Interpreting Spectral OCO-2 Radiance Perturbations in the Vicinity of Clouds

Abstract:

Nadir-mode observations of OCO-2 are known to be affected by clouds outside or within the footprint of the radiometer. We previously showed, based on three-dimensional (3D) simulations of OCO-2 radiances for realistic cloud fields, that 3D cloud effects are spectrally correlated, with a distinct spectral shape in shadow and sun-lit zones. We will provide an update about the acceleration and validation efforts of our 3D OCO-2 radiance simulator that is based on the 3D radiative transfer model MCARaTS. We then propose a way to use the characteristic shape of OCO-2 residuals in the three bands to detect and possibly correct cloud effects in the observations.