scholarly journals Simulation of sub-millimetre atmospheric spectra for characterizing potential ground-based remote sensing observations

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma C. Turner ◽  
Stafford Withington ◽  
David A. Newnham ◽  
Peter Wadhams ◽  
Anna E. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Brightness Temperature ◽  
Water Vapour ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Hydrogen Bromide ◽  
Electromagnetic Spectrum ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Trace Species ◽  
Instrumental Methods

Abstract. The sub-millimetre is an understudied region of the Earth's atmospheric electromagnetic spectrum. Prior technological gaps and relatively high opacity due to the prevalence of rotational water vapour lines at these wavelengths have slowed progress from a ground-based remote sensing perspective; however, emerging superconducting detector technologies in the fields of astronomy offer the potential to address key atmospheric science challenges with new instrumental methods. A site study, with a focus on the polar regions, is performed to assess theoretical feasibility by simulating the downwelling clear-sky sub-millimetre spectrum from 30 mm (10 GHz) to 150 μm (2000 GHz) at six locations under annual mean, summer, winter, daytime, nighttime and low humidity conditions. Vertical profiles of temperature, pressure and 28 atmospheric gases are constructed by combining radiosonde, meteorological reanalysis, and atmospheric chemistry model data. The sensitivity of the simulated spectra to the choice of water vapour continuum model and spectroscopic line database is explored. For the atmospheric trace species hypobromous acid (HOBr), hydrogen bromide (HBr), perhydroxyl radical (HO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) the emission lines producing the largest change in brightness temperature are identified. Signal strengths, centre frequencies, bandwidths, estimated minimum integration times and maximum receiver noise temperatures are determined for all cases. HOBr, HBr and HO2 produce brightness temperature peaks in the mK to K range, whereas the N2O peaks are in the K range. The optimal sub-millimetre remote sensing lines for the four species are shown to vary significantly between location and scenario, strengthening the case for future hyperspectral instruments that measure over a broad wavelength range. The techniques presented here provide a framework that can be applied to additional species of interest and taken forward to simulate retrievals and guide the design of future sub-millimetre instruments.

scholarly journals Simulation of submillimetre atmospheric spectra for characterising potential ground-based remote sensing observations

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 5461-5485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma C. Turner ◽  
Stafford Withington ◽  
David A. Newnham ◽  
Peter Wadhams ◽  
Anna E. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Brightness Temperature ◽  
Water Vapour ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Hydrogen Bromide ◽  
Electromagnetic Spectrum ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Trace Species

Abstract. The submillimetre is an understudied region of the Earth's atmospheric electromagnetic spectrum. Prior technological gaps and relatively high opacity due to the prevalence of rotational water vapour lines at these wavelengths have slowed progress from a ground-based remote sensing perspective; however, emerging superconducting detector technologies in the fields of astronomy offer the potential to address key atmospheric science challenges with new instrumental methods. A site study, with a focus on the polar regions, is performed to assess theoretical feasibility by simulating the downwelling (zenith angle = 0°) clear-sky submillimetre spectrum from 30 mm (10 GHz) to 150 µm (2000 GHz) at six locations under annual mean, summer, winter, daytime, night-time and low-humidity conditions. Vertical profiles of temperature, pressure and 28 atmospheric gases are constructed by combining radiosonde, meteorological reanalysis and atmospheric chemistry model data. The sensitivity of the simulated spectra to the choice of water vapour continuum model and spectroscopic line database is explored. For the atmospheric trace species hypobromous acid (HOBr), hydrogen bromide (HBr), perhydroxyl radical (HO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) the emission lines producing the largest change in brightness temperature are identified. Signal strengths, centre frequencies, bandwidths, estimated minimum integration times and maximum receiver noise temperatures are determined for all cases. HOBr, HBr and HO2 produce brightness temperature peaks in the mK to µK range, whereas the N2O peaks are in the K range. The optimal submillimetre remote sensing lines for the four species are shown to vary significantly between location and scenario, strengthening the case for future hyperspectral instruments that measure over a broad wavelength range. The techniques presented here provide a framework that can be applied to additional species of interest and taken forward to simulate retrievals and guide the design of future submillimetre instruments.

scholarly journals Comparison of the CMAM30 data set with ACE-FTS and OSIRIS: polar regions

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 11179-11221
Author(s):  
D. Pendlebury ◽  
D. Plummer ◽  
J. Scinocca ◽  
P. Sheese ◽  
K. Strong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapour ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Chemical Tracers

Abstract. CMAM30 is a 30 year data set extending from 1979 to 2010 that is generated using a version of the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM) in which the winds and temperatures are relaxed to the Interim Reanalysis product from the European Centre Medium-Range for Weather Forecasts (ERA-Interim). The data set has dynamical fields that are very close to the reanalysis below 1 hPa and chemical tracers that are self-consistent with respect to the model winds and temperature. The chemical tracers are expected to be close to actual observations. The data set is here compared to two satellite records – the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectometer and the Odin Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imaging System – for the purpose of validating the temperature, ozone, water vapour and methane fields. Data from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder is also used for validation of the chemical processing in the polar vortex. It is found that the CMAM30 temperature is warm by up to 5 K in the stratosphere, with a low bias in the mesosphere of ~ 5–15 K. Ozone is reasonable (± 15%) except near the tropopause globally, and in the Southern Hemisphere winter polar vortex. Water vapour is consistently low by 10–20%, with corresponding high methane of 10–20%, except in the Southern Hemisphere polar vortex. Discrepancies in this region are shown to stem from the treatment of polar stratospheric cloud formation in the model.

scholarly journals Comparison of the CMAM30 data set with ACE-FTS and OSIRIS: polar regions

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (21) ◽  
pp. 12465-12485 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Pendlebury ◽  
D. Plummer ◽  
J. Scinocca ◽  
P. Sheese ◽  
K. Strong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapour ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Chemical Tracers

Abstract. CMAM30 is a 30-year data set extending from 1979 to 2010 that is generated using a version of the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM) in which the winds and temperatures are relaxed to the Interim Reanalysis product from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ERA-Interim). The data set has dynamical fields that are very close to the reanalysis below 1 hPa and chemical tracers that are self-consistent with respect to the model winds and temperature. The chemical tracers are expected to be close to actual observations. The data set is here compared to two satellite records – the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometer and the Odin Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imaging System – for the purpose of validating the temperature, ozone, water vapour and methane fields. Data from the Aura microwave limb sounder are also used for validation of the chemical processing in the polar vortex. It is found that the CMAM30 temperature is warmer by up to 5 K in the stratosphere, with a low bias in the mesosphere of ~ 5–15 K. Ozone is reasonable (±15 %), except near the tropopause globally and in the Southern Hemisphere winter polar vortex. Water vapour is consistently low by 10–20 %, with corresponding high methane of 10–20 %, except in the Southern Hemisphere polar vortex. Discrepancies in this region are shown to stem from the treatment of polar stratospheric cloud formation in the model.

scholarly journals Neural Network Based Retrieval of Atmospheric Temperature Profile Using AMSU-A Observations

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. K. Gangwar ◽  
A. K. Mathur ◽  
B. S. Gohil ◽  
Sujit Basu
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Brightness Temperature ◽  
Atmospheric Temperature ◽  
Tropical Region ◽  
Electromagnetic Spectrum ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Temperature Profiles ◽  
Brightness Temperatures ◽  
Artificial Neural Network Ann ◽  
Environmental Prediction

The present study describes artificial neural network (ANN) based approach for the retrieval of atmospheric temperature profiles from AMSU-A microwave temperature sounder. The nonlinear relationship between the temperature profiles and satellite brightness temperatures dictates the use of ANN, which is inherently nonlinear in nature. Since latitudinal variation of temperature is dominant one in the Earth’s atmosphere, separate network configurations have been established for different latitudinal belts, namely, tropics, mid-latitudes, and polar regions. Moreover, as surface emissivity in the microwave region of electromagnetic spectrum significantly influences the radiance (or equivalently the brightness temperature) at the satellite altitude, separate algorithms have been developed for land and ocean for training the networks. Temperature profiles from National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) analysis and brightness temperature observations of AMSU-A onboard NOAA-19 for the year 2010 have been used for training of the networks. Further, the algorithm has been tested on the independent dataset comprising several months of 2012 AMSU-A observations. Finally, an error analysis has been performed by comparing retrieved profiles with collocated temperature profiles from NCEP. Errors in the tropical region are found to be less than those in the mid-latitude and polar regions. Also, in each region the errors over ocean are less than the corresponding ones over land.

scholarly journals Evaluation of MUSICA IASI tropospheric water vapour profiles using theoretical error assessments and comparisons to GRUAN Vaisala RS92 measurements

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4981-5006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Borger ◽  
Matthias Schneider ◽  
Benjamin Ertl ◽  
Frank Hase ◽  
Omaira E. García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapour ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Atmospheric Temperature ◽  
Systematic Difference ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Mixing Ratio ◽  
Random Errors ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Dry Bias

Abstract. Volume mixing ratio water vapour profiles have been retrieved from IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) spectra using the MUSICA (MUlti-platform remote Sensing of Isotopologues for investigating the Cycle of Atmospheric water) processor. The retrievals are done for IASI observations that coincide with Vaisala RS92 radiosonde measurements performed in the framework of the GCOS (Global Climate Observing System) Reference Upper-Air Network (GRUAN) in three different climate zones: the tropics (Manus Island, 2° S), mid-latitudes (Lindenberg, 52° N), and polar regions (Sodankylä, 67° N). The retrievals show good sensitivity with respect to the vertical H2O distribution between 1 km above ground and the upper troposphere. Typical DOFS (degrees of freedom for signal) values are about 5.6 for the tropics, 5.1 for summertime mid-latitudes, 3.8 for wintertime mid-latitudes, and 4.4 for summertime polar regions. The errors of the MUSICA IASI water vapour profiles have been theoretically estimated considering the contribution of many different uncertainty sources. For all three climate regions, unrecognized cirrus clouds and uncertainties in atmospheric temperature have been identified as the most important error sources and they can reach about 25 %. The MUSICA IASI water vapour profiles have been compared to 100 individual coincident GRUAN water vapour profiles. The systematic difference between the data is within 11 % below 12 km altitude; however, at higher altitudes the MUSICA IASI data show a dry bias with respect to the GRUAN data of up to 21 %. The scatter is largest close to the surface (30 %), but never exceeds 21 % above 1 km altitude. The comparison study documents that the MUSICA IASI retrieval processor provides H2O profiles that capture the large variations in H2O volume mixing ratio profiles well from 1 km above ground up to altitudes close to the tropopause. Above 5 km the observed scatter with respect to GRUAN data is in reasonable agreement with the combined MUSICA IASI and GRUAN random errors. The increased scatter at lower altitudes might be explained by surface emissivity uncertainties at the summertime continental sites of Lindenberg and Sodankylä, and the upper tropospheric dry bias might suggest deficits in correctly modelling the spectroscopic line shapes of water vapour.

scholarly journals An “island” in the stratosphere – on the enhanced annual variation of water vapour in the middle and upper stratosphere in the southern tropics and subtropics

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 11521-11539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Lossow ◽  
Hella Garny ◽  
Patrick Jöckel
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapour ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Trace Gases ◽  
Michelson Interferometer ◽  
Full Account ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
European Centre ◽  
Atmospheric Sounding ◽  
Medium Range

Abstract. The amplitude of the annual variation in water vapour exhibits a distinct isolated maximum in the middle and upper stratosphere in the southern tropics and subtropics, peaking typically around 15° S in latitude and close to 3 hPa (∼  40.5 km) in altitude. This enhanced annual variation is primarily related to the Brewer–Dobson circulation and hence also visible in other trace gases. So far this feature has not gained much attention in the literature and the present work aims to add more prominence. Using Envisat/MIPAS (Environmental Satellite/Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) observations and ECHAM/MESSy (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Hamburg/Modular Earth Submodel System) Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) simulations we provide a dedicated illustration and a full account of the reasons for this enhanced annual variation.

scholarly journals Remote Sensing of Vegetation Recovery in Grasslands after the 1988 Yellowstone Fires in Yellowstone National Park

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 151-153
Author(s):  
Evelyn Merrill ◽  
Cathy Wilson ◽  
Ronald Marrs
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Spectral Data ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Vegetation Recovery ◽  
Electromagnetic Spectrum ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Vegetative Biomass

Traditional methods for measurement of vegetative biomass can be time-consuming and labor­intensive, especially across large areas. Yet such estimates are necessary to investigate the effects of large scale disturbances on ecosystem components and processes. One alternative to traditional methods for monitoring rangeland vegetation is to use satellite imagery. Because foliage of plants differentially absorbs and reflects energy within the electromagnetic spectrum, remote sensing of spectral data can be used to quantify the amount of green vegetative biomass present in an area (Tucker and Sellers 1986).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document