Comparison between MODIS and AMSR-E cloud LWP over the East Asian region

Abstract:

Clouds play an important role in the Earth’s energy budget and therefore constitute a crucial element of climate change prediction. Thus, the demand for understanding the properties of clouds more accurately has been increasing and satellites have become a dominant tool for cloud observation because of their continual global coverage capability. NASA launched Aqua Earth-observing satellite on May 4, 2002. Aqua has five operating instruments (AIRS, AMSU, CERES, MODIS, and AMSR-E), which have different wavelength coverages and thus different retrieval algorithms. Among them, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) retrieve cloud liquid water path (LWP), a highly important cloud property that characterizes clouds, with different retrieval algorithms because MODIS uses VIS/NIR channels while AMSR-E uses microwave channels. In this study, the LWP data retrieved from MODIS and AMSR-E over the East Asia region will be analyzed and compared. The retrieval period is four full years (2007-2010) so that annual averages and seasonal differences can be revealed. Although a comparison of global LWP data from MOIDS and AMSR-E has been done in a previous study, the general global distributions were shown. Here, we focus on the East Asia region where seasonal LWP differences are large due to monsoon circulation and typhoons in summer months. More details will be discussed at the conference.