Remote sensing of aerosol and radiation from geostationary satellites

The paper presents a high-level overview of current and future remote sensing of aerosol and shortwave radiation budget carried out at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from the US Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) series. The retrievals from the current GOES imagers are based on physical principles. Aerosol and radiation are estimated in separate processing from the comparison of satellite-observed reflectances derived from a single visible channel with those calculated from detailed radiative transfer. The radiative transfer calculation accounts for multiple scattering by molecules, aerosol and cloud and absorption by the major atmospheric gases. The retrievals are performed operationally every 30 min for aerosol and every hour for radiation for pixel sizes of 4-km (aerosol) and 15- to 50-km (radiation). Both retrievals estimate the surface reflectance as a byproduct from the time composite of clear visible reflectances assuming fixed values of the aerosol optical depth. With the launch of GOES-R NOAA will begin a new era of geostationary remote sensing. The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) onboard GOES-R will offer capabilities for aerosol remote sensing similar to those currently provided by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flown on the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites. The ABI aerosol algorithm currently under development uses a multi-channel approach to estimate the aerosol optical depth and aerosol model simultaneously, both over water and land. Its design is strongly inspired by the MODIS aerosol algorithm. The ABI shortwave radiation budget algorithm is based on the successful GOES Surface and Insolation Product system of NOAA and the NASA Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES), Surface and Atmospheric Radiation Budget (SARB) algorithm. In all phases of the development, the algorithms are tested with proxy data generated from existing satellite observations and forward simulations. Final assessment of the performance will be made after the launch of GOES-R scheduled in 2012.     

Comparison of ground reflectance measurement with satellite derived atmospherically corrected reflectance: A case study over semi-arid landscape

Atmospheric corrections to satellite data are important for comparing multitemporal data sets over tropical regions with variable aerosol loading. In this study, we evaluated the potential of 6S radiative transfer model for atmospheric corrections of IRS-P6 AWiFS satellite data sets, in a semi-arid landscape. Ground measurements of surface reflectance representing different land use/land cover categories were conducted to relate IRS-P6 AWiFS top of atmospheric reflectance. The 6S radiative transfer model was calibrated for local conditions using ground measurements for aerosol optical depth, water vapor and ozone with a sun photometer. Surface reflectance retrieved from 6S code was compared with top of atmosphere (TOA) reflectance and ground based spectroradiometer measurements. Accurate parameterization of the 6S model using measurements of aerosol optical depth, water vapor and ozone plays an important role while comparing ground and satellite derived reflectance measurements.     

观测路径和光谱分辨率对吸收性气溶胶指数的影响

吸收性气溶胶指数（AAI）在监测污染物方面有较好的应用,其反演结果受边界层高度、云高、相对湿度以及仪器指标和观测几何路径等因素影响.利用大气辐射传输模型MODTRAN,对辐射传输方程中多次散射计算的不同近似方法和不同观测几何角度下的AAI进行模拟,研究这些因素对AAI结果的作用,并分析仪器光谱分辨率对AAI探测结果的影响.结果表明,折衷考虑计算效率与精度的情况下,应选择8流近似的离散坐标法进行带有多次散射计算的辐射方程解析.AAI在不同浓度和不同类型气溶胶下随观测角度变化的趋势相同:相对方位角<120°时,AAI误差在太阳天顶角和卫星方位角均为40°～60°时最大;相对方位角在120°～180°时误差均较小;光谱分辨率对AAI反演结果无明显影响.      

行星大气1~3000GHz微波-亚毫米波辐射模拟

为模拟行星大气在微波elax-elax亚毫米波波段的辐射传输特性,利用逐线积分方法计算行星大气中各气体成分在1~3000GHz的吸收系数.基于HITRAN数据库中各气体分子的跃迁频率及线强等参数,有效模拟了各气体分子在此频段内的吸收特征,并与常用的微波elax-elax亚毫米波大气辐射传输模式进行对比.分析地球大气的组成及特性,利用辐射传输方程模拟临边探测方式下不同频段的大气辐射亮温.研究结果可为后续地球乃至行星大气成分探测模拟、频带选择以及大气成分廓线反演提供模型及理论依据.      

气溶胶光学特性偏振遥感反演算法

陆地上空大气顶的辐射主要由大气散射和地表反射组成,一般地表反射的贡献要大于大气散射的贡献,使得陆地上空气溶胶的特性提取非常困难,而偏振信息只强烈依赖于散射粒子的特性,发展基于偏振信息的气溶胶反演方法是非常有效的. 通过对矢量辐射传输方程求解进行研究,基于倍加累加法矢量辐射传输模式分析影响气溶胶反演的主要因素,确定多维参数查找表建立方法,利用POLDER(Polarization and Directionality of the Earth-s Reflectances)提供的反射率和偏振反射率数据,发展了一种利用反射率和偏振反射率查找表迭代查找反演气溶胶光学参数和地表反射率的算法,实现了对北京、香河、Dalanzadgad观测站上空气溶胶光学厚度、粒子半径、折射指数和地表反射率的反演.用AERONET(Aerosol Robotic Network)地基数据对反演结果进行了验证.     

Optical properties of the Venusian atmosphere and radiative heat exchange

A detailed study has been made of the optical properties of the gas and aerosol phases of the atmosphere of Venus. The radiative heat exchange has been calculated for the most probable models of atmospheric structural and optical characteristics.     

Retrieval of vegetation equivalent water thickness from reflectance using genetic algorithm (GA)-partial least squares (PLS) regression

This study aimed to investigate the performance of genetic algorithms coupled with partial least squares (GA-PLS) modeling of spectral reflectance in retrieving equivalent water thickness (EWT) at leaf and canopy level. A genetic algorithm was used to identify a subset of spectral bands sensitive to the variation in EWT, and PLS was then applied to relate the identified bands to EWT values. GA-PLS was applied to leaf level reflectance available from LOPEX dataset, and canopy data includes reflectance simulated by a leaf radiative transfer model PROSPECT and a canopy radiative transfer model SAILH and acquired by airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS). The results indicate that GA-PLS has the capability of retrieving EWT from leaf and canopy reflectance, and achieved good estimation accuracy, i.e. low root mean square errors (RMSE) and high squared correlation coefficients (R²). For the retrieval at leaf level, the estimation accuracy can be as good as RMSE = 0.0019 g/cm² and R² = 0.939 or better. For the retrieval at canopy level, the model accuracy is RMSE = 0.0061 g/cm² and R² = 0.966 or better when PROSPECT-SAILH simulated reflectance was used; when AVIRIS image spectra were used, the model accuracy is RMSE = 0.0094 g/cm² and R² = 0.8734 for the calibration, and RMSE = 0.0132 g/cm² and R² = 0.7756 for the validation. These results from GA-PLS modeling support the conclusion that GA-PLS has the potential to be applied to AVIRIS, Hyperion and HyMap imagery for retrieving EWT. The selected bands for the AVIRIS datasets differ from those for the LOPEX and PROSPECT-SAILH simulated datasets, and this inconsistence of the selected bands for different datasets indicates that the GA-PLS method has the advantage of tuning the optimum bands for PLS regression and accommodating the effects of confounding factors.     

临近空间太阳紫外辐射环境模拟与地区差异

太阳紫外辐射是临近空间能量输入的主要来源之一,对其在中层大气的辐射特性进行研究,是研究临近空间大气成分与密度变化、光化学反应以及动力学过程的重要基础。依托“鸿鹄”临近空间探测专项计划,利用MODTRAN5辐射传输模型及卫星实测数据,模拟并对比中国11个主要地形区上空临近空间（20~50 km）紫外辐射（200~400 nm）垂直分布和季节演变的异同,计算了臭氧含量、太阳天顶角和日地距离等关键因素对辐射强度的影响。结果表明,各地形区的辐射流量垂直分布廓线和年较差垂直分布廓线较为一致,在地理位置上毗邻的地区辐射特性及季节演变较为接近,但在太阳紫外的不同波段之间区别较大。研究成果为临近空间探测实验提供了数据支撑,为大气反演等相关领域提供参考。      

Rocket-borne measurements of atmospheric infrared emissions by spectrometric techniques

As part of the MAP/WINE Campaign 1983/84 a liquid helium cooled infrared grating spectrometer measured night zenith radiances of CO₂, O₃, and H₂O in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. From a comparison of the measured spectral radiances with results from LTE radiative transfer calculations atmospheric temperatures and concentration profiles of H₂O and O₃ were determined, showing some interesting features. The ozone densities obtained appear to contradict model predictions based upon the assumption that ozone is in photochemical equilibrium at mesospheric heights. Since the ozone density distribution shows quite similar structures as the vertical wind profile, transport effects seem to play a major role in the mesospheric ozone formation.     

135.6nm夜气辉峰值电子密度反演算法及误差

根据夜间135.6nm大气辉光光强与F₂层峰值电子密度N_mF₂平方成正比的物理机制,在前期夜间135.6nm气辉辐射激发模型研究的基础上建立了峰值电子密度的反演算法,把全球经纬度分成若干格点,每个格点的电离层及中性成分信息分别由IRI2000和MSISE90提供,将电离层及中性成分廓线输入夜气辉辐射激发模型,计算每个格点135.6nm气辉的辐射强度,然后将各个格点的135.6nm气辉辐射强度与电离层廓线输入的N_mF₂平方拟合得到气辉强度与N_mF₂的转换因子.利用此方法可获得不同地方时、季节和太阳活动周期的转换因子组成查算表,进而根据实际探测的135.6nm气辉辐射强度反演相应时空的N_mF₂.最后对该算法的反演误差进行了综合分析,为该算法适用的时空特性提供重要理论支撑.      

免疫遗传算法在百叶窗最优化热设计中的应用

考虑优化过程中辐射能量交换的特殊性,为了加速优化过程的进行,通过引入漫反射系统单元表面间辐射传递系数与角系数之间的关系来处理百叶窗的辐射能量交换;同时为了克服传统优化算法存在的缺陷,提出了一种免疫遗传算法,并且应用于百叶窗最优化热设计中。优化设计表明,与标准遗传算法相比,该优化算法具有较强收敛度与全局寻优能力,可以较好地用于最优化热设计中。     

Estimation of vertically integrated water vapor in Hungary using MODIS imagery

Information about the amount and spatial structure of atmospheric water vapor is essential in understanding meteorology and the Earth environment. Space-borne remote sensing offers a relatively inexpensive method to estimate atmospheric water vapor in the form of integrated water vapor (IWV). The research activity reported in the present paper is based on the data acquired by the HRPT/MODIS (High Resolution Picture Transmission, MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) receiving station established in Budapest (Hungary) by the Space Research Group of the Eötvös Loránd University. Integrated water vapor is estimated by the remotely sensed data of the MODIS instrument with different methods and also by the operational numerical weather prediction model of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Radiosonde data are used to evaluate the accuracy of the different IWV fields though it has been pointed out that the in situ data also suffers from uncertainties. It was found that both the MODIS and the ECMWF based fields are of good accuracy. The satellite data represent finer scale spatial structures while the ECMWF data have a relatively poor spatial resolution. The high quality IWV fields have proved to be useful for radiative transfer studies such as the atmospheric correction of other satellite data from times different than the overpass times of satellites Terra/Aqua and the forecast times of the model data. For this purpose the temporal variability of IWV is scrutinized both using ECMWF and MODIS data. Taking advantage of Terra and Aqua overpasses, the mean rate of change of IWV estimated by the near infrared method was found to be 0.47 ± 0.45 kg m⁻² h⁻¹, while it was 0.13 ± 0.65 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ based on the infrared method. The numerical weather prediction model’s analysis data estimated −0.01 ± 0.13 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ for the mean growth rate, while using forecast data it was 0.24 ± 0.18 kg m⁻² h⁻¹. MODIS data should be used when available for the estimation of the IWV in other studies. If no satellite data are available, or available data are only from one overpass, ECMWF based IWV can be used. In this case the analysis fields (or the satellite field) should be used for temporal extrapolation but the rate of change should be calculated from the forecast data due to its higher temporal resolution.     

Aerosol observations for climate studies

The SAM II and SAGE satellite systems have provided to date more than 5 years and almost 3 years, respectively, of data on atmospheric aerosol profiles on a near-global scale. Studies with these unique data sets are developing a global aerosol climatology for the first time and have shown the existence and quantification of polar stratospheric clouds (PSC's) and tropical stratospheric cirrus. In addition, a tropospheric cirrus climatology is evolving. Since these two experiments were launched, a series of large volcanic eruptions have occurred which have greatly impacted the stratospheric aerosol loading. The aerosol layer produced by the eruption of El Chichon, for example, increased the 30 mb temperatures in the northern tropics by as much as 4°C for 6 months after the eruption. This paper will describe in detail, from a climate perspective, the evolving aerosol and cloud climatologies as a function of space and time, and show the stratospheric dynamics of volcanic injections and their enhancements on stratospheric optical depth and mass loading.     

后向散射辐射探测大气臭氧总量反演方法的改进

以SBDART模式作为辐射传输计算模式,在各种大气气溶胶存在的情况下利用现有的大气后向散射反演大气臭氧总量的Version7方法,模拟计算得到各种气溶胶存在时的大气臭氧总量,并分析了反演结果误差产生的原因.进一步提出根据斜气柱臭氧总量sΩ0,选择不同连续波长区间测量得到的后向散射强度来对臭氧总量的初估值Ω0进行修正的方法.将得到的结果与Version7的进行比较,证明了新方法的有效性.      

Preliminary calibration results of VEGA 1 and 2 SIGMA-3 gas chromatograph

SIGMA - 3 gas chromatograph on board VEGA 1 and 2 landing probes has been operated successfully in the 60 - 50 km altitude range, providing several in - situ chemical analysis of the gas and the aerosols of Venus cloud layers. Post flight calibration required to derive atmospheric abundancies from gas chromatograms were carried out using the SIGMA - 3 spare model. A Venus atmospheric aerosol simulation chamber was used in which sulfuric acid droplets were generated. Preliminary results of these calibration experiments indicate that the concentration of sulfuric acid in the upper part of the clouds ( 60 to 55 km) is about 1 mg/m³ and suggest that an additional constituant must be present in noticeable amount in the aerosols. From these experiments the mixing ratio upper limits of SO₂ is 100 ppmV and of H₂S and COS is few 10 ppmV.     

太赫兹大气临边探测仪遥感中高层大气风仿真

太赫兹大气临边探测仪(TALIS)是中国正在预研的第一台THz频段的临边探测仪,主要用于高精度、高分辨率的大气遥感测量.TALIS的观测目标主要包括大气温度、大气压强、大气成分(例如H2O,O3,HC1,CIO,N2O,HNO3等)的垂直分布以及长期变化趋势.由于TALIS的频段覆盖了许多重要的吸收谱线,其观测数据中包...     

Contribution of solar UV radiation to the observed ozone variations during the 21st and 22nd solar cycles

A two-dimensional dynamical radiative-photochemical model of the ozonosphere including aerosol physics is used to examine the changes of the Earth's ozone layer occurred during the 21st and 22nd solar cycles. The calculated global total ozone changes in the latitude range 60°S—60°N caused by 11-year variation of solar UV radiation, volcanic eruptions, and anthropogenic atmospheric pollution containing CO₂, CH₄, N₂O and chlorine and bromine species are in a rather good agreement with the observed global ozone trend. The calculations show that the anthropogenic pollution of the atmosphere is a main reason of the ozone depletion observed during the last two solar cycles. However, the 11-year solar UV variation as well as volcanic eruptions of El Chichon and Mt. Pinatubo also gave a significant contribution to the observed global ozone changes.     

Global monitoring of tropospheric water vapor with GPS radio occultation aboard CHAMP

The global positioning system radio occultation (GPS RO) technique provides a powerful tool for atmospheric sounding which requires no calibration, is not affected by clouds, aerosols or precipitation, and provides an almost uniform global coverage. The paper deals with application of GPS RO measurements from CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) for the retrieval of tropospheric water vapor profiles. CHAMP RO data are available since 2001 with up to 200 high resolution atmospheric profiles per day. We introduce a new direct method for water vapor retrieval from GPS RO data. Additionally, a 1Dvar algorithm is used for this purpose. The so derived CHAMP water vapor profiles are validated with radiosonde data on a global scale. Here, both methods come to statistically comparable results revealing a negative bias of less than 0.1 g/kg and a standard deviation of less than 1 g/kg specific humidity in the mid troposphere. Potentials of CHAMP RO retrievals for monitoring the mean tropospheric water vapor distribution on a global scale are presented.