Retrieval of High Latitude Land Surface Properties from the High Spectral Resolution Infrared Sounders: AIRS, IASI, and CrIS

摘要

A methodology to retrieve the land surface infrared properties of snow and ice is presented that takes advantage of the high spectral resolution observations of a new generation of polar orbiting weather satellites. The NASA Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the EOS Aqua platform was the first of a series of high spectral resolution sensors that includes the operational Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on Europe's METOP platforms and the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) onthe U.S. National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System platforms. Application of the method described here is intended for the high latitude polar regions, e.g. Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska/Yukon, and Antarctica. These regions provide challengesfor the identification and removal of cloud effects during the polar winter. A methodology is described for the identification of clear fields of view of the sounder over snow and the estimation of surface infrared emission. An example over the Greenland ice sheet is presented. The effective identification of clear sounder fields of view and the correct interpretation of the surface emission is an important component of making high latitude data over land useable in Numerical Weather Prediction data assimilation.