Ship-Based Campaigns Supporting S-NPP CrIS/ATMS Sounder Validation: CalWater/ACAPEX and AEROSE

This work overviews ocean-based intensive field campaign datasets designed for validation of environmental data records (EDRs) from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), specifically dedicated radiosonde and ozonesonde observations (RAOBs) launched during the 2015 CalWater/ACAPEX campaign (Pacific Ocean) and NOAA Aerosols and Ocean Science Expedition (AEROSE) campaigns (tropical Atlantic Ocean). The ship-based dedicated RAOBs are launched over open ocean timed to coincide with twice-per-day S-NPP (as well as twice-per-day MetOp) satellite overpasses to provide independent correlative truth data not assimilated into NWP models for validating atmospheric vertical temperature and moisture profile EDRs (AVTP and AVMP, respectively), as well as ozone profile EDRs, under non-precipitating conditions. These correlative datasets are unique in their range of marine meteorological phenomena germane to these sounder EDR products, including Atmospheric Rivers (ARs), low-level dust and smoke outflows from Africa, the Saharan air layer (SAL), the distribution of tropical water vapor, and tropospheric ozone dynamics. The 2015 CalWater/ACAPEX and 2013, 2015 AEROSE campaigns form a significant component of the overall JPSS S-NPP CrIS/ATMS EDR validation program and specifically validation of the NOAA-Unique CrIS/ATMS Processing System (NUCAPS) EDRs. The ability of the NUCAPS EDR products to detect and resolve meteorological features (e.g., ARs and SALs) in these datasets will be highlighted here.