Satellite Sensors
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Common Database
The evaluation of passive imager cloud properties retrievals is part of the CREW. Hereto, a Common Database of cloud retrievals from different algorithms needs to be collected. Below you will find relevant information for uploading your cloud retrievals to the common database that we will use for the CREW (inter)-comparison activity. Note: The selected Golden Days are similar to those selected for CREW-2. Thus, providers that already provided their data for CREW-2, and that do not want to update their datasets or add new ones, do not need to upload their datasets again.
GOLDEN DAYS
We have selected five Golden Days that are listed in Table 1. During several hours of the selected Golden Days the A-Train satellites where aligned with AVHRR on-board NOAA-18. Our evaluation study will focus on these hours. However, we encourage the participants that are providing datasets from SEVIRI and MODIS to upload these datasets for the full day (24 hrs). The study area is restricted to the SEVIRI full disk.
- SEVIRI 15 minutes data of the MSG disk preferably covering the golden days entirely (24hr)
- MODIS swath data covering the MSG disk preferably covering the golden days entirely (24hr)
- AVHRR swath data covering the MSG disk during the hours where NOAA-18 was aligned with the A-Train satellites
- Other instruments (MERIS/POLDER/..)
Table 1: GOLDEN DAYS that have been selected for the (inter)comparison
| Day | Month | Year | Hours with alignment between A-Train and NOAA-18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | June | 2008 | 12:00-15:30 |
| 17 | June | 2008 | 22:15-24:00 |
| 18 | June | 2008 | 00:00-01:45 |
| 22 | June | 2008 | 10:30-12:15 |
| 03 | July | 2008 | 10:00-12:00 |
Note: The datasets can be uploaded to the FTP site of ICARE, which is available for CREW members, see Data_Access.
PRODUCTS
Table 2 lists the cloud parameters that will be part of the (inter)-comparison.
Table 2: cloud physical properties
| acronym | property |
|---|---|
| cm | cloud mask |
| cfr | cloud fraction |
| ctt | cloud top temperature |
| ctp | cloud top pressure |
| cth | cloud top height |
| cod | cloud optical depth |
| ref | effective radius |
| lwp | liquid water path |
| iwp | ice water path |
MSG/SEVIRI
SEVIRI is a 50 cm-diameter aperture, line-by-line scanning radiometer, which provides image
data in four Visible and Near-InfraRed (VNIR) channels and eight InfraRed (IR) channels. A
key feature of this imaging instrument (Fig. 1) is its continuous imaging of the Earth in 12
spectral channels with a baseline repeat cycle of 15 min. The imaging sampling distance is
3 km at the sub-satellite point for standard channels, and down to 1 km for the High
Resolution Visible (HRV) channel. (from www.esa.int)
Data access for the CREW periods here:
./crew/observations/SEVIRI
MODIS
MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a payload scientific instrument launched into Earth orbit by NASA in 1999 on board the Terra (EOS AM) Satellite, and in 2002 on board the Aqua (EOS PM) satellite. The instruments capture data in 36 spectral bands ranging in wavelength from 0.4 µm to 14.4 µm and at varying spatial resolutions (2 bands at 250 m, 5 bands at 500 m and 29 bands at 1 km). Together the instruments image the entire Earth every 1 to 2 days. (from Wikipedia)
Data access for the CREW periods here:
./crew/observations/MODIS
AVHRR
AVHRR instruments measure the reflectance of the Earth in 5 relatively wide (by today's standards) spectral bands. The first two are centered around the red (0.6 micrometer, 0.5 THz) and near-infrared (0.9 micrometer, 0.3 THz) regions, the third one is located around 3.5 micrometer, and the last two sample the thermal radiation emitted by the planet, around 11 and 12 micrometers, respectively. (from Wikipedia).
Data access for the CREW periods here:
./crew/observations/AVHRR
CALIOP
The Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) is the primary instrument on the CALIPSO satellite, which was launched in 2005. CALIOP provides profiles of total backscatter at two wavelengths, from which aerosol and cloud profiles will be derived. The instrument also measures the linear depolarization of the backscattered return, allowing discrimination of cloud phase and the identification of the presence of non-spherical aerosols.
Data access for the CREW periods here:
./crew/observations/CALIOP
CPR
AMSR
Synthetic datasets
Simulated satellites scenes can be used to validate retrieval algorithms with a 'know truth'.
Data access for the CREW periods here:
./crew/observations/SYNTHETIC
