Calibration and validation of the Suomi NPP ice surface temperature environmental data record

Abstract:

Surface temperature is an important climate variable because it integrates changes in the surface energy budget that result from local processes and large-scale heat advection. The Arctic has been warming more than any other part of the earth (“polar amplification”) and is projected to rise at a rate about twice the global mean over the next century. Continuous monitoring of the Arctic surface temperature is critical to understanding Arctic climate change. Ice surface temperature has been measured with optical and thermal infrared sensors like the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for many years. With the ice surface temperature (IST) Environmental Data Record (EDR) available from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the SuomiNPP and future Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites, we can continue to monitor and investigate Arctic climate change based on over 30 years of data.

This work evaluates the quality of the VIIRS IST EDR for use in near real-time applications as well as for extending the IST climate data record. Validation is performed through comparisons with multiple in situ, aircraft, model, and satellite datasets, including NASA IceBridge KT-19 infrared ice surface temperature observations, observations from the Arctic drifting buoys, IST from collocated MODIS, and surface air temperature from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis. Results show bias of 0.09 K ( -0.14, -3.60, and -3.67 K) and root mean squared error of 0.95 K (1.33, 3.8, and 7.07 K) for VIIRS IST EDR compared to KT-19 (MODIS, drifting buoy, and NCEP reanalysis).