Extended Abstract (1.1M)P7.6
Validation of GOES-9 satellite-derived cloud properties over the Tropical Western Pacific region
Mandana M. Khaiyer, AS&M, Hampton, VA; and M. L. Nordeen, D. R. Doelling, V. Chakrapani, P. Minnis, and W. L. Smith
Satellite data are essential for monitoring clouds and radiative fluxes where ground-based instruments are unavailable. On 24 April 2003, GOES-9 began operational coverage of the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) providing new opportunities to study the diurnal cycle of clouds and their radiative properties over the TWP region. Prior to the repositioning of GOES-9, the application of retrieval algorithms utilizing multi-spectral techniques over the TWP was limited to non-geostationary satellites with limited temporal sampling due to the relatively small number of channels on the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS). The Visible Infrared Solar-Infrared Split-Window Technique (VISST) applied to GOES-9 imagery uses data taken at four wavelengths (0.65, 3.9, 11, and 12 µm) to retrieve cloud and radiation parameters at a nominal 4-km resolution. Operational, real-time VISST processing of hourly GOES-9 images in the TWP region is ongoing and is demonstrated. Recent validation efforts of this new satellite-derived cloud property dataset, including cloud amount, phase, heights, and broadband fluxes are compared with similar quantities derived from both ground-based instrumentation and other satellite-derived cloud property retrievals with an emphasis on diurnal comparisons. The validation datasets include retrievals and image products from available Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) instruments at the Manus, Nauru, and Darwin sites. These instruments include the Millimeter Cloud Radar (MMCR), total sky imagers (TSI), the MicroPulse Lidar (MPL), and ceilometers. The VISST results will also be compared with LBTM (Layered Bispectral Threshhold Method) results from GMS-5 in April-May 2003, with VISST products from the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) VIRS and MODIS imagers, with CERES broadband fluxes, and with VISST products from NOAA-16 data. The results will provide guidance for improvement and for estimating uncertainties for users of the GOES-9 products.
Poster Session 7, Retrievals and Cloud Products: Part 1
Thursday, 23 September 2004, 9:30 AM-11:00 AM
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