A Global Perspective of the Current and Future CrIMSS EDR Algorithm

The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite, launched on October 28, 2011, carries the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) and the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), which together form the Cross-Track Infrared and Microwave Sounding Suite (CrIMSS). The CrIMSS Environmental Data Record (EDR) algorithm, developed by AER Inc. and implemented by Raytheon and Northrup Grumman, retrieves atmospheric vertical temperature profiles (AVTPs) and moisture profiles (AVMPs). The NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) has the ability to download EDR data from the Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS) on a daily basis through the STAR Central Data Repository (SCDR). Also, in collaboration with the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), STAR has developed the infrastructure to emulate current IDPS versions of the products as well as future IDPS products based on research upgrades (e.g. updates to look-up tables, changes to the cloud clearing decision tree, etc.)

This work presents some of the ongoing research efforts and upgrades planned for the current CrIMSS EDR algorithm to enhance the IDPS AVTP and AVMP operational products. These upgrades include changes to various lookup tables (LUTs), improvements on empirical bias tuning for the ATMS and CrIS instruments, and modifications to the CrIMSS EDR algorithm (e.g. the cloud clearing decision tree.) We will investigate: 1) how future improvements will likely improve the current algorithm, 2) whether the intermediate-level product is consistent with the 42/22 product, 3) whether the bias tuning (created using data from May 15, 2012) works properly for an independent dataset, and 4) whether the IDPS EDR product has any seasonal bias. To perform this work, we have chosen a representative sample of 108 granules per day, over a selection of 14 days during May, June, and July, 2012. Using these data sets, we plan on performing operational IDPS emulations (a) for the current IDPS operational version of the CrIMSS EDR algorithm and (b) for the future IDPS upgraded version. The ECMWF analysis fields will be used as the truth to generate various statistical metrics for different regions (polar, mid-latitudes, and tropics) and for different categories (eg. land, sea, and coast) to characterize current and future versions of the IDPS AVTP and AVMP products. Through this work, we will present a global characterization of the current IDPS SDR product and show how the proposed modifications are likely to impact future versions of the product.