Over ocean atmospheric validation of AIRS derived temperature/moisture profiles

A suite of in situ and remote sensing meteorological instrumentation is in continuous operation on the cruise ship Explorer of the Seas and a similar set was also deployed in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean during the NOAA sponsored AEROSE mission in 2003. The instrumentation includes calibrated research grade radiosonde launches for tropospheric temperature and moisture profiles and Marine Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (M-AERI) uplooking radiance measurements for radiance validation. The M-AERI also provides highly accurate measurements of ocean surface skin temperature and high temporal resolution planetary boundary layer retrievals of temperature and moisture. This data set is being used to validate AIRS derived thermodynamic profiles during Aqua overpass times. Preliminary validation results between the shipborne instrumentation and AIRS datasets will be shown for clear sky conditions from 2002 – current within the Caribbean and Atlantic areas.