Validation of AIRS Cloud Cleared Radiances Using MODIS and its Affect on QualityControl

Abstract:

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) was launched aboard the AQUA satellite to provide measurements of temperature, humidity, and various trace gases in support of climate research and weather prediction. Only clear sky measurements of the outgoing radiance are used in the AIRS physical retrieval of temperature, water vapor, and certain trace gases. To overcome cloud contamination the clear sky radiance is estimated using an iterative procedure that combines an initial estimate of the clear state from a neural network along with a three by three grid of AIRS measurements. The radiance error estimate, a component critical to the AIRS physical retrieval, must include contributions from all assumed parameters input to the forward model on top of instrument noise and amplification from cloud clearing. When the error estimate is too large the AIRS physical retrieval becomes over-constrained to the first guess profile. Therefore quantifying the cloud cleared error estimate is essential to an effective physical retrieval.

We will validate the cloud-cleared radiances through the use of nearby clear ocean scenes and with comparisons to clear pixels from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS). AIRS cloud cleared radiances are spectrally convolved to MODIS channels for this comparison. This analysis quantifies error due to cloud-clearing and demonstrates that clear MODIS pixels can be used with the standard AIRS quality control procedure to improve identification poor retrievals.