HR: 0800h
AN: A31B-0307    [Abstracts]
TI: NIST Thermal Emission Metrology in Support of Climate Benchmarks Traceability
AU: * Mekhontsev, S
EM: snm@nist.gov
AF: NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, United States
AU: Hanssen, L
EM: hanssen@nist.gov
AF: NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, United States
AB: Creation of reliable long term climate records requires traceability to international standards such as those maintained in the U.S. by NIST. We will provide an update on recent progress in the area of Thermal Emission Metrology Standards, and discuss the techniques and instrumentation which may help to achieve "climate benchmark" data quality for missions such as CLARREO. NIST's Fourier Infrared Spectrophotometric Laboratory (FTIS) and Advanced Infrared Radiometry and Imaging (AIRI) Facility, among other functions, are providing primary national level support for measurements of absolute spectral emissivity and spectral radiance of materials, cavities and blackbody sources at near ambient temperatures. Scale realization is performed in a systematic manner, employing first principle realization methods, applying the best known complementary and independent techniques, and conducting internal and international comparisons for uncertainty validation. The established measurement capabilities enable pre-flight calibration of space radiometric instruments, as well as in-flight monitoring to maintain and validate their traceability. A program for absolute spectrally resolved radiance traceability of the self-calibrating spaceborne blackbody for the CLARREO mission could serve as an example of such a comprehensive support approach. It integrates pre-flight emissivity and temperature calibration at the coupon, component and system levels, as well as evaluation of tools used for the on-board monitoring and validation of calibrations. The ongoing joint FTIS/AIRI project aimed at the construction of the Controlled Background Emissometer (CoBE) has great synergy with spaceborne radiometry support requirements and would substantially enhance our capabilities to calibrate transfer standard targets and blackbodies in the spectral range of 1 micron to 50 microns and over the temperature range of 200 K to 1000 K in vacuum or strictly controlled environment conditions.
DE: 0360 Radiation: transmission and scattering
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
DE: 1626 Global climate models (3337, 4928)
DE: 1640 Remote sensing (1855)
DE: 1694 Instruments and techniques
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting