Validation Methods for Infrared Sounder Environmental Data Records: Application to Suomi NPP

The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Cross-track Infrared Microwave Sounder Suite (CrIMSS) is an advanced operational satellite ultra/hyper-spectral infrared/microwave (IR/MW) sounding system concept comprised of the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS). These two instruments are synergistically designed to retrieve atmospheric vertical temperature, moisture and pressure profiles (AVTP, AVMP and AVPP, respectively), these being key environmental data records (EDRs) that are disseminated to NOAA data users. CrIMSS is slated to serve as the operational, low earth orbit (LEO) satellite sounding system over the next two decades, starting with the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) satellite and spanning the JPSS-1 and -2 satellites. Because JPSS is an operational satellite mission, a well-defined calibration/validation (cal/val) plan adhering to a phased schedule was devised to ensure the CrIMSS EDRs would comply with the mission Level 1 requirements in preparation for the launch of S-NPP. Nearly a decade of validation experience involving a variety of demonstrated, cost-effective approaches was thus organized into a validation technique hierarchy for application at various phases of the satellite's product lifetime. This presentation overviews the sounder validation hierarchy and statistical techniques as the basis for a general end-to-end validation methodology for atmospheric profile EDRs derived from passive IR/MW sounder systems. The specific datasets to be used in the application of the validation methodology toward the validation of S-NPP CrIMSS operational EDR products will also be presented.