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UTLS - Science - Satellite Anaylis

Satellite Analysis

Data analyses in the UT/LS region

Several ongoing projects use satellite data to provide a global picture and context for more detailed balloon and in-situ aircraft observations. Satellite data are the crucial global complement to global modeling efforts, which are necessary for advancing our forecast skill for climate and atmospheric chemistry.

NCAR groups from several divisions are working with different sets of satellite data in the UTLS. These data sets include both temperature and chemical species from a variety of platforms. We can highlight only a few of the efforts here.

High resolution temperature measurements from GPS radio occultation are being used to provide a new understanding of the climatology and variability of the tropical tropopause region (Bill Randel: Using GPS data to study the global tropopause; The extratropical tropopause inversion layer observed with GPS data), and the stratospheric circulation. NCAR and UCAR, with Taiwan are playing a big role in also launching the COSMIC constellation of GPS satellites called in the next few years, and these efforts are a complement to NCAR's role in this project.

NCAR is also playing an important part in analyzing temperature, water vapor and cloud fields from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the AQUA mission. Satellite data compares well to the aircraft data. AIRS provides unprecedented resolution in this region of the atmosphere. AIRS is just one instrument in a suite of instruments on the Aqua mission that sample the UTLS. MODIS measures cloud information at high spatial resolution, and CERES measures radiative fluxes. NCAR scientists will also play a leading role in helping to analyze observations from the Aura satellite, launched in July 2004. NCAR is one of the lead institutions on the HIRDLS Instrument (NASA HIRDLS web ) on Aura. We will also plan on using data from subsequent satellites for sensing cirrus clouds (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations - CALIPSO), precipitation (CLOUDSAT) and aerosols (POLarization & Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances - POLDER) to be launched into the same orbit as Aqua and Aura. UTLS satellite analyses are tightly coupled to efforts in other areas. Satellite observations are used to extend field campaign data, as well as employing data from aircraft to validate satellites. In addition, satellite analyses are linked to global modeling efforts, providing validation for global models.		AIRS analyzes temperature, water vapor & cloud fields from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder


		MODIS measures cloud information at high spatial resolution


		CERES measures radiative fluxes