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NASA NTRS2003

Properties of Backscattered Ultraviolet Reflectances in Cloudy Atmosphere

We use a Plane-Parallel Cloud (PPC) model to illustrate how Mie scattering from cloud particles interacts with Rayleigh scattering in the atmosphere and produces a complex wavelength dependence in the top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) reflectances measured by satellite instruments that operate in the ultraviolet (UV) part of the spectrum. Comparisons of the PPC model-derived spectral dependence of reflectances with the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) measurements show surprisingly good agreement over a wide range of observational conditions. The PPC model results also are compared with the results of two other cloud models: Lambert Equivalent Reflectivity (LER) and Modified Lambert Equivalent Reflectivity (MLER) that have been used to analyze satellite data in the UV. These models assume that clouds are opaque Lambertian reflectors rather than Mie scattering particles. Although one of these models (MLER) agrees reasonably well with the data, the results from this model appear somewhat unphysical and may not be suitable for interpreting satellite data if one desires high accuracy. We also use the PPC model to illustrate how clouds can perturb tropospheric O3 absorption in complex ways that cannot be explained by models that treat them as reflecting surfaces rather than as volume scatterers.

Ahmad, Z.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Ozone variations observed during the International Ozone Rocket Sonde Intercomparison

The International Ozone Rocket Sonde Intercomparison (IORI) conducted at Wallops Island during October 1979 provided a unique opportunity to observe ozone variations in great detail from several observing systems. The measurement period lasted 15 days during which time ozone observations were taken by ground-based, balloon, rocket, and satellite instruments. These data provided a unique opportunity for diagnosing regional stratospheric variability over a 2 week period. Examination of NMC analyses indicated that during this period the stratospheric polar vortex moved southeastward bringing air form high latitudes to Wallops Island above 10 mb. A concurrent change was observed in the upper stratosphere ozone fields observed by Nimbus-7 SBUV and in the ozone vertical distribution measured by the rocket soundings. In this study the satellite and rocket measurements are compared. The agreement is good, certainly within the errors of the measurements.

Hilsenrath, E.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Observing the Global Water Cycle from Space

This paper presents an approach to measuring all major components of the water cycle from space. Key elements of the global water cycle are discussed in terms of the storage of water-in the ocean, air, cloud and precipitation, in soil, ground water, snow and ice, and in lakes and rivers, and in terms of the global fluxes of water between these reservoirs. Approaches to measuring or otherwise evaluating the global water cycle are presented, and the limitations on known accuracy for many components of the water cycle are discussed, as are the characteristic spatial and temporal scales of the different water cycle components. Using these observational requirements for a global water cycle observing system, an approach to measuring the global water cycle from space is developed. The capabilities of various active and passive microwave instruments are discussed, as is the potential of supporting measurements from other sources. Examples of space observational systems, including TRMM/GPM precipitation measurement, cloud radars, soil moisture, sea surface salinity, temperature and humidity profiling, other measurement approaches and assimilation of the microwave and other data into interpretative computer models are discussed to develop the observational possibilities. The selection of orbits is then addressed, for orbit selection and antenna size/beamwidth considerations determine the sampling characteristics for satellite measurement systems. These considerations dictate a particular set of measurement possibilities, which are then matched to the observational sampling requirements based on the science. The results define a network of satellite instrumentation systems, many in low Earth orbit, a few in geostationary orbit, and all tied together through a sampling network that feeds the observations into a data-assimilative computer model.

Hildebrand, P. H.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P)Aircraft Mission: Design, Execution, and First Results

The NASA Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) aircraft mission was conducted in February-April 2001 over the NW Pacific (1) to characterize the Asian chemical outflow and relate it quantitatively to its sources and (2) to determine its chemical evolution. It used two aircraft, a DC-8 and a P-3B, operating out of Hong Kong and Yokota Air Force Base (near Tokyo), with secondary sites in Hawaii, Wake Island, Guam, Okinawa, and Midway. The aircraft carried instrumentation for measurements of long-lived greenhouse gases, ozone and its precursors, aerosols and their precursors, related species, and chemical tracers. Five chemical transport models (CTMs) were used for chemical forecasting. Customized bottom-up emission inventories for East Asia were generated prior to the mission to support chemical forecasting and to serve as a priori for evaluation with the aircraft data. Validation flights were conducted for the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) satellite instrument and revealed little bias (6 plus or minus 2%) in the MOPITT measurements of CO columns. A major event of transpacific Asian pollution was characterized through combined analysis of TRACE-P and MOPITT data. The TRACE-P observations showed that cold fronts sweeping across East Asia and the associated warm conveyor belts (WCBs) are the dominant pathway for Asian outflow to the Pacific in spring. The WCBs lift both anthropogenic and biomass burning (SE Asia) effluents to the free troposphere, resulting in complex chemical signatures. The TRACE-P data are in general consistent with a priori emission inventories, lending confidence in our ability to quantify Asian emissions from socioeconomic data and emission factors. However, the residential combustion source in rural China was found to be much larger than the a priori, and there were also unexplained chemical enhancements (HCN, CH3Cl, OCS, alkylnitrates) in Chinese urban plumes. The Asian source of CCl4 was found to be much higher than government estimates. Measurements of HCN and CH3CN indicated a dominant biomass burning source and ocean sink for both gases. Large fractions of sulfate and nitrate were found to be present in dust aerosols. Photochemical activity in the Asian outflow was strongly reduced by aerosol attenuation of UV radiation, with major implications for the concentrations of HOx, radicals. New particle formation, apparently from ternary nucleation involving NH3, was observed in Chinese urban plumes.

Jacob, Daniel J.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) for remote observation of precipitation

The design, development, and tests of the Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) operating in the 10 to 85 GHz range specifically for precipitation retrieval and mesoscale storm system studies from a high altitude aircraft platform (i.e., ER-2) are described. The primary goals of AMPR are the exploitation of the scattering signal of precipitation at frequencies near 10, 19, 37, and 85 GHz together to unambiguously retrieve precipitation and storm structure and intensity information in support of proposed and planned space sensors in geostationary and low earth orbit, as well as storm-related field experiments. The development of AMPR will have an important impact on the interpretation of microwave radiances for rain retrievals over both land and ocean for the following reasons: (1) A scanning instrument, such as AMPR, will allow the unambiguous detection and analysis of features in two dimensional space, allowing an improved interpretation of signals in terms of cloud features, and microphysical and radiative processes; (2) AMPR will offer more accurate comparisons with ground-based radar data by feature matching since the navigation of the ER-2 platform can be expected to drift 3 to 4 km per hour of flight time; and (3) AMPR will allow underflights of the SSM/I satellite instrument with enough spatial coverage at the same frequencies to make meaningful comparisons of the data for precipitation studies.

Galliano, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Validation of MIPAS IMK-IAA Temperature, Water Vapor, and Ozone Profiles with MOHAVE-2009 Campaign Measurements

MIPAS observations of temperature, water vapor, and ozone in October 2009 as derived with the scientific level-2 processor run by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK) and CSIC, Instituto de Astrofısica de Andalucıa (IAA) and retrieved from version 4.67 level-1b data have been compared to co-located field campaign observations obtained during the MOHAVE-2009 campaign at the Table Mountain Facility near Pasadena, California in October 2009. The MIPAS measurements were validated regarding any potential biases of the profiles, and with respect to their precision estimates. The MOHAVE-2009 measurement campaign provided measurements of atmospheric profiles of temperature, water vapor/relative humidity, and ozone from the ground to the mesosphere by a suite of instruments including radiosondes, ozonesondes, frost point hygrometers, lidars, microwave radiometers and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers. For MIPAS temperatures (version V4O_T_204), no significant bias was detected in the middle stratosphere; between 22 km and the tropopause MIPAS temperatures were found to be biased low by up to 2 K, while below the tropopause, they were found to be too high by the same amount. These findings confirm earlier comparisons of MIPAS temperatures to ECMWF data which revealed similar differences. Above 12 km up to 45 km, MIPAS water vapor (version V4O_H2O_203) is well within 10% of the data of all correlative instruments. The well-known dry bias of MIPAS water vapor above 50 km due to neglect of non-LTE effects in the current retrievals has been confirmed. Some instruments indicate that MIPAS water vapor might be biased high by 20 to 40% around 10 km (or 5 km below the tropopause), but a consistent picture from all comparisons could not be derived. MIPAS ozone (version V4O_O3_202) has a high bias of up to +0.9 ppmv around 37 km which is due to a non-identified continuum like radiance contribution. No further significant biases have been detected. Cross-comparison to co-located observations of other satellite instruments (Aura/MLS, ACE-FTS, AIRS) is provided as well.

MIPAS validation↗

NASA NTRS2011

Towards a Model Climatology of Relative Humidity in the Upper Troposphere for Estimation of Contrail and Contrail-Induced Cirrus

The formation of contrails and contrail cirrus is very sensitive to the relative humidity of the upper troposphere. To reduce uncertainty in an estimate of the radiative impact of aviation-induced cirrus, a model must therefore be able to reproduce the observed background moisture fields with reasonable and quantifiable fidelity. Here we present an upper tropospheric moisture climatology from a 26-year ensemble of simulations using the GEOS CCM. We compare this free-running model's moisture fields to those obtained from the MLS and AIRS satellite instruments, our most comprehensive observational databases for upper tropospheric water vapor. Published comparisons have shown a substantial wet bias in GEOS-5 assimilated fields with respect to MLS water vapor and ice water content. This tendency is clear as well in the GEOS CCM simulations. The GEOS-5 moist physics in the GEOS CCM uses a saturation adjustment that prevents supersaturation, which is unrealistic when compared to in situ moisture observations from MOZAIC aircraft and balloon sondes as we will show. Further, the large-scale satellite datasets also consistently underestimate super-saturation when compared to the in-situ observations. We place these results in the context of estimates of contrail and contrail cirrus frequency.

Selkirk, Henry B.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Production of a long-term global water vapor and liquid water data set using ultra-fast methods to assimilate multi-satellite and radiosonde observations

There is a well-documented requirement for a comprehensive and accurate global moisture data set to assist many important studies in atmospheric science. Currently, atmospheric water vapor measurements are made from a variety of sources including radiosondes, aircraft and surface observations, and in recent years, by various satellite instruments. Creating a global data set from a single measuring system produces results that are useful and accurate only in specific situations and/or areas. Therefore, an accurate global moisture data set has been derived from a combination of these measurement systems. Under a NASA peer-reviewed contract, STC-METSAT produced two 5-yr (1988-1992) global data sets. One is the total column (integrated) water vapor data set and the other, a global layered water vapor data set using a combination of radiosonde observations, Television and Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) Operational Satellite (TOVS), and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data sets. STC-METSAT also produced a companion, global, integrated liquid water data set. The complete data set (all three products) has been named NVAP, an anachronym for NASA Water Vapor Project. STC-METSAT developed methods to process the data at a daily time scale and 1 x 1 deg spatial resolution.

Vonderhaar, Thomas H.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Assessing the Impact of Advanced Satellite Observations in the NASA GEOS-5 Forecast System Using the Adjoint Method

The adjoint of a data assimilation system provides a flexible and efficient tool for estimating observation impacts on short-range weather forecasts. The impacts of any or all observations can be estimated simultaneously based on a single execution of the adjoint system. The results can be easily aggregated according to data type, location, channel, etc., making this technique especially attractive for examining the impacts of new hyper-spectral satellite instruments and for conducting regular, even near-real time, monitoring of the entire observing system. In this talk, we present results from the adjoint-based observation impact monitoring tool in NASA's GEOS-5 global atmospheric data assimilation and forecast system. The tool has been running in various off-line configurations for some time, and is scheduled to run as a regular part of the real-time forecast suite beginning in autumn 20 I O. We focus on the impacts of the newest components of the satellite observing system, including AIRS, IASI and GPS. For AIRS and IASI, it is shown that the vast majority of the channels assimilated have systematic positive impacts (of varying magnitudes), although some channels degrade the forecast. Of the latter, most are moisture-sensitive or near-surface channels. The impact of GPS observations in the southern hemisphere is found to be a considerable overall benefit to the system. In addition, the spatial variability of observation impacts reveals coherent patterns of positive and negative impacts that may point to deficiencies in the use of certain observations over, for example, specific surface types. When performed in conjunction with selected observing system experiments (OSEs), the adjoint results reveal both redundancies and dependencies between observing system impacts as observations are added or removed from the assimilation system. Understanding these dependencies appears to pose a major challenge for optimizing the use of the current observational network and defining requirements for future observing systems.

Gelaro, Ron↗

NASA NTRS1999

Remote Sensing of Volcanic Clouds: Sulfur Gases and Plume Top Topography

New absorption line parameters for H2S were published and submitted to the Gestion et Etude des Informations Spectroscopiques Atmospheriques (GEISA) and high resolution transmission molecular absorption (HITRAN) databases. These new absorption line parameters will make it possible to use observations from the future Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument [Earth Observing System (EOS) Chemistry Mission (CHEM) platform] to make more accurate H2S measurements if it observes an H2S-rich volcanic cloud. H2S is the second most abundant volcanic sulfur gas, and like SO2, it also converts to H2SO4 aerosols and can have a climate impact. A paper on the Moderate-resolution Imaging-Spectroradiometer (MODIS) SO2 alert is being revised. New aspects in the revision include verification of the SO2 alert during the EOS mission; factors affecting SO2 detection at thermal infrared, ultraviolet, and microwave wavelengths; radiative transfer tests; more description of satellite instruments; and thermal surface alert installed for MODIS. Her research involves the use of remote sensing to generate maps of plume top altitude. This parameter is important for models of volcanic eruption, aircraft hazards, and climate impact. The topographic shape of the top surface of a volcanic plume can provide information necessary to understand the physics controlling the injection and dispersal of a volcanic plume in the atmosphere. Glaze et al. describe the application of a photoclinometric technique to volcanic plumes. The software algorithm has been improved to account for more general plume and illumination geometries and for easily extracting position information directly from Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) level 1B data. Testing of the algorithm has focused on acquiring AVHRR data for a variety of volcanic plumes in an effort to identify problems with the software as well as model sensitivities. The plumes chosen were erupted from volcanoes at a variety of latitudes, at different times of day, and in different seasons. Another important issue that is being investigated is the importance of plume opacity. A diagram illustrates the method for deriving phi, the angle a wind-blown plume makes with the horizontal, in the direction perpendicular to the remote sensing scan. A figure shows a sample output of the algorithm, a wire mesh map of plume top topography. Additional information is contained in the original.

Crisp, Joy A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

A Preliminary Comparison of the Information Content of Data from the LANDSAT 4 Thematic Mapper and Multispectral Scanner

The thematic mapper (TM) on LANDSAT 4, acquires 6 spectral channels at 30 meter resolution as well as a thermal IR channel at 120 meter resolution. Because both MSS and TM can acquire data simultaneously, the advantages and disadvantages of the two instruments can be directly compared. The information content of the two instruments is compared for areas in a representative agricultural region. Although the parameter information does not equate in an obvious way to the value or utility of the data, it provides a basis for physical interpretation. By focusing on the redundancy of the digital data, the estimation of information content suggests possibilities for algorithms dealing with subsets of the image data, as well as transformations which reduce the total volume of data to be analyzed. To the degree that a satisfactory description by a reduced data set is possible, there exist implications both for design of future satellite instruments and for analysis procedures.

Price, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Atmospheric Effects of Biomass Burning in Madagascar

Simultaneous tropospheric ozone and aerosols observed using the TOMS satellite instrument are reported for Madagascar during the 1979 through 1999 time period Ozone observations made using the TOMS tropospheric ozone convective-cloud differential method show that the tropospheric ozone amount associated with Madagascar has an average monthly value of 30 DU (Dobson units). The average value is enhanced by 10 to 15 DU in October This maximum coincides with the time of maximum biomass area burning in Madagascar and parts of southern Africa. The aerosol index derived from TOMS is examined for correlation with biomass burning in Madagascar and southern Africa. There is good correlation between a satellite observation derived fire index for different parts of Madagascar, tropospheric ozone and the TOMS aerosol index in the same geographical area. Aerosols from fires were found to reach their peak in November and to persist over Madagascar until sometime in December.

Aikin, Arthur C.↗

NASA NTRS2022

An Examination of the Recent Stability of Ozonesonde Global Network Data

The recent Assessment of Standard Operating Procedures for OzoneSondes (ASOPOS 2.0; WMO/GAW Report #268) addressed questions of homogeneity and long-term stability in global electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozone sounding network time series. Among its recommendations was adoption of a standard for evaluating data quality in ozonesonde time series. Total column ozone (TCO) derived from the sondes compared to TCO from Aura’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is a primary quality indicator. Comparisons of sonde ozone with Aura’s Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) are used to assess the stability of stratospheric ozone. This paper provides a comprehensive examination of global ozonesonde network data stability and accuracy since 2004 in light of the sudden post-2013 TCO “dropoff” of ~3-4% that was reported previously at select stations (Stauffer et al., 2020). Comparisons with Aura OMI TCO averaged across the network of 60 stations are stable within about ±2% over the past 18 years. Sonde TCO has similar stability compared to three other TCO satellite instruments, and the stratospheric ozone measurements average to within ±5% of MLS from 50 to 10 hPa. Thus, sonde data are reliable for trends, but with a caveat applied for a subset of dropoff stations in the tropics and subtropics. The dropoff is associated with only one of two major ECC instrument types. A detailed examination of ECC serial numbers pinpoints the timing of the dropoff. However, we find that overall, ozonesonde data are stable and accurate compared to independent measurements over the past two decades.

Ryan M. Stauffer↗

NASA NTRS2015

NASA ROVER, Tackling Citizen Science With Grand Challenges and Everyday Problems

ROVER is the Citizen Science arm of the NASA Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Students' Cloud Observations On-Line (S'COOL) Project. Since 2007, participants around the world have been making and reporting ground truth observations of clouds to assist in the validation of the NASA CERES satellite instrument. NASA scientists are very interested in learning how clouds affect our atmosphere, weather, and climate (relating to climate change). It is the clouds, in part, that affect the overall temperature and energy balance of the Earth. The more we know about clouds, the more we will know about our Earth as a system and citizen scientists are an important piece of that puzzle! As a ROVER cloud observer, all participants follow simple online tutorials to collect data on cloud type, height, cover and related conditions. Observations are sent to NASA to be matched to similar information obtained from satellites and sent back to participants for comparison and analysis. The supporting ROVER website houses a searchable database archiving all participant reports and matching satellite data. By involving Citizen Scientists in cloud observations and reporting we can gain a valuable set of data that would have been previously unavailable to science teams due to funding, manpower, and resource limitations or would have taken an unreasonable amount of time to collect. Reports from a wide range of Citizen Scientist locations are helpful to assess the satellite data under different conditions. With nothing more than their eyes and an internet connection participants provide a different perspective and analysis of clouds, adding to a more complete picture of what's happening in the atmosphere in which we live.

Crecelius, Sarah↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space‐Based Observations for Understanding Changes in the Arctic‐Boreal Zone

A recent, interdisciplinary survey of more than 40 international remote sensing experts reviewed the strengths and limitations of current space-based observational capabilities of the Arctic Boreal Zone (ABZ) and made recommendations for improving upon these current capabilities (Duncan et al., 2019). General recommendations focused on the complementarity of sub-orbital and satellite observations, the need for measurement continuity, and the importance of stakeholder engagement. The development of a comprehensive and robust sub-orbital portion of an ABZ observing network can act to fill some temporal gaps in satellite coverage, provide detail unobtainable from space, and is necessary for validation and interpretation of satellite data. A priority across all types of observations is the continuation, enhancement, and/or creation of long-term, multi-satellite, climate-quality, and self-consistent data records of ABZ components, such as surface temperature, energy fluxes, or sea ice extent and volume, for improved determination of trends. Long-term passive satellite observations currently represent the only feasible option for monitoring change of the ABZ at broad spatial scales required to address pressing science challenges. Active sensors are particularly attractive for the ABZ as they do not depend on reflected sunlight and so join passive microwave sensors in having a significant advantage over passive visible and infrared sensors in the low-light conditions that are typical of the ABZ for several months of the year. Application of consistent retrieval algorithms to multiple data sets, as well as careful characterization of satellite instruments and their temporal evolution, helps to ensure data quality and consistency. Among the needs ranked as “Most Important” are those associated with gaining a process-based understanding of the ABZ carbon cycle and hydrologic cycle (which includes sea level rise) as they have the potential to affect a large portion of Earth’s population.

Remote sensing↗

NASA NTRS2000

Far Ultraviolet Imaging from the Image Spacecraft: Wideband FUV Imaging - 2

The Far Ultraviolet Wideband Imaging Camera (WIC) complements the magnetospheric images taken by the IMAGE satellite instruments with simultaneous global maps of the terrestrial aurora. Thus, a primary requirement of WIC is to image the total intensity of the aurora in wavelength regions most representative of the aurora] source and least contaminated by dayglow, have sufficient field of view to cover the entire polar region from spacecraft apogee and have resolution that is Sufficient to resolve auroras on a scale of 1 to 2 latitude degrees, The instrument is sensitive in the spectral region from 140- 190 nm. The WIC is mounted on the rotating, IMAGE spacecraft viewing radially outward and has a field of view of 17 deg in the direction parallel to the spacecraft spin axis. Its field of view is 30 deg in the direction perpendicular to the spin axis, although only a 17 deg x 17 deg image of the Earth is recorded. The optics was an all-reflective, inverted Cassegrain Burch camera using concentric optics with a small convex primary and a large concave secondary mirror. The mirrors were coated by a special multi-layer coating, which has low reflectivity in the visible and near UV region, The detector consists of a MCP-Intensified CCD. The MCP is curved to accommodate the focal surface of the concentric optics. Tile phosphor of the image intensifier is deposited on a concave fiberoptic window, which is then Coupled to the CCD with a fiberoptic taper. The camera head operates in a fast frame transfer mode with the CCD being read approximately 30 full frames (512 by 256 pixel) per second with an exposure time of 0.033 s. The image motion (file to the satellite spin is minimal during such a short exposure. Each image is electronically distortion corrected using the look up table scheme. An offset is added to each memory address that is proportional to the image shift due to satellite rotation, and the charge signal is digitally summed in memory. On orbit, approximately 300 frames will be added to produce one WIC image in memory. The advantage of the electronic motion compensation and distortion correction is that it is extremely flexible, permitting several kinds of corrections including motions parallel and perpendicular to the predicted axis of rotation. File instrument was calibrated by applying ultraviolet light through a vacuum monochromator and measuring the absolute responsivity of the instrument. To obtain the data for the distortion look up table the camera was turned through various angles and the input angles corresponding to a pixel matrix were recorded. It was found that the spectral response peaked at 150 nm and fell off in either direction. The equivalent aperture of the camera, including mirror reflectivities and effective photocathode quantum efficiency, is about 0.04 sq cm. Thus, a 100 Rayleigh LBH aurora is expected to produce 23 equivalent counts per pixel per 10 s exposure at the peak of instrument response.

Mende, S. B.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Ocean Surface Vector Wind: Research Challenges and Operational Opportunities

The atmosphere and ocean are joined together over seventy percent of Earth, with ocean surface vector wind (OSVW) stress one of the linkages. Satellite OSVW measurements provide estimates of wind divergence at the bottom of the atmosphere and wind stress curl at the top of the ocean; both variables are critical for weather and climate applications. As is common with satellite measurements, a multitude of OSVW data products exist for each currently operating satellite instrument. In 2012 the Joint Technical Commission on Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) launched an initiative to coordinate production of OSVW data products to maximize the impact and benefit of existing and future OSVW measurements in atmospheric and oceanic applications. This paper describes meteorological and oceanographic requirements for OSVW data products; provides an inventory of unique data products to illustrate that the challenge is not the production of individual data products, but the generation of harmonized datasets for analysis and synthesis of the ensemble of data products; and outlines a vision for JCOMM, in partnership with other international groups, to assemble an international network to share ideas, data, tools, strategies, and deliverables to improve utilization of satellite OSVW data products for research and operational applications.

Joint Technical Commission on Oceanography and Mar↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TPSAS-NF1676L-18612-DND

Can a space-based elastic backscatter lidar and coincident infrared radiometer recognize the varied microphysical properties observed by aircraft-based cloud probes in cirrus clouds? If so, then the global and continuous coverage provided by the satellite instruments can extend the knowledge about cirrus cloud properties gained from intensive aircraft field campaigns. The recent Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) aircraft field mission that occurred during August and September, 2013 is an ideal data set to use to test whether this is possible. During SEAC4RS there was extensive sampling of cirrus clouds occurring in widely varied conditions, including the North American Monsoon, forest fires, midlatitude frontal convection and tropical convection. Aircraft cloud probe sampling (2D-S, FCDP or FSSP, CPI) was performed from three airplanes, often coordinated with remote sensing by an aircraft-based elastic backscatter lidar (CPL). During the mission the CALIPSO satellite also observed these clouds from space with a similar elastic backscatter lidar (CALIOP) and an infrared radiometer (IIR). There are several cases where the airplanes sampled directly along the satellite track, but also many overpasses of the region and these features that were not coincident with the aircraft-based sampling. This presentation seeks to address the question of whether relationships between the cloud particle size distribution measurements and habits observed by the SPEC cloud probes and CPL aircraft lidar parameters can be up-scaled to classify the CALIPSO satellite observations from this region and time period. The lidar can also provide cloud top information and evidence of whether there was irreversible transport of ice and aerosols into the UT/LS.

Melody Avery↗