Development and Implementation of the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM)

The development of the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) and its subsequent improvements has created a critically important method for NWP models to assimilate satellite measurements made under all weather conditions. The CRTM was primarily developed by STAR and EMC scientists with the support of the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) to provide fast, accurate satellite radiance simulations and associated Jacobian calculations under all weather and surface conditions. CRTM supports all current operational and many research satellite measurements, covering wavelengths ranging from the visible through the microwave. The model has undergone substantial improvement and expansion, since the first version released in 2004. The CRTM has been used in the NOAA/NCEP and U.S. Navy operational data assimilation systems and by many other JCSDA partners such as NOAA/NESDIS/STAR, NOAA/OAR, NASA/GMAO, Naval Research Laboratory, Air Force Weather, and within multiple university environments. Over the past 13 years, external research groups and operational centers alike have made essential contributions to CRTM development. This presentation provides an overview of the current status of CRTM version 2.3.0; and also describes the future planned release of CRTM version 3.0.0, which will represent a major milestone in CRTM development and capabilities.