Integrated polar-GOES-GPSRO satellite product comparisons using the NOAA products validation system (NPROVS)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NOAA/NESDIS) produces global temperature and moisture sounding products from operational polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites. Within the NESDIS Office of SaTellite Applications and Research (STAR), the NOAA PROducts Validation System (NPROVS) now provides a centralized, integrated real-time monitoring and validation function for inter-comparing these products against collocated radiosonde and numerical weather prediction (NWP) forecast data. The satellite product suites compared include Advanced-TOVS (ATOVS), Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Microwave Integrated retrieval System (MIRS), GOES, Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) and Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) Global Positioning System Radio Occultation (GPSRO) derived sounding products. Recently, this capability was augmented with the deployment of the NPROVS ARChive Summary System (NARCSS) for longer term trend monitoring of respective product performance.

The following report provides integrated results comparing ATOVS, MIRS, GOES, IASI, AIRS and COSMIC atmospheric sounding products using collocated radiosonde, NWP and respective satellite product observations routinely compiled by NPROVS. Special aspects of these results are presented, including impacts due to satellite and radiosonde quality control, spatial and temporal windows, clouds, terrain and respective retrieval approaches. Results are presented in the realms of detailed real-time and longer term trend analysis with differences among respective product performance highlighted and discussed. Special case observations and respective performance, for example, temperature inversions, complex vertical moisture structures and extreme conditions such as hot/dry (Sahara), cold/dry (polar winter) and saturated atmospheres are presented. Latest results on a newly developed first guess approach for ATOVS soundings based on microwave eigenvector regressions derived from NPROVS collocation datasets are also presented. This work includes STAR Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) bias analysis with potential application in the re-processing of historical polar satellite soundings for climate.

The above work is supported by the NOAA Integrated Program Office in conjunction with CrIS/ATMS Cal/Val team activities in preparation for NPOESS level 2 product systems (2013) and pending NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) products in 2011. This includes NPROVS integration into ongoing NPOESS Community Collaborative Cal/Val program and associated Sounding Operational Algorithm Team (SOAT) and Government Resources for Algorithm Verification Independent Testing and Evaluation (GRAVITE) activities supporting next generation Crosstrack Infrared Sounder (CrIS) /Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) products.

The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect any position of the United States government or

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.