Assessment of Atmospheric and Surface Energy Budgets Using Observation-Based Data Products

Author(s):
Mayer, Michael; Kato, Seiji; Bosilovich, Michael; Bechtold, Peter; Mayer, Johannes; Schröder, Marc; Behrangi, Ali; Wild, Martin; Kobayashi, Shinya; Li, Zhujun; L’Ecuyer, Tristan
Publication title: Surveys in Geophysics
2024
 | Volume: 45 | Issue: 6
2024
DOI: 10.1007/s10712-024-09827-x
Abstract:
Accurate diagnosis of regional atmospheric and surface energy budgets is critical for understanding the spatial distribution of heat uptake associated… Accurate diagnosis of regional atmospheric and surface energy budgets is critical for understanding the spatial distribution of heat uptake associated with the Earth’s energy imbalance (EEI). This contribution discusses frameworks and methods for consistent evaluation of key quantities of those budgets using observationally constrained data sets. It thereby touches upon assumptions made in data products which have implications for these evaluations. We evaluate 2001–2020 average regional total (TE) and dry static energy (DSE) budgets using satellite-based and reanalysis data. For the first time, a consistent framework is applied to the ensemble of the 5th generation European Reanalysis (ERA5), version 2 of modern-era retrospective analysis for research and applications (MERRA-2), and the Japanese 55-year Reanalysis (JRA55). Uncertainties of the computed budgets are assessed through inter-product spread and evaluation of physical constraints. Furthermore, we use the TE budget to infer fields of net surface energy flux. Results indicate biases  more
Application Atmosphere CM-SAF Climate Data Records Validation

Assessment of 24 soil moisture datasets using a new in situ network in the Shandian River Basin of China

Author(s):
Zheng, Jingyao; Zhao, Tianjie; Lü, Haishen; Shi, Jiancheng; Cosh, Michael H.; Ji, Dabin; Jiang, Lingmei; Cui, Qian; Lu, Hui; Yang, Kun; Wigneron, Jean-Pierre; Li, Xiaojun; Zhu, Yonghua; Hu, Lu; Peng, Zhiqing; Zeng, Yelong; Wang, Xiaoyi; Kang, Chuen Siang
Publication title: Remote Sensing of Environment
2022
 | Volume: 271
2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2022.112891
Climate Data Records H-SAF Land Validation

Assessment of H SAF satellite snow products in hydrological applications over the Upper Euphrates Basin

Author(s):
Şensoy, Aynur; Uysal, Gökçen; Şorman, A. Arda
Publication title: Theoretical and Applied Climatology
2023
 | Volume: 151 | Issue: 1
2023
DOI: 10.1007/s00704-022-04292-1
Abstract:
Satellite technology offers alternative products for hydrological applications; however, products should be validated with benchmark models and/or dat… Satellite technology offers alternative products for hydrological applications; however, products should be validated with benchmark models and/or data sets for operational purposes. This study assesses the performance of the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H SAF) snow products of snow detection, SE-E-SEVIRI(H10), and snow water equivalent, SWE-E(H13), data sets over a mountainous catchment in the Upper Euphrates, Turkey. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow extent is used as a benchmark. Two different conceptual hydrological models are employed to obtain reliable results over the period 2008–2020. First, the spatio-temporal assessment of satellite-derived snow cover area (SCA) data is evaluated, followed by the calibration/validation of hydrological models, SRM and HBV, for impact analysis and hydro-validation of satellite snow products, respectively. SRM, demanding SCA as one of the primary forcings, reveals high Kling Gupta Efficiency, KGE, (0.75–0.89) in the impact analysis of satellite data. In hydro-validation analysis, noteworthy Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency, NSE (0.89–0.92), values are obtained for SCA derived by SE-E-SEVIRI(H10) and MODIS as compared to simulated HBV model results. SWE-E(H13) product is also valuable since snow water equivalent (SWE) values are rarely available for mountainous areas. However, this product seems to need further attention. Overall results show the degree of applicability and usefulness of H SAF snow data in hydrological applications; thus, the strong need to disseminate the products is highlighted. more
Climate Data Records Cryosphere H-SAF Validation

Assessment of new satellite missions within the framework of numerical weather prediction

Author(s):
Newman, S.; Carminati, F.; Lawrence, H.; Bormann, N.; Salonen, K.; Bell, W.
Publication title: Remote Sensing
2020
 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 10
2020
DOI: 10.3390/rs12101580
Abstract:
Confidence in the use of Earth observations for monitoring essential climate variables (ECVs) relies on the validation of satellite calibration accura… Confidence in the use of Earth observations for monitoring essential climate variables (ECVs) relies on the validation of satellite calibration accuracy to within a well-defined uncertainty. The gap analysis for integrated atmospheric ECV climate monitoring (GAIA-CLIM) project investigated the calibration/validation of satellite data sets using non-satellite reference data. Here, we explore the role of numerical weather prediction (NWP) frameworks for the assessment of several meteorological satellite sensors: the advanced microwave scanning radiometer 2 (AMSR2), microwave humidity sounder-2 (MWHS-2), microwave radiation imager (MWRI), and global precipitation measurement (GPM) microwave imager (GMI). We find departures (observation-model differences) are sensitive to instrument calibration artefacts. Uncertainty in surface emission is identified as a key gap in our ability to validate microwave imagers quantitatively in NWP. The prospects for NWP-based validation of future instruments are considered, taking as examples the microwave sounder (MWS) and infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer-next generation (IASI-NG) on the next generation of European polar-orbiting satellites. Through comparisons with reference radiosondes, uncertainties in NWP fields can be estimated in terms of equivalent top-of-atmosphere brightness temperature. We find NWP-sonde differences are consistent with a total combined uncertainty of 0.15 K for selected temperature sounding channels, while uncertainties for humidity sounding channels typically exceed 1 K. © 2020 by the authors. more
Atmosphere Method NWP-SAF Software for CDR development Validation

Assessment of NOAA NUCAPS upper air temperature profiles using COSMIC GPS radio occultation and ARM radiosondes

Author(s):
Feltz, M. L.; Borg, L.; Knuteson, R. O.; Tobin, D.; Revercomb, H.; Gambacorta, A.
Publication title: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
2017
 | Volume: 122 | Issue: 17
2017
DOI: 10.1002/2017JD026504
Abstract:
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently began operational processing to derive vertical temperature profiles from two… The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently began operational processing to derive vertical temperature profiles from two new sensors, Cross-Track Infrared Sounder and Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder, which were developed for the next generation of U.S. weather satellites. The NOAA-Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) has been developed by NOAA to routinely process data from future Joint Polar Satellite System operational satellites and the preparatory Suomi-NPP satellite. This paper assesses the NUCAPS vertical temperature profile product from the upper troposphere into the middle stratosphere using radiosonde and GPS radio occultation (RO) data. Radiosonde data from the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program are=] compared to both the NUCAPS and GPS RO temperature products to evaluate bias and RMS errors. At all three fixed ARM sites for time periods investigated the NUCAPS temperature in the 100–40 hPa range is found to have an average bias to the radiosondes of less than 0.45 K and an RMS error of less than 1 K when temperature averaging kernels are applied. At a 95% confidence level, the radiosondes and RO were found to agree within 0.4 K at the North Slope of Alaska site and within 0.83 K at Southern Great Plains and Tropical Western Pacific. The GPS RO-derived dry temperatures, obtained from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) mission, are used as a common reference for the intercomparison of NUCAPS temperature products to similar products produced by NASA from Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and by European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites from MetOp-B Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI). For seasonal and zonal scales, the NUCAPS agreement with AIRS and IASI is less than 0.5 K after application of averaging kernels. more
Climate Data Records EUM-Secr Validation

Assessment of isoprene and near-surface ozone sensitivities to water stress over the Euro-Mediterranean region

Author(s):
Strada, S.; Pozzer, A.; Giuliani, G.; Coppola, E.; Solmon, F.; Jiang, X.; Guenther, A.; Bourtsoukidis, E.; Serça, D.; Williams, J.; Giorgi, F.
Publication title: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
2023
 | Volume: 23 | Issue: 20
2023
DOI: 10.5194/acp-23-13301-2023
Abstract:
Plants emit biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in response to changes in environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, radiation, soil moisture… Plants emit biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in response to changes in environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, radiation, soil moisture). In the large family of BVOCs, isoprene is by far the strongest emitted compound and plays an important role in ozone chemistry, thus affecting both air quality and climate. In turn, climate change may alter isoprene emissions by increasing temperature as well as the occurrence and intensity of severe water stresses that alter plant functioning. The Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) provides different parameterizations to account for the impact of water stress on isoprene emissions, which essentially reduces emissions in response to the effect of soil moisture deficit on plant productivity. By applying the regional climate-chemistry model RegCM4chem coupled to the Community Land Model CLM4.5 and MEGAN2.1, we thus performed sensitivity simulations to assess the effects of water stress on isoprene emissions and near-surface ozone levels over the Euro-Mediterranean region and across the drier and wetter summers over the 1992-2016 period using two different parameterizations of the impact of water stress implemented in the MEGAN model. Over the Euro-Mediterranean region and across the simulated summers, water stress reduces isoprene emissions on average by nearly 6 %. However, during the warmest and driest selected summers (e.g. 2003, 2010, 2015) and over large isoprene-source areas (e.g. the Balkans), decreases in isoprene emissions range from -20 % to -60 % and co-occur with negative anomalies in precipitation, soil moisture and plant productivity. Sustained decreases in isoprene emissions also occur after prolonged or repeated dry anomalies, as observed for the summers of 2010 and 2012. Although the decrease in isoprene emissions due to water stress may be important, it only reduces near-surface ozone levels by a few percent due to a dominant VOC-limited regime over southern Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. Overall, over the selected analysis region, compared to the old MEGAN parameterization, the new one leads to localized and 25 %-50 % smaller decreases in isoprene emissions and 3 %-8 % smaller reductions in near-surface ozone levels. © 2023 Copernicus GmbH. All rights reserved. more
Application Atmosphere CM-SAF Climate Data Records

Assessment of the EUMETSAT Multi Decadal Land Surface Albedo Data Record from Meteosat Observations

Author(s):
Lattanzio, Alessio; Grant, Michael; Doutriaux-Boucher, Marie; Roebeling, Rob; Schulz, Jörg
Publication title: Remote Sensing
2021
 | Volume: 13 | Issue: 10
2021
DOI: 10.3390/rs13101992
Abstract:
Surface albedo, defined as the ratio of the surface-reflected irradiance to the incident irradiance, is one of the parameters driving the Earth energy… Surface albedo, defined as the ratio of the surface-reflected irradiance to the incident irradiance, is one of the parameters driving the Earth energy budget and it is for this reason an essential variable in climate studies. Instruments on geostationary satellites provide suitable observations allowing long-term monitoring of surface albedo from space. In 2012, EUMETSAT published Release 1 of the Meteosat Surface Albedo (MSA) data record. The main limitation effecting the quality of this release was non-removed clouds by the incorporated cloud screening procedure that caused too high albedo values, in particular for regions with permanent cloud coverage. For the generation of Release 2, the MSA algorithm has been replaced with the Geostationary Surface Albedo (GSA) one, able to process imagery from any geostationary imager. The GSA algorithm exploits a new, improved, cloud mask allowing better cloud screening, and thus fixing the major limitation of Release 1. Furthermore, the data record has an extended temporal and spatial coverage compared to the previous release. Both Black-Sky Albedo (BSA) and White-Sky Albedo (WSA) are estimated, together with their associated uncertainties. A direct comparison between Release 1 and Release 2 clearly shows that the quality of the retrieval improved significantly with the new cloud mask. For Release 2 the decadal trend is less than 1% over stable desert sites. The validation against Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI) surface albedo shows a good agreement for bright desert sites and a slightly worse agreement for urban and rain forest locations. In conclusion, compared with MSA Release 1, GSA Release 2 provides the users with a significantly more longer time range, reliable and robust surface albedo data record. more
Climate Data Records EUM-Secr Land Validation

Assessment of the Pan-Arctic Accelerated Rate of Sea Ice Decline in CMIP6 Historical Simulations

Author(s):
Lee, Y.J.; Watts, M.; Maslowski, W.; Kinney, J.C.; Osinski, R.
Publication title: Journal of Climate
2023
 | Volume: 36 | Issue: 17
2023
DOI: 10.1175/JCLI-D-21-0539.1
Abstract:
Arctic sea ice loss in response to a warming climate is assessed in 42 models participating in phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (C… Arctic sea ice loss in response to a warming climate is assessed in 42 models participating in phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). Sea ice observations show a significant acceleration in the rate of decline commencing near the turn of the twenty-first century. It is our assertion that state-of-the-art climate models should qualitatively reflect this accelerated trend within the limitations of internal variability and observational uncertainty. Our analysis shows that individual CMIP6 simulations of sea ice depict a wide range of model spread on biases and anomaly trends both across models and among their ensemble members. While the CMIP6 multimodel mean captures the observed sea ice area (SIA) decline relatively well, an individual model’s ability to represent the acceleration in sea ice decline remains a challenge. Seventeen (40%) out of 42 CMIP6 models and 37 (13%) out of the total 286 ensemble members reasonably capture the observed trends and acceleration in SIA decline. In addition, a larger ensemble size appears to increase the odds for a model to include at least one ensemble member skillfully representing the accelerated SIA trends. Simulations of sea ice volume (SIV) show much larger spread and uncertainty than SIA; however, due to limited availability of sea ice thickness data, these are not as well constrained by observations. Finally, we find that models with more ocean heat transport simulate larger sea ice declines, which suggests an emergent constraint in CMIP6 ensembles. This relationship points to the need for better understanding and modeling of ice–ocean interactions, especially with respect to frazil ice growth. © 2023 American Meteorological Society. All rights reserved. more
Application Climate Data Records Cryosphere OSI-SAF Ocean
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