Development and Validation of Improved Techniques for Cloud Property Retrieval from Environmental Satellites

摘要

A basic research program was conducted for the Air Force Research Laboratory, consisting of three tasks: (1) develop extensible cloud property retrieval algorithms suitable for expanding existing cloud analysis capabilities to utilize data from new and future environmental satellite sensing systems; (2) develop advanced algorithms for retrieval of cloud properties that are insufficiently resolved to satisfy Air Force requirements using existing techniques; and (3) validate cloud property retrieval algorithms using real data from existing meteorological satellite platforms. Under task 1 a series of algorithms developed under previous AFRL programs were modified to expand capabilities in several areas including improved transmissive cirrus detection and classification, cloud phase retrieval, snow/cloud discrimination, and transition across the terminator. In task 2 new capabilities were developed to retrieve cloud radiative and microphysical properties from multispectral data available from environmental satellites including the newly launched MODIS. Under task 3 the new algorithms were implemented in software and applied to real data acquired from the GOES 8 satellite in support of two field programs conducted or supported by AFRL.