HR: 0800h
AN: A51B-0768    [Abstracts]
TI: Clouds from AIRS/AMSU: An Evaluation Based On Intercomparisons with MODIS/AQUA Retrievals
AU: * Molnar, G I
EM: molnar@srt.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: JCET/UMBC, Code 910.4, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Blaisdell, J M
EM: blaisdell@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: SAIC, Code 910.4, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Iredell, L F
EM: lena.f.iredell@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: SAIC, Code 910.4, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Keita, F
EM: Fricky.Keita@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: SAIC, Code 910.4, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Kovaris, L C
EM: louis@srt.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: SAIC, Code 910.4, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Susskind, J
EM: joelsusskind-1@nasa.gov
AF: NASA/GSFC, Code 910.4, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AB: Unlike conventional atmospheric sounding schemes, the AIRS/AMSU (flying on the EOS-AQUA satellite) sounding retrieval methodology allows for the retrieval of key atmospheric/surface parameters under partially cloudy conditions (Susskind et al., 2003). In addition, cloud parameters are also derived from the AIRS/AMSU observations. Within each AIRS footprint, cloud parameters at up to 2 cloud layers are determined with differing cloud top pressures and "effective" (product of infrared emissivity at 11 microns and physical cloud fraction) cloud fractions. However, so far the AIRS cloud product has not been rigorously evaluated/validated. Fortunately, collocated/coincident radiances measured by MODIS/AQUA (at a much lower spectral resolution but roughly an order of-magnitude higher spatial resolution than that of AIRS) are used to determine analogous cloud products from MODIS. This allows us for a rather rare and interesting possibility: the intercomparisons and mutual validation of imager vs. sounder-based cloud products obtained from the same satellite positions. We will present results of small- (granules) to large (global)-scale intercomparisons, assessing potential statistical differences related to the land/ocean or the day/night nature of the intercomparisons. We will investigate what type of cloud systems are retrieved most consistently (if any) with both retrieval schemes, and attempt to assess reasons behind possible statistically significant differences. We will also evaluate differences of monthly means and interannual variability of cloud cover and cloud top pressure as presented by the two cloud data sets. References Susskind, J., C, D. Barnet, and J. M. Blaisdell, Retrieval of Atmospheric and Surface Parameters from AIRS/AMSU/HSB Data in the Presence of Clouds, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 41, No. 2, 2003.
DE: 3360 Remote sensing
DE: 3374 Tropical meteorology
DE: 3300 METEOROLOGY AND ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS
DE: 3309 Climatology (1620)
DE: 1640 Remote sensing
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting