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NASA NTRS2002

Geometric-Optical Modeling of Directional Thermal Radiance for Improvement of Land Surface Temperature Retrievals from MODIS, ASTER, and Landsat-7 Instruments

The general objectives of this project were to improve understanding of the directional emittance properties of land surfaces in the thermal infrared (TIR) region of the electro-magnetic spectrum. To accomplish these objectives our research emphasized a combination of theoretical model development and empirical studies designed to improve land surface temperature (LST) retrievals from space-borne remote sensing instruments. Following the proposal, the main tasks for this project were to: (1) Participate in field campaigns; (2) Acquire and process field, aircraft, and ancillary data; (3) Develop and refine models of LST emission; (4) Develop algorithms for LST retrieval; and (5) Explore LST retrieval methods for use in energy balance models. In general all of these objectives were addressed, and for the most part achieved. The main results from this project are described in the publications arising from this effort. We summarize our efforts related to each of the objectives.

Li, Xiaowen↗
NASA NTRS2000

Modeled and Empirical Approaches for Retrieving Columnar Water Vapor from Solar Transmittance Measurements in the 0.72, 0.82, and 0.94 Micrometer Absorption Bands

A Sun photometer (18 channels between 300 and 1024 nm) has been used for measuring the columnar content of atmospheric water vapor (CWV) by solar transmittance measurements in absorption bands with channels centered at 719, 817, and 946 nm. The observable is the band-weighted transmittance function defined by the spectral absorption of water vapor and the spectral features of solar irradiance and system response. The transmittance function is approximated by a three-parameter model. Its parameters are determined from MODTRAN and LBLRTM simulations or empirical approaches using CWV data of a dual-channel microwave radiometer (MWR) or a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS). Data acquired over a 2-year period during 1996-1998 at two different sites in Switzerland, Bern (560 m above sea level (asl)) and Jungfraujoch (3580 m asl) were compared to MWR, radiosonde (RS), and FTS retrievals. At the low-altitude station with an average CWV amount of 15 mm the LBLRTM approach (based on recently corrected line intensities) leads to negligible biases at 719 and 946 nm if compared to an average of MWR, RS, and GPS retrievals. However, at 817 nm an overestimate of 2.7 to 4.3 mm (18-29%) remains. At the high-altitude station with an average CWV amount of 1.4 mm the LBLRTM approaches overestimate the CWV by 1.0, 1.4. and 0.1 mm (58, 76, and 3%) at 719, 817, and 946 nm, compared to the ITS instrument. At the low-altitude station, CWV estimates, based on empirical approaches, agree with the MWR within 0.4 mm (2.5% of the mean); at the high-altitude site with a factor of 10 less water vapor the agreement of the sun photometers (SPM) with the ITS is 0.0 to 0.2 mm (1 to 9% of the mean CWV there). Sensitivity analyses show that for the conditions met at the two stations with CWV ranging from 0.2 to 30 mm, the retrieval errors are smallest if the 946 nm channel is used.

Ingold, T.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Calibration of the Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment (SOLSE) and the Limb Ozone Retrieval Experiment (LORE)

The calibration and characterization of two new instruments designed to retrieve ozone profiles into the lower stratosphere will be presented. These instruments will fly as a single payload on the Space Shuttle Columbia currently scheduled to lift off July 11, 2002. The purpose of SOLSE (Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment) and LORE (Limb Ozone Retrieval Experiment) is to provide a thorough test of the limb ozone retrieval technique, which is being employed on several satellite instruments currently deployed or planned for deployment in the near future. OSIRIS (Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System) and SCIAMACHY (Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography) are already in orbit, while OMPS (the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite) is planned as the primary US ozone monitoring instrument in the next decade.. SOLSE is a Czerny-Turner spectrograph utilizing a 1k x 1k cooled CCD at the focal plane and covering the spectral range of 310-380 nm in the ultraviolet and 535-865 nm in the visible to near infrared. LORE is a 5 channel filter radiometer with center band wavelengths of 322, 350, 603, 675, and 1000 nm. The focus of this paper will be on measurements of the SOLSE spectrograph performance in the limb-viewing configuration including stray light rejection, spatial and spectral resolution and absolute radiometric response.

Janz, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Calibration and Data Retrieval Algorithms for the NASA Langley/Ames Diode Laser Hygrometer for the NASA Trace-P Mission

This paper describes the procedures and algorithms for the laboratory calibration and the field data retrieval of the NASA Langley / Ames Diode Laser Hygrometer as implemented during the NASA Trace-P mission during February to April 2000. The calibration is based on a NIST traceable dewpoint hygrometer using relatively high humidity and short pathlength. Two water lines of widely different strengths are used to increase the dynamic range of the instrument in the course of a flight. The laboratory results are incorporated into a numerical model of the second harmonic spectrum for each of the two spectral window regions using spectroscopic parameters from the HITRAN database and other sources, allowing water vapor retrieval at upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric temperatures and humidity levels. The data retrieval algorithm is simple, numerically stable, and accurate. A comparison with other water vapor instruments on board the NASA DC-8 and ER-2 aircraft is presented.

Podolske, James R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Ozone Retrieval Error Associated with Clouds

This research addresses the following three objectives: (1) quantify ozone retrieval errors due to assuming Lambertian clouds, (2) quantify ozone retrieval errors due to assuming opaque clouds. (3) Investigate the effects of assuming cloud reflectivity to be 80% on ozone retrieval.

Newchurch, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Genetic Algorithm Phase Retrieval for the Systematic Image-Based Optical Alignment Testbed

Phase retrieval requires calculation of the real-valued phase of the pupil fimction from the image intensity distribution and characteristics of an optical system. Genetic 'algorithms were used to solve two one-dimensional phase retrieval problem. A GA successfully estimated the coefficients of a polynomial expansion of the phase when the number of coefficients was correctly specified. A GA also successfully estimated the multiple p h e s of a segmented optical system analogous to the seven-mirror Systematic Image-Based Optical Alignment (SIBOA) testbed located at NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center. The SIBOA testbed was developed to investigate phase retrieval techniques. Tiphilt and piston motions of the mirrors accomplish phase corrections. A constant phase over each mirror can be achieved by an independent tip/tilt correction: the phase Conection term can then be factored out of the Discrete Fourier Tranform (DFT), greatly reducing computations.

Taylor, Jaime↗
NASA NTRS2003

Phase Retrieval Using a Genetic Algorithm on the Systematic Image-Based Optical Alignment Testbed

NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center s Systematic Image-Based Optical Alignment (SIBOA) Testbed was developed to test phase retrieval algorithms and hardware techniques. Individuals working with the facility developed the idea of implementing phase retrieval by breaking the determination of the tip/tilt of each mirror apart from the piston motion (or translation) of each mirror. Presented in this report is an algorithm that determines the optimal phase correction associated only with the piston motion of the mirrors. A description of the Phase Retrieval problem is first presented. The Systematic Image-Based Optical Alignment (SIBOA) Testbeb is then described. A Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) is necessary to transfer the incoming wavefront (or estimate of phase error) into the spatial frequency domain to compare it with the image. A method for reducing the DFT to seven scalar/matrix multiplications is presented. A genetic algorithm is then used to search for the phase error. The results of this new algorithm on a test problem are presented.

Taylor, Jaime R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Retrieval of Precipitation Profiles from Multiresolution, Multifrequency, Active and Passive Microwave Observations

In this study, a technique for estimating vertical profiles of precipitation from multifrequency, multiresolution active and passive microwave observations is investigated. The technique is applicable to the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observations and it is based on models that simulate high-resolution brightness temperatures as functions of observed reflectivity profiles and a parameter related to the rain drop-size-distribution. The modeled high-resolution brightness temperatures are used to determine normalized brightness temperature polarizations at the microwave radiometer resolution. An optimal estimation procedure is employed to minimize the differences between the simulated and observed normalized polarizations by adjusting the drop-size-distribution parameter. The impact of other unknowns that are not independent variables in the optimal estimation but affect the retrievals is minimized through statistical parameterizations derived from cloud model simulations. The retrieval technique is investigated using TRMM observations collected during the Kwajalein Experiment (KWAJEX). These observations cover an area extending from 5 deg to deg N latitude and 166 deg to 172 deg E longitude from July to September 1999, and are coincident with various ground-based observations, facilitating a detailed analysis of the retrieved precipitation. Using the method developed in this study, precipitation estimates consistent with both the passive and active TRMM observations are obtained. Various parameters characterizing these estimates, i.e. the rain rate, the precipitation water content, the drop-size-distribution intercept, and the mass weighted mean drop diameter, are in good qualitative agreement with independent experimental and theoretical estimates. Combined rain estimates are in general higher than the official TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) only estimates for the area and the period considered in the study. Ground-based precipitation estimates, derived from an analysis of rain gauge and ground radar data, are in better agreement with the combined estimates than with the TRMM PR-only estimates, which suggests that information useful for improving the radar-only estimates is contained in the brightness temperature data.

Grecu, Mircea↗
NASA NTRS2003

Retrieval Studies with LIDORT

This short program of LIDORT-based research in atmospheric trace gas retrieval was conducted over the 1 year period 01 July 2002 to 30 June 2003. After consultation with the NASA reporting officer, the first of the two original proposal activities (development of a direct-fitting total O3 column retrieval algorithm with operational capability for GOME data) was replaced by other tasks. The three activities addressed were: (1) Sensitivity studies for column and profile retrieval of NO2 distributions from a new generation of multi-axis ground-based spectrometers; (2) use of the LIDORT-RRS model to determine the effect of inelastic rotational Raman scattering at SBUV wavelengths; (3) an examination of ozone profile weighting functions in the presence of optically thick tropospheric clouds.

Bhartia, P. K.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Using Cloud Top Pressures Derived from Raman Scattering in the UV for the OMI Total Column Ozone Retrievals

The OMI cloud pressure product is necessary for accounting for cloud effects on the mission- critical total ozone product. One of the OM1 cloud pressure algorithms uses UV measurements to derive cloud pressures from the high frequency structure of top- of-atmosphere reflectance caused by rotational Raman scattering (RRS) in the atmosphere. RRS results in filling-in of Fraunhofer lines in the backscatter UV spectra (also known as the Ring effect). The magnitude of filling-in of the Fraunhofer lines is roughly proportional to the average number of solar photon scatterings in the atmosphere above the clouds. This property of RRS is used to deduce an effective cloud pressure. The cloud pressure algorithm retrieves the cloud pressure and cloud fraction using a concept of the Mixed Lambert Equivalent Reflectivity (MLER) also used for the TOMS-V8 OM1 total column ozone algorithm. Currently, this OMI total column ozone algorithm utilizes information about cloud top pressures from a climatology based on IR measurements. The IR-derived cloud top pressure is known to be lower than UV-derived cloud top pressure because UV radiation penetrates clouds deeper than IR radiation. That is why the UV-derived cloud pressure may be more consistent withthe total ozone algorithm. We estimate total column ozone differences caused by replacing the cloud pressure climatology with cloud pressures retrieved from GOME data same as used for retrieval of ozone.

Joiner, J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Latent Heating Retrieval from TRMM Observations Using a Simplified Thermodynamic Model

A procedure for the retrieval of hydrometeor latent heating from TRMM active and passive observations is presented. The procedure is based on current methods for estimating multiple-species hydrometeor profiles from TRMM observations. The species include: cloud water, cloud ice, rain, and graupel (or snow). A three-dimensional wind field is prescribed based on the retrieved hydrometeor profiles, and, assuming a steady-state, the sources and sinks in the hydrometeor conservation equations are determined. Then, the momentum and thermodynamic equations, in which the heating and cooling are derived from the hydrometeor sources and sinks, are integrated one step forward in time. The hydrometeor sources and sinks are reevaluated based on the new wind field, and the momentum and thermodynamic equations are integrated one more step. The reevalution-integration process is repeated until a steady state is reached. The procedure is tested using cloud model simulations. Cloud-model derived fields are used to synthesize TRMM observations, from which hydrometeor profiles are derived. The procedure is applied to the retrieved hydrometeor profiles, and the latent heating estimates are compared to the actual latent heating produced by the cloud model. Examples of procedure's applications to real TRMM data are also provided.

Grecu, Mircea↗
NASA NTRS2003

Ozone Climatological Profiles for Version 8 TOMS and SBUV Retrievals

A new altitude dependent ozone climatology has been produced for use with the latest Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) retrieval algorithms. The climatology consists of monthly average profiles for ten degree latitude zones covering from 0 to 60 km. The climatology was formed by combining data from SAGE II (1988 to 2000) and MLS (1991-1999) with data from balloon sondes (1988-2002). Ozone below about 20 km is based on balloons sondes, while ozone above 30 km is based on satellite measurements. The profiles join smoothly between 20 and 30 km. The ozone climatology in the southern hemisphere and tropics has been greatly enhanced in recent years by the addition of balloon sonde stations under the SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes) program. A major source of error in the TOMS and SBUV retrieval of total column ozone comes from their reduced sensitivity to ozone in the lower troposphere. An accurate climatology for the retrieval a priori is important for reducing this error on the average. The new climatology follows the seasonal behavior of tropospheric ozone and reflects its hemispheric asymmetry. Comparisons of TOMS version 8 ozone with ground stations show an improvement due in part to the new climatology.

McPeters, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Computation of the Effects of Inhomogeneous Clouds on Retrieval of Remotely Sensed Properties

Current and future earth observation programs depend on satellite measurements of radiance to retrieve the properties of clouds on a global basis. At present, this retrieval is made assuming that the clouds in the instrument field of view are plane parallel and independent of adjacent pixels. While this assumption is known to be false except in very limited cases, its impact can be evaluated, and if possible corrected, based on emerging theoretical techniques. In this study, the Spherical Harmonic Discrete Ordinate Method (SHDOM, Evans, 1996) has been used to assess the sensitivity of the retrieval to a variety of cloud parameters. SHDOM allows the plane parallel assumption to be relaxed and makes 2D and even 3D radiative solutions practical. A previous study (Chambers et al., 1996) assessed the effect of horizontal inhomogeneity in 45 LANDSAT scenes of boundary layer clouds over ocean. The four scenes studied here represent overcast, broken, scattered and strongly thermally forced cloud fields and are used to perform sensitivity studies to a wider variety of parameters. Comparisons are made at three solar zenith angles (theta (sub 0) = 0, 49, and 63 degrees) to avoid ambiguity in the results due to solar zenith angle.

Chambers, Lin H.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Daytime Cloud Property Retrievals Over the Arctic from Multispectral MODIS Data

Improving climate model predictions over Earth's polar regions requires a complete understanding of polar clouds properties. Passive satellite remote sensing techniques can be used to retrieve macro and microphysical properties of polar cloud systems. However, over the Arctic, there is minimal contrast between clouds and the background snow surface observed in satellite data, especially for visible wavelengths. This makes it difficult to identify clouds and retrieve their properties from space. Variable snow and ice cover, temperature inversions, and the predominance of mixed-phase clouds further complicate cloud property identification. For this study, the operational Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) cloud mask is first used to discriminate clouds from the background surface in Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. A solar-infrared infrared nearinfrared technique (SINT) first used by Platnick et al. (2001) is used here to retrieve cloud properties over snow and ice covered regions.

Spangenberg, Douglas A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Global Retrieval of Aerosol Properties over Desert and Semi-Desert Regions from SeaWiFS and MODIS

Mineral aerosols (dust) play an important role in both climate forcing and oceanic productivity throughout the entire year. Due to the relatively short lifetime (a few hours to about a week), the distributions of these airborne dust particles vary extensively in both space and time. Consequently, satellite observations are needed over both source and sink regions for continuous temporal and spatial sampling of dust properties. However, despite their importance, the high spatial resolution satellite measurements of dust near its source have been lacking. In this paper, we will demonstrate the capability of a new satellite algorithm to retrieve aerosol optical thickness and single scattering albedo over bright-reflecting surfaces such as urban areas and deserts. Such retrievals have been difficult to perform using previously available algorithms that use wavelengths from the mid-visible to the near IR because they have trouble separating the aerosol signal from the contribution due to the bright surface reflectance. The new algorithm, called Deep Blue, utilizes blue-wavelength measurements from instruments such as SeaWiFS and MODIS to infer the properties of aerosols, sinre the stirfare reflectance nver land in the blue part of the spectrum is much lower than for longer wavelength channels. We have validated the satellite retrieved aerosol optical thickness with data from AERONET sunphotometers over desert and semi-desert regions. The comparisons show reasonable agreements between these two. These new satellite products will allow scientists to determine quantitatively the aerosol properties near sources using high spatial resolution measurements from SeaWiFS and MODIS-like instruments.

Hsu, Nai-Yung↗
NASA NTRS1999

Retrieval of Mir Solar Array

A Russian solar array panel removed in November 1997 from the non-articulating photovoltaic array on the Mir core module was returned to Earth on STS-89 in January 1998. The panel had been exposed to low Earth orbit (LEO) for 10 years prior to retrieval. The retrieval provided a unique opportunity to study the effects of the LEO environment on a functional solar array. To take advantage of this opportunity, a team composed of members from RSC-Energia (Russia), the Boeing Company, and the following NASA Centers--Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Lewis Research Center--was put together to analyze the array. After post-retrieval inspections at the Spacehab Facility at Kennedy in Florida, the array was shipped to Lewis in Cleveland for electrical performance tests, closeup photodocumentation, and removal of selected solar cells and blanket material. With approval from RSC-Energia, five cell pairs and their accompanying blanket and mesh material, and samples of painted handrail materials were selected for removal on the basis of their ability to provide degradation information. Sites were selected that provided different sizes and shapes of micrometeoroid impacts and different levels of surface contamination. These materials were then distributed among the team for round robin testing.

Rutledge, Sharon K.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Retrieval and Validation of Cirrus Cloud Properties with the Far-Infrared Sensor for Cirrus (FIRSC) During CRYSTAL-FACE

This grant supported the principal investigator's analysis of data obtained during CRYSTAL-FACE by two submillimeter-wave radiometers: the Far-Infrared Sensor for Cirrus (FIRSC) and the Conical Scanning Submillimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer (CoSSIR). The PI led the overall FIRSC investigation, though Co-I Michael Vanek led the instrument component at NASA Langley. The overall CoSSIR investigation was led by James Wang at NASA Goddard, but the cirrus retrieval and validation was performed at the University of Colorado. The goal of this research was to demonstrate the submillimeter-wave cirrus cloud remote sensing technique, provide retrievals of ice water path (IWP) and median mass particle diameter (D(sub me)), and perform validation of the cirrus retrievals using other CRYSTAL-FACE datasets.

Evans, K. Franklin↗
NASA NTRS2005

Retrieving Storm Electric Fields From Aircraft Field Mill Data: Applications - Part 2

The Lagrange multiplier theory and "pitch down method" developed in Part I of this study are applied to complete the calibration of a Citation aircraft that is instrumented with six field mill sensors. When side constraints related to average fields are used, the method performs well in computer simulations. For mill measurement errors of 1 V/m and a 5 V/m error in the mean fair weather field function, the 3-D storm electric field is retrieved to within an error of about 12%. A side constraint that involves estimating the detailed structure of the fair weather field was also tested using computer simulations. For mill measurement errors of 1 V/m, the method retrieves the 3-D storm field to within an error of about 8% if the fair weather field estimate is typically within 1 V/m of the true fair weather field. Using this side constraint and data from fair weather field maneuvers taken on 29 June 2001, the Citation aircraft was calibrated. The resulting calibration matrix was then used to retrieve storm electric fields during a Citation flight on 2 June 2001. The storm field results are encouraging and agree favorably with the results obtained from earlier calibration analyses that were based on iterative techniques.

Koshak, W. J.↗