Performance validation of candidate operational sounding retrievals from Suomi-NPP

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) produce global temperature and moisture soundings from operational environmental weather satellites. The NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) operates the NOAA PROducts Validation System (NPROVS) which has provided centralized inter-comparisons of these products against common sets of collocated radiosonde, dropsonde and numerical weather prediction (NWP) data since April, 2008. The satellite products include those from polar and geostationary observations processed at NOAA and EUMETSAT and also Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) profiles from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The first part of the report provides ensemble vertical statistics demonstrating the performance of pending operational sounding retrievals from the recently launched Suomi-NPP, including the respective Northrop Grumman Aerospace System (NGAS), NOAA Unique Cross-track Infrared Scanner (CrIS) /Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) Processing System (NUCAPS) and Microwave integrated Retrieval System (MiRS) products systems. Results are based on identical samples of collocations with conventional radiosonde and dropsonde observations and track the performance of these evolving product systems through the implementation process and associated changes to bring these systems to operational compliance. Adherence to CrIMSS performance specifications ranging from 1.5K to 2.5K per kilometer for tropospheric temperature and 20% to 40% over 2km layers for water vapor fraction for clear and cloudy profiles, respectively, is addressed. Results include comparisons against NOAA Global Forecast System (GFS) and Climate Forecast System Re-analysis (CFSR) data and selected legacy satellite products including hypersepctral infrared from Aqua (AIRS) and MetOp (IASI). Stratifications based on available product qc, terrain, cloudiness and collocation mismatch are provided. Individual collocations of interest portraying “unusual” characteristics in either the Suomi-NPP, radiosonde or NWP observations are highlighted. The report concludes with an outline and discussion of NPROVS expansion and integration with evolving Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN) and initial plans for routine Suomi-NPP validation against these reference radiosonde and ground observations. This includes coordination with planned Suomi-NPP validations at GRUAN / Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) sites using validation strategies which combine multiple synchronized profiles from the radiosonde and ground. The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect any position of the United States government or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.