The NPOESS Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) as a Companion to the New Generation AIRS/AMSU and IASI/AMSU Sounder Suites

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) is serving the operations and research community as the bridge mission between the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) and NPOESS. The Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), combined with the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) are the core instruments to provide the key performance atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles (along with some other atmospheric constituent information). Both the high spectral resolution CrIS and the upgraded microwave sounder (ATMS) will be working in parallel with the already orbiting Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS/AMSU) on the EOS AQUA platform and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI/AMSU) on the EUMETSAT METOP-A satellite. This presentation will review the CrIS/ATMS capabilities in the context of continuity with the excellent performance records established by AIRS and IASI. The CrIS sensor is in the process of its final calibration and characterization testing and the results and Sensor Data Record process are being validated against this excellent dataset. The comparison between CrIS, AIRS, and IASI will include spectral, spatial, radiometric performance and sounding capability comparisons.