sulfide ◽  
Sampling Bias ◽  
Adjustment Factor ◽  
Bias Adjustment ◽  
Adjustment Procedure ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Data Product ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Abstract. When computing climatological averages of atmospheric trace gas mixing ratios obtained from satellite-based measurements, sampling biases arise if data coverage is not uniform in space and time. Complete homogeneous spatio-temporal coverage is essentially impossible to achieve. Solar occultation measurements, by virtue of satellite orbits and the requirement of direct observation of the sun through the atmosphere, result in particularly sparse spatial coverage. In this study, a method is presented to adjust for such sampling biases when calculating climatological means. The method is demonstrated using carbonyl sulfide (OCS) measurements at 16 km altitude from the ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform 15 Spectrometer). At this altitude, OCS mixing ratios show a steep gradient between the poles and equator. ACE-FTS measurements, which are provided as vertically resolved profiles, and integrated stratospheric OCS columns are used in this study. The bias adjustment procedure requires no additional observations other than the satellite data product itself and is expected to be generally applicable when constructing climatologies of long-lived tracers from sparsely and heterogeneously sampled satellite data. In a first step of the adjustment procedure, a regression model is used to fit a 2-D surface to all available ACE-FTS OCS measurements as a function of day-of-year and latitude. The regression model fit is used to calculate an adjustment factor, 20 which is then used to adjust each measurement individually. The mean of the adjusted measurement points of a chosen spatio-temporal frame is then used as the bias-free climatological value. When applying the adjustment factor to seasonal averages in 30° zones, the maximum spatio-temporal sampling bias adjustment was 11 % for OCS mixing ratios at 16 km and 5 % for the stratospheric OCS column. The adjustments were validated against the much denser and more homogeneous OCS data product from the limb-sounding MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) instrument, and both the direction and sign of the adjustments were in agreement with the adjustment of the ACE-FTS data.

scholarly journals Significant underestimation of radiative forcing by aerosol–cloud interactions derived from satellite-based methods

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailing Jia ◽  
Xiaoyan Ma ◽  
Fangqun Yu ◽  
Johannes Quaas
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Cloud Fraction ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Satellite Measurements ◽  
Aerosol Cloud ◽  
Fine Mode ◽  
Sampling Biases ◽  
Aerosol Cloud Interactions ◽  
Significant Underestimation ◽  
Weak Satellite

AbstractSatellite-based estimates of radiative forcing by aerosol–cloud interactions (RFaci) are consistently smaller than those from global models, hampering accurate projections of future climate change. Here we show that the discrepancy can be substantially reduced by correcting sampling biases induced by inherent limitations of satellite measurements, which tend to artificially discard the clouds with high cloud fraction. Those missed clouds exert a stronger cooling effect, and are more sensitive to aerosol perturbations. By accounting for the sampling biases, the magnitude of RFaci (from −0.38 to −0.59 W m−2) increases by 55 % globally (133 % over land and 33 % over ocean). Notably, the RFaci further increases to −1.09 W m−2 when switching total aerosol optical depth (AOD) to fine-mode AOD that is a better proxy for CCN than AOD. In contrast to previous weak satellite-based RFaci, the improved one substantially increases (especially over land), resolving a major difference with models.

scholarly journals Estimating Brewer-Dobson circulation trends from changes in stratospheric water vapour and methane

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liubov Poshyvailo-Strube ◽  
Rolf Müller ◽  
Stephan Fueglistaler ◽  
Michaela I. Hegglin ◽  
Johannes C. Laube ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapour ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Lagrangian Model ◽  
Satellite Measurements ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Transit Times ◽  
Sensitivity Studies ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
Gas Measurements ◽  
Stratospheric Water Vapour

Abstract. The stratospheric meridional overturning circulation, also referred to as the Brewer-Dobson circulation (BDC), controls the composition of the stratosphere, which, in turn, affects radiation and climate. As the BDC cannot be directly measured, one has to infer its strength and trends indirectly. For instance, trace gas measurements allow the calculation of average transit times. Satellite measurements provide information on the distributions of trace gases for the entire stratosphere, with measurements of particularly long and dense coverage available for stratospheric water vapour (H2O). Although chemical processes and boundary conditions confound interpretation, the influence of CH4 oxidation on H2O is relatively straightforward, and thus H2O is an appealing tracer for transport analysis despite these caveats. In this work, we explore how mean age of air trends can be estimated from the combination of stratospheric H2O and CH4 data. We carry out different sensitivity studies with the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS) and focus on the analysis of the periods of 1990–2006 and 1990–2017. In particular, we assess the methodological uncertainties related to the two commonly-used approximations of (i) instantaneous stratospheric entry mixing ratio propagation, and (ii) constant correlation between mean age and the fractional release factor of methane. Our results show that the estimated mean age of air trends from the combination of observed stratospheric H2O and CH4 changes may be significantly affected by the assumed approximations. Depending on the investigated stratospheric region and the considered period, the error in estimated mean age of air decadal trends can be large – the discrepancies are up to 10 % per decade or even more at the lower stratosphere. For particular periods, the errors from the two approximations can lead to opposite effects, which may even cancel out. Finally, we propose an improvement to the approximation method by using an idealised age spectrum to propagate stratospheric entry mixing ratios. The findings of this work can be used for improving and assessing the uncertainties in stratospheric BDC trend estimation from global satellite measurements.

scholarly journals A new model of the global biogeochemical cycle of carbonyl sulfide – Part 2: Use of ocs to constrain gross primary productivity of current vegetation models

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 27663-27729 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Launois ◽  
P. Peylin ◽  
S. Belviso ◽  
B. Poulter
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Carbonyl Sulfide ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Atmospheric Measurements ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Co2 Diffusion ◽  
Vegetation Models

Abstract. Clear analogies between carbonyl sulfide (OCS) and carbon dioxide (CO2) diffusion pathways through leaves have been revealed by experimental studies with plant uptake playing an important role for the atmospheric budget of both species. Here we use atmospheric OCS to evaluate the gross primary production (GPP) of three dynamic global vegetation models (LPJ, NCAR-CLM4 and ORCHIDEE). Vegetation uptake of OCS is modeled as a linear function of GPP and LRU, the ratio of OCS to CO2 deposition velocities to plants. New parameterizations for the non-photosynthetic sinks (oxic soils, atmospheric oxidation) and biogenic sources (oceans and anoxic soils) of OCS are also provided. Despite new large oceanic emissions, global OCS budgets created with each vegetation model show exceeding sinks by several hundreds of Gg S yr−1. An inversion of the surface fluxes (optimization of a global scalar which accounts for flux uncertainties) led to balanced OCS global budgets, as atmospheric measurements suggest, mainly by drastic reduction (−30%) of soil and vegetation uptakes. The amplitude of variations in atmospheric OCS mixing ratios is mainly dictated by the vegetation sink over the Northern Hemisphere. This allows for bias recognition in the GPP representations of the three selected models. Main bias patterns are (i) the terrestrial GPP of ORCHIDEE at high Northern latitudes is currently over-estimated, (ii) the seasonal variations of the GPP are out of phase in the NCAR-CLM4 model, showing a maximum carbon uptake too early in spring in the northernmost ecosystems, (iii) the overall amplitude of the seasonal variations of GPP in NCAR-CLM4 is too small, and (iv) for the LPJ model, the GPP is slightly out of phase for northernmost ecosystems and the respiration fluxes might be too large in summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

scholarly journals Albedo over rough snow and ice surfaces

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1069-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lhermitte ◽  
J. Abermann ◽  
C. Kinnard
Keyword(s):  
Complex Terrain ◽  
Surface Albedo ◽  
Sampling Bias ◽  
Mountain Glaciers ◽  
Moderate Resolution ◽  
Resolution Imaging ◽  
Sampling Biases ◽  
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽  
Mean Square Errors ◽  
Effect Of Surface

Abstract. Both satellite and ground-based broadband albedo measurements over rough and complex terrain show several limitations concerning feasibility and representativeness. To assess these limitations and understand the effect of surface roughness on albedo, firstly, an intrasurface radiative transfer (ISRT) model is combined with albedo measurements over different penitente surfaces on Glaciar Tapado in the semi-arid Andes of northern Chile. Results of the ISRT model show effective albedo reductions over the penitentes up to 0.4 when comparing the rough surface albedo relative to the albedo of the flat surface. The magnitude of these reductions primarily depends on the opening angles of the penitentes, but the shape of the penitentes and spatial variability of the material albedo also play a major role. Secondly, the ISRT model is used to reveal the effect of using albedo measurements at a specific location (i.e., apparent albedo) to infer the true albedo of a penitente field (i.e., effective albedo). This effect is especially strong for narrow penitentes, resulting in sampling biases of up to ±0.05. The sampling biases are more pronounced when the sensor is low above the surface, but remain relatively constant throughout the day. Consequently, it is important to use a large number of samples at various places and/or to locate the sensor sufficiently high in order to avoid this sampling bias of surface albedo over rough surfaces. Thirdly, the temporal evolution of broadband albedo over a penitente-covered surface is analyzed to place the experiments and their uncertainty into a longer temporal context. Time series of albedo measurements at an automated weather station over two ablation seasons reveal that albedo decreases early in the ablation season. These decreases stabilize from February onwards with variations being caused by fresh snowfall events. The 2009/2010 and 2011/2012 seasons differ notably, where the latter shows lower albedo values caused by larger penitentes. Finally, a comparison of the ground-based albedo observations with Landsat and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)-derived albedo showed that both satellite albedo products capture the albedo evolution with root mean square errors of 0.08 and 0.15, respectively, but also illustrate their shortcomings related to temporal resolution and spatial heterogeneity over small mountain glaciers.

scholarly journals Carbonyl sulfide exchange in a temperate loblolly pine forest grown under ambient and elevated CO<sub>2</sub>

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 547-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. White ◽  
Y. Zhou ◽  
R. S. Russo ◽  
H. Mao ◽  
R. Talbot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Standard Error ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Carbonyl Sulfide ◽  
Co2 Enrichment ◽  
Minor Component ◽  
Co2 Assimilation ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Canopy Position

Abstract. Vegetation, soil and ecosystem level carbonyl sulfide (COS) exchange was observed at Duke Forest, a temperate loblolly pine forest, grown under ambient (Ring 1, R1) and elevated (Ring 2, R2) CO2. During calm meteorological conditions, ambient COS mixing ratios at the top of the forest canopy followed a distinct diurnal pattern in both CO2 growth regimes, with maximum COS mixing ratios during the day (R1=380±4 pptv and R2=373±3 pptv, daytime mean ± standard error) and minimums at night (R1=340±6 pptv and R2=346±5 pptv, nighttime mean ± standard error) reflecting a significant nighttime sink. Nocturnal vegetative uptake (−11 to −21 pmol m−2s−1, negative values indicate uptake from the atmosphere) dominated nighttime net ecosystem COS flux estimates (−10 to −30 pmol m−2s−1) in both CO2 regimes. In comparison, soil uptake (−0.8 to −1.7 pmol m−2 s−1) was a minor component of net ecosystem COS flux. In both CO2 regimes, loblolly pine trees exhibited substantial COS consumption overnight (50% of daytime rates) that was independent of CO2 assimilation. This suggests current estimates of the global vegetative COS sink, which assume that COS and CO2 are consumed simultaneously, may need to be reevaluated. Ambient COS mixing ratios, species specific diurnal patterns of stomatal conductance, temperature and canopy position were the major factors influencing the vegetative COS flux at the branch level. While variability in branch level vegetative COS consumption measurements in ambient and enhanced CO2 environments could not be attributed to CO2 enrichment effects, estimates of net ecosystem COS flux based on ambient canopy mixing ratio measurements suggest less nighttime uptake of COS in R2, the CO2 enriched environment.

scholarly journals Sampling bias in reptile occurrence data for the Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jody M. Barends ◽  
Darren W. Pietersen ◽  
Guinevere Zambatis ◽  
Donovan R.C. Tye ◽  
Bryan Maritz
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Sampling Bias ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Occurrence Data ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Sampling Biases ◽  
Occurrence Records

o effectively conserve and manage species, it is important to (1) understand how they are spatially distributed across the globe at both broad and fine spatial resolutions and (2) elucidate the determinants of these distributions. However, information pertaining to the distributions of many species remains poor as occurrence data are often scarce or collected with varying motivations, making the resulting patterns susceptible to sampling bias. Exacerbating an already limited quantity of occurrence data with an assortment of biases hinders their effectiveness for research, thus making it important to identify and understand the biases present within species occurrence data sets. We quantitatively assessed occurrence records of 126 reptile species occurring in the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa, to quantify the severity of sampling bias within this data set. We collated a data set of 7118 occurrence records from museum, literature and citizen science sources and analysed these at a biologically relevant spatial resolution of 1 km × 1 km. As a result of logistical challenges associated with sampling in KNP, approximately 92% of KNP is data deficient for reptile occurrences at the 1 km × 1 km resolution. Additionally, the spatial coverage of available occurrences varied at species and family levels, and the majority of occurrence records were strongly associated with publicly accessible human infrastructure. Furthermore, we found that sampled areas within KNP were not necessarily ecologically representative of KNP as a whole, suggesting that areas of unique environmental space remain to be sampled. Our findings highlight the need for substantially greater sampling effort for reptiles across KNP and emphasise the need to carefully consider the sampling biases within existing data should these be used for conservation management decision-making. Modelling species distributions could potentially serve as a short-term solution, but a concomitant increase in surveys across the park is needed.Conservation implications: The sampling biases present within KNP reptile occurrence data inhibit the inference of fine-scale species distributions within and across the park, which limits the usage of these data towards meaningfully informing conservation management decisions as applicable to reptile species in KNP.

Study on Stratospheric Carbonyl Sulfide Transport and Chemistry using ‘Age of Air’

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenxi Qiu ◽  
Felix Ploeger ◽  
Jens-Uwe Grooß ◽  
Marc von Hobe
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Michelson Interferometer ◽  
Carbonyl Sulfide ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Lagrangian Model ◽  
Latitude Range ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Enhanced Absorption ◽  
In Situ Data

&lt;p&gt;Carbonyl sulfide (OCS or COS) is the longest lived and the most abundant reduced sulfur gas in the atmosphere. As chemical loss of OCS in the troposphere is slow, it can reach the stratosphere, where it is &amp;#160;photochemically oxidized and converted to stratospheric sulfate aerosol, being the largest source thereof in times of volcanic quiescence. Chemistry transport models show that OCS conversion occurs mainly in the &amp;#8216;tropical pipe&amp;#8217; region, while along the lower branch of Brewer-Dobson circulation (BDC), OCS is passively transported without significant chemical loss. The OCS depleted air is transported along the upper branch of BDC and descends again at high latitudes. Using the distinct characteristics of &amp;#160;&amp;#8216;age of air&amp;#8217; in the upper and lower branches of the BDC, this picture of OCS transport and especially the role of the &amp;#8216;tropical pipe&amp;#8217; as the main region of OCS conversion can be supported by looking at the relationship between age spectra and OCS mixing ratios.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this study, we will investigate the relation of OCS mixing ratios and mean age of air as well as mass fractions of air with different transit times using satellite-based measurements from MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) and ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment - infrared Fourier Transform Spectrometer), and age spectra of air from CLaMS (Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to satellite data analysis, we will investigate the distribution of OCS in the UTLS (upper troposphere and lower stratosphere) region and its relation to the age spectra using high-resolution in-situ observations of OCS. This unique dataset was obtained during the SOUTHTRAC mission in autumn 2019 by AMICA (Airborne Mid-Infrared Cavity enhanced Absorption spectrometer) on board the HALO (High Altitude Long Range) research aircraft. Flights from the main &amp;#160;campaign base in R&amp;#237;o Grande, Argentina (53.8S, 67.7W) covered a wide latitude range from 48&amp;#176; N to 70&amp;#176; S, even reaching the southern polar vortex where aged air masses having descended from high altitudes are typically found.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our analysis of both satellite and in-situ data generally supports the established picture of OCS conversion in the &amp;#8216;tropical pipe&amp;#8217;.&lt;/p&gt;

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