Suomi NPP Intensive Cal/Val Over Tropical Ocean: Results from the 2012 NOAA Aerosols and Ocean Science Expedition (AEROSE)

This work overviews Intensive Cal/Val (ICV) of environmental data records (EDRs) from the Suomi NPP Cross-track Infrared Microwave Sounder Suite (CrIMSS) based upon dedicated soundings acquired from ozonesondes and radiosondes launched over the tropical Atlantic Ocean during the 2012 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aerosols and Ocean Science Expedition (AEROSE) campaign (conducted in partnership with the PIRATA Northeast Extension (PNE) project) onboard the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown, 31 August to 1 October 2012. AEROSE ship-based sonde launches are timed to coincide with twice-per-day CrIMSS (as well as twice-per-day MetOp IASI) satellite overpasses to provide independent correlative data (not assimilated into NWP models) for validating atmospheric vertical temperature, moisture and pressure profile (AVTP, AVMP and AVPP, respectively) EDRs, as well as trace gas intermediate products (IPs; e.g., ozone) under non-precipitating conditions. The lower tropospheric AVTP/AVMP products are JPSS Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) and the AEROSE correlative data are unique in their range of marine meteorological phenomena germane to these KPPs and IPs, including low-level dust and smoke outflows from Africa, the Saharan air layer (SAL) and distribution of tropical water vapor, and tropospheric ozone dynamics. The 2012 AEROSE campaign forms a significant component of the overall EDR provisional maturity assessment over the open tropical ocean (see Nalli et al., Divakarla et al., this session), the results of which will be highlighted here.