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F. Martin Ralph - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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An Intercomparison between Reanalysis and Dropsonde Observations of the Total Water Vapor Transport in Individual Atmospheric Rivers
Journal of Hydrometeorology, 2018Co-Authors: Bin Guan, D. E. Waliser, F. Martin RalphAbstract:AbstractA recent study presented nearly two decades of airborne atmospheric river (AR) observations and concluded that, on average, an individual AR transports ~5 × 108 kg s−1 of water vapor. The study here compares those cases to ARs independently identified in reanalyses based on a refined algorithm that can detect less well-structured ARs, with the dual-purpose of validating reanalysis ARs against observations and evaluating dropsonde representativeness relative to reanalyses. The first comparison is based on 21 dropsonde-observed ARs in the northeastern Pacific and those closely matched, but not required to be exactly collocated, in ERA-Interim (MERRA-2), which indicates a mean error of −2% (−8%) in AR width and +3% (−1%) in total integrated water vapor transport (TIVT) and supports the effectiveness of the AR detection algorithm applied to the reanalyses. The second comparison is between the 21 dropsonde ARs and ~6000 ARs detected in ERA-Interim (MERRA-2) over the same domain, which indicates a mean ...
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Dropsonde Observations in Low-Level Jets over the Northeastern Pacific Ocean from CALJET-1998 and PACJET-2001: Mean Vertical-Profile and Atmospheric-River Characteristics
Monthly Weather Review, 2005Co-Authors: F. Martin Ralph, Paul J. Neiman, Richard RotunnoAbstract:Abstract Dropsonde observations are used to document the mean vertical profiles of kinematic and thermodynamic conditions in the pre-cold-frontal low-level-jet (LLJ) region of extratropical cyclones over the eastern Pacific Ocean. This is the region within storms that is responsible not only for the majority of heavy rainfall induced by orography when such storms strike the coast, but also for almost all meridional water vapor transport at midlatitudes. The data were collected from NOAA’s P-3 aircraft in 10 storms during the California Land-falling Jets Experiment (CALJET) of 1998 and in 7 storms during the Pacific Land-falling Jets Experiment (PACJET) of 2001. The mean position of the Dropsondes was 500 km offshore, well upstream of orographic influences. The availability of data from two winters that were characterized by very different synoptic regimes and by differing phases of ENSO—that is, El Nino in 1998 and La Nina in 2001—allowed examination of interannual variability. The composite pre-cold-fron...
Junhong Wang - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Identification and intercomparison of surface‐based inversions over Antarctica from IASI, ERA‐Interim, and Concordiasi dropsonde data
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2016Co-Authors: Patrick Boylan, Junhong Wang, Stephen A Cohn, Tim Hultberg, Thomas AugustAbstract:Surface based temperature inversions (SBIs) occur frequently over Antarctica and play an important role in climate and weather. Antarctic SBIs are examined during Austral spring, 2010 using measurements from Dropsondes, ERA-Interim Atmospheric Reanalysis Model, and the recently released version 6 of the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) level 2 product. A SBI detection algorithm is applied to temperature profiles from these datasets. The results will be used to determine if satellite and reanalysis products can accurately characterize SBIs and if so, then they may be used to study SBIs outside of the spring 2010 study period. From the dropsonde data, SBIs occurred in 20% of profiles over sea ice and 54% of profiles over land. IASI and ERA-Interim surface air temperatures are found to be significantly warmer than dropsonde observations at high plateau regions, while IASI surface air temperature is colder over sea ice. IASI and ERA-Interim have a cold bias at nearly all levels above the surface when compared to the dropsonde. SBIs are characterized by their frequency, depth, and intensity. It is found that SBIs are more prevalent, deeper, and more intense over the continent than over sea ice, especially at higher surface elevations. Using IASI and ERA-Interim data the detection algorithm has a high probability of detection of SBIs but is found to severely overestimate the depth and underestimate the intensity for both data sets. These over- and underestimations are primarily due to the existence of extremely shallow inversion layers that neither satellite nor reanalysis products can resolve.
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A Long-Term, High-Quality, High-Vertical-Resolution GPS Dropsonde Dataset for Hurricane and Other Studies
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 2015Co-Authors: Junhong Wang, Kate Young, Terry Hock, Dean Lauritsen, Dalton Behringer, Michael L. Black, Peter G. Black, James L. Franklin, Jeff Halverson, John MolinariAbstract:AbstractA GPS dropsonde is a scientific instrument deployed from research and operational aircraft that descends through the atmosphere by a parachute. The dropsonde provides high-quality, high-vertical-resolution profiles of atmospheric pressure, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and direction from the aircraft flight level to the surface over oceans and remote areas. Since 1996, GPS Dropsondes have been routinely dropped during hurricane reconnaissance and surveillance flights to help predict hurricane track and intensity. From 1996 to 2012, NOAA has dropped 13,681 Dropsondes inside hurricane eye walls or in the surrounding environment for 120 tropical cyclones (TCs). All NOAA dropsonde data have been collected, reformatted to one format, and consistently and carefully quality controlled using state-of-the-art quality-control (QC) tools. Three value-added products, the vertical air velocity and the radius and azimuth angle of each dropsonde location, are generated and added to the dataset. As ...
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validation of airs version 6 temperature profiles and surface based inversions over antarctica using concordiasi dropsonde data
Journal of Geophysical Research, 2015Co-Authors: Patrick Boylan, Junhong Wang, Stephen A Cohn, Eric J Fetzer, Eric Maddy, Sun WongAbstract:During the 2010 Concordiasi field experiment, 635 Dropsondes were released from the lower stratosphere providing in situ atmospheric profiles from the release height (~60 hPa) to the surface over Antarctica. They provide a unique data set of high vertical resolution temperature profiles over the entire Antarctic continent and surrounding ocean. This study uses temperature profiles and derived surface-based inversion (SBI) properties from the sonde data set to evaluate Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) versions 5 (v5) and 6 (v6) temperature profiles. A total of 1486 matched pairs of profiles are available for analysis. The AIRS averaging kernel, representing the AIRS measurement sensitivity, is applied to the dropsonde profiles. The AIRS data are compared to kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles and found, on average, to have a small cold bias (~0.5°C) (for v6) in the troposphere. AIRS v6 is improved over v5 with both profile-averaged bias and root-mean-square errors reduced by over 25%. Compared to the kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles, AIRS v6 accurately detects the existence of SBIs in 79% of the profiles and agrees on the inversion depth 79% of the time. AIRS correctly identifies SBIs in 59% of cases when compared to the full-resolution sonde. AIRS systematically underestimates the SBI intensity. This is due to warmer reported AIRS surface air temperatures (Ta) than Ta measured with the dropsonde. Replacement of AIRS Ta with that measured by the dropsonde improves the agreement in both SBI detection and intensity. If AIRS Ta could be improved, AIRS has the potential to be a stand-alone SBI detection tool over Antarctica.
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Validation of AIRS version 6 temperature profiles and surface‐based inversions over Antarctica using Concordiasi dropsonde data
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2015Co-Authors: Patrick Boylan, Junhong Wang, Stephen A Cohn, Eric J Fetzer, Eric Maddy, Sun WongAbstract:During the 2010 Concordiasi field experiment, 635 Dropsondes were released from the lower stratosphere providing in situ atmospheric profiles from the release height (~60 hPa) to the surface over Antarctica. They provide a unique data set of high vertical resolution temperature profiles over the entire Antarctic continent and surrounding ocean. This study uses temperature profiles and derived surface-based inversion (SBI) properties from the sonde data set to evaluate Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) versions 5 (v5) and 6 (v6) temperature profiles. A total of 1486 matched pairs of profiles are available for analysis. The AIRS averaging kernel, representing the AIRS measurement sensitivity, is applied to the dropsonde profiles. The AIRS data are compared to kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles and found, on average, to have a small cold bias (~0.5°C) (for v6) in the troposphere. AIRS v6 is improved over v5 with both profile-averaged bias and root-mean-square errors reduced by over 25%. Compared to the kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles, AIRS v6 accurately detects the existence of SBIs in 79% of the profiles and agrees on the inversion depth 79% of the time. AIRS correctly identifies SBIs in 59% of cases when compared to the full-resolution sonde. AIRS systematically underestimates the SBI intensity. This is due to warmer reported AIRS surface air temperatures (Ta) than Ta measured with the dropsonde. Replacement of AIRS Ta with that measured by the dropsonde improves the agreement in both SBI detection and intensity. If AIRS Ta could be improved, AIRS has the potential to be a stand-alone SBI detection tool over Antarctica.
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Global Hawk dropsonde observations of the Arctic atmosphere obtained during the Winter Storms and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers (WISPAR) field campaign
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 2014Co-Authors: Janet M. Intrieri, Junhong Wang, Terry Hock, G. De Boer, Matthew D. Shupe, J. R. Spackman, Paul J. Neiman, Gary A. Wick, R. E. HoodAbstract:Abstract. In February and March of 2011, the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was deployed over the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic during the Winter Storms and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers (WISPAR) field campaign. The WISPAR science missions were designed to (1) mprove our understanding of Pacific weather systems and the polar atmosphere; (2) evaluate operational use of unmanned aircraft for investigating these atmospheric events; and (3) demonstrate operational and research applications of a UAS dropsonde system at high latitudes. Dropsondes deployed from the Global Hawk successfully obtained high-resolution profiles of temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind information between the stratosphere and surface. The 35 m wingspan Global Hawk, which can soar for ~ 31 h at altitudes up to ~ 20 km, was remotely operated from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California. During the 25 h polar flight on 9–10 March 2011, the Global Hawk released 35 sondes between the North Slope of Alaska and 85° N latitude, marking the first UAS Arctic dropsonde mission of its kind. The polar flight transected an unusually cold polar vortex, notable for an associated record-level Arctic ozone loss, and documented polar boundary layer variations over a sizable ocean–ice lead feature. Comparison of dropsonde observations with atmospheric reanalyses reveal that, for this day, large-scale structures such as the polar vortex and air masses are captured by the reanalyses, while smaller-scale features, including low-level jets and inversion depths, are mischaracterized. The successful Arctic dropsonde deployment demonstrates the capability of the Global Hawk to conduct operations in harsh, remote regions. The limited comparison with other measurements and reanalyses highlights the potential value of Arctic atmospheric dropsonde observations where routine in situ measurements are practically nonexistent.
Paul J. Neiman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The NCAR–NOAA Global Hawk Dropsonde System
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 2018Co-Authors: Gary A. Wick, Michael L. Black, Holger Vömel, Paul J. Neiman, Terrence F. Hock, J. Ryan SpackmanAbstract:AbstractA new remotely controlled Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) dropsonde system has been developed for and deployed on the NASA Global Hawk (GH) unmanned aircraft. Design,...
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Dropsonde Observations of Total Integrated Water Vapor Transport within North Pacific Atmospheric Rivers
Journal of Hydrometeorology, 2017Co-Authors: F. M. Ralph, J. R. Spackman, Paul J. Neiman, Gary A. Wick, Sam F. Iacobellis, Jason M. Cordeira, D. E. Waliser, Allen B. White, Christopher W. FairallAbstract:AbstractAircraft dropsonde observations provide the most comprehensive measurements to date of horizontal water vapor transport in atmospheric rivers (ARs). The CalWater experiment recently more than tripled the number of ARs probed with the required measurements. This study uses vertical profiles of water vapor, wind, and pressure obtained from 304 Dropsondes across 21 ARs. On average, total water vapor transport (TIVT) in an AR was 4.7 × 108 ± 2 × 108 kg s−1. This magnitude is 2.6 times larger than the average discharge of liquid water from the Amazon River. The mean AR width was 890 ± 270 km. Subtropical ARs contained larger integrated water vapor (IWV) but weaker winds than midlatitude ARs, although average TIVTs were nearly the same. Mean TIVTs calculated by defining the lateral “edges” of ARs using an IVT threshold versus an IWV threshold produced results that differed by less than 10% across all cases, but did vary between the midlatitudes and subtropical regions.
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Global Hawk dropsonde observations of the Arctic atmosphere obtained during the Winter Storms and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers (WISPAR) field campaign
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 2014Co-Authors: Janet M. Intrieri, Junhong Wang, Terry Hock, G. De Boer, Matthew D. Shupe, J. R. Spackman, Paul J. Neiman, Gary A. Wick, R. E. HoodAbstract:Abstract. In February and March of 2011, the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was deployed over the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic during the Winter Storms and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers (WISPAR) field campaign. The WISPAR science missions were designed to (1) mprove our understanding of Pacific weather systems and the polar atmosphere; (2) evaluate operational use of unmanned aircraft for investigating these atmospheric events; and (3) demonstrate operational and research applications of a UAS dropsonde system at high latitudes. Dropsondes deployed from the Global Hawk successfully obtained high-resolution profiles of temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind information between the stratosphere and surface. The 35 m wingspan Global Hawk, which can soar for ~ 31 h at altitudes up to ~ 20 km, was remotely operated from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California. During the 25 h polar flight on 9–10 March 2011, the Global Hawk released 35 sondes between the North Slope of Alaska and 85° N latitude, marking the first UAS Arctic dropsonde mission of its kind. The polar flight transected an unusually cold polar vortex, notable for an associated record-level Arctic ozone loss, and documented polar boundary layer variations over a sizable ocean–ice lead feature. Comparison of dropsonde observations with atmospheric reanalyses reveal that, for this day, large-scale structures such as the polar vortex and air masses are captured by the reanalyses, while smaller-scale features, including low-level jets and inversion depths, are mischaracterized. The successful Arctic dropsonde deployment demonstrates the capability of the Global Hawk to conduct operations in harsh, remote regions. The limited comparison with other measurements and reanalyses highlights the potential value of Arctic atmospheric dropsonde observations where routine in situ measurements are practically nonexistent.
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Global Hawk dropsonde observations of the Arctic atmosphere during the Winter Storms and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers (WISPAR) field campaign
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 2014Co-Authors: Janet M. Intrieri, G. De Boer, Matthew D. Shupe, J. R. Spackman, Paul J. Neiman, Gary A. Wick, J. Wang, T. F. Hock, R. E. HoodAbstract:Abstract. In February and March of 2011, the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was deployed over the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic during the WISPAR field campaign. The WISPAR science missions were designed to: (1) improve our understanding of Pacific weather systems and the polar atmosphere; (2) evaluate operational use of unmanned aircraft for investigating these atmospheric events; and (3) demonstrate operational and research applications of a UAS dropsonde system at high latitudes. Dropsondes deployed from the Global Hawk successfully obtained high-resolution profiles of temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind information between the stratosphere and surface. The 35 m wingspan Global Hawk, which can soar for ~ 31 h at altitudes up to ~ 20 km, was remotely operated from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB in California. During the 25 h polar flight on 9–10 March 2011, the Global Hawk released 35 sondes between the North Slope of Alaska and 85° N latitude marking the first UAS Arctic dropsonde mission of its kind. The polar flight transected an unusually cold polar vortex, notable for an associated record-level Arctic ozone loss, and documented polar boundary layer variations over a sizable ocean-ice lead feature. Comparison of dropsonde observations with atmospheric reanalyses reveal that for this day, large-scale structures such as the polar vortex and air masses are captured by the reanalyses, while smaller-scale features, including low-level jets and inversion depths, are mischaracterized. The successful Arctic dropsonde deployment demonstrates the capability of the Global Hawk to conduct operations in harsh, remote regions. The limited comparison with other measurements and reanalyses highlights the value of Arctic atmospheric dropsonde observations where routine in situ measurements are practically non-existent.
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Dropsonde Observations in Low-Level Jets over the Northeastern Pacific Ocean from CALJET-1998 and PACJET-2001: Mean Vertical-Profile and Atmospheric-River Characteristics
Monthly Weather Review, 2005Co-Authors: F. Martin Ralph, Paul J. Neiman, Richard RotunnoAbstract:Abstract Dropsonde observations are used to document the mean vertical profiles of kinematic and thermodynamic conditions in the pre-cold-frontal low-level-jet (LLJ) region of extratropical cyclones over the eastern Pacific Ocean. This is the region within storms that is responsible not only for the majority of heavy rainfall induced by orography when such storms strike the coast, but also for almost all meridional water vapor transport at midlatitudes. The data were collected from NOAA’s P-3 aircraft in 10 storms during the California Land-falling Jets Experiment (CALJET) of 1998 and in 7 storms during the Pacific Land-falling Jets Experiment (PACJET) of 2001. The mean position of the Dropsondes was 500 km offshore, well upstream of orographic influences. The availability of data from two winters that were characterized by very different synoptic regimes and by differing phases of ENSO—that is, El Nino in 1998 and La Nina in 2001—allowed examination of interannual variability. The composite pre-cold-fron...
Sun Wong - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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validation of airs version 6 temperature profiles and surface based inversions over antarctica using concordiasi dropsonde data
Journal of Geophysical Research, 2015Co-Authors: Patrick Boylan, Junhong Wang, Stephen A Cohn, Eric J Fetzer, Eric Maddy, Sun WongAbstract:During the 2010 Concordiasi field experiment, 635 Dropsondes were released from the lower stratosphere providing in situ atmospheric profiles from the release height (~60 hPa) to the surface over Antarctica. They provide a unique data set of high vertical resolution temperature profiles over the entire Antarctic continent and surrounding ocean. This study uses temperature profiles and derived surface-based inversion (SBI) properties from the sonde data set to evaluate Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) versions 5 (v5) and 6 (v6) temperature profiles. A total of 1486 matched pairs of profiles are available for analysis. The AIRS averaging kernel, representing the AIRS measurement sensitivity, is applied to the dropsonde profiles. The AIRS data are compared to kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles and found, on average, to have a small cold bias (~0.5°C) (for v6) in the troposphere. AIRS v6 is improved over v5 with both profile-averaged bias and root-mean-square errors reduced by over 25%. Compared to the kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles, AIRS v6 accurately detects the existence of SBIs in 79% of the profiles and agrees on the inversion depth 79% of the time. AIRS correctly identifies SBIs in 59% of cases when compared to the full-resolution sonde. AIRS systematically underestimates the SBI intensity. This is due to warmer reported AIRS surface air temperatures (Ta) than Ta measured with the dropsonde. Replacement of AIRS Ta with that measured by the dropsonde improves the agreement in both SBI detection and intensity. If AIRS Ta could be improved, AIRS has the potential to be a stand-alone SBI detection tool over Antarctica.
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Validation of AIRS version 6 temperature profiles and surface‐based inversions over Antarctica using Concordiasi dropsonde data
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2015Co-Authors: Patrick Boylan, Junhong Wang, Stephen A Cohn, Eric J Fetzer, Eric Maddy, Sun WongAbstract:During the 2010 Concordiasi field experiment, 635 Dropsondes were released from the lower stratosphere providing in situ atmospheric profiles from the release height (~60 hPa) to the surface over Antarctica. They provide a unique data set of high vertical resolution temperature profiles over the entire Antarctic continent and surrounding ocean. This study uses temperature profiles and derived surface-based inversion (SBI) properties from the sonde data set to evaluate Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) versions 5 (v5) and 6 (v6) temperature profiles. A total of 1486 matched pairs of profiles are available for analysis. The AIRS averaging kernel, representing the AIRS measurement sensitivity, is applied to the dropsonde profiles. The AIRS data are compared to kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles and found, on average, to have a small cold bias (~0.5°C) (for v6) in the troposphere. AIRS v6 is improved over v5 with both profile-averaged bias and root-mean-square errors reduced by over 25%. Compared to the kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles, AIRS v6 accurately detects the existence of SBIs in 79% of the profiles and agrees on the inversion depth 79% of the time. AIRS correctly identifies SBIs in 59% of cases when compared to the full-resolution sonde. AIRS systematically underestimates the SBI intensity. This is due to warmer reported AIRS surface air temperatures (Ta) than Ta measured with the dropsonde. Replacement of AIRS Ta with that measured by the dropsonde improves the agreement in both SBI detection and intensity. If AIRS Ta could be improved, AIRS has the potential to be a stand-alone SBI detection tool over Antarctica.
Patrick Boylan - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Identification and intercomparison of surface‐based inversions over Antarctica from IASI, ERA‐Interim, and Concordiasi dropsonde data
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2016Co-Authors: Patrick Boylan, Junhong Wang, Stephen A Cohn, Tim Hultberg, Thomas AugustAbstract:Surface based temperature inversions (SBIs) occur frequently over Antarctica and play an important role in climate and weather. Antarctic SBIs are examined during Austral spring, 2010 using measurements from Dropsondes, ERA-Interim Atmospheric Reanalysis Model, and the recently released version 6 of the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) level 2 product. A SBI detection algorithm is applied to temperature profiles from these datasets. The results will be used to determine if satellite and reanalysis products can accurately characterize SBIs and if so, then they may be used to study SBIs outside of the spring 2010 study period. From the dropsonde data, SBIs occurred in 20% of profiles over sea ice and 54% of profiles over land. IASI and ERA-Interim surface air temperatures are found to be significantly warmer than dropsonde observations at high plateau regions, while IASI surface air temperature is colder over sea ice. IASI and ERA-Interim have a cold bias at nearly all levels above the surface when compared to the dropsonde. SBIs are characterized by their frequency, depth, and intensity. It is found that SBIs are more prevalent, deeper, and more intense over the continent than over sea ice, especially at higher surface elevations. Using IASI and ERA-Interim data the detection algorithm has a high probability of detection of SBIs but is found to severely overestimate the depth and underestimate the intensity for both data sets. These over- and underestimations are primarily due to the existence of extremely shallow inversion layers that neither satellite nor reanalysis products can resolve.
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validation of airs version 6 temperature profiles and surface based inversions over antarctica using concordiasi dropsonde data
Journal of Geophysical Research, 2015Co-Authors: Patrick Boylan, Junhong Wang, Stephen A Cohn, Eric J Fetzer, Eric Maddy, Sun WongAbstract:During the 2010 Concordiasi field experiment, 635 Dropsondes were released from the lower stratosphere providing in situ atmospheric profiles from the release height (~60 hPa) to the surface over Antarctica. They provide a unique data set of high vertical resolution temperature profiles over the entire Antarctic continent and surrounding ocean. This study uses temperature profiles and derived surface-based inversion (SBI) properties from the sonde data set to evaluate Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) versions 5 (v5) and 6 (v6) temperature profiles. A total of 1486 matched pairs of profiles are available for analysis. The AIRS averaging kernel, representing the AIRS measurement sensitivity, is applied to the dropsonde profiles. The AIRS data are compared to kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles and found, on average, to have a small cold bias (~0.5°C) (for v6) in the troposphere. AIRS v6 is improved over v5 with both profile-averaged bias and root-mean-square errors reduced by over 25%. Compared to the kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles, AIRS v6 accurately detects the existence of SBIs in 79% of the profiles and agrees on the inversion depth 79% of the time. AIRS correctly identifies SBIs in 59% of cases when compared to the full-resolution sonde. AIRS systematically underestimates the SBI intensity. This is due to warmer reported AIRS surface air temperatures (Ta) than Ta measured with the dropsonde. Replacement of AIRS Ta with that measured by the dropsonde improves the agreement in both SBI detection and intensity. If AIRS Ta could be improved, AIRS has the potential to be a stand-alone SBI detection tool over Antarctica.
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Validation of AIRS version 6 temperature profiles and surface‐based inversions over Antarctica using Concordiasi dropsonde data
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2015Co-Authors: Patrick Boylan, Junhong Wang, Stephen A Cohn, Eric J Fetzer, Eric Maddy, Sun WongAbstract:During the 2010 Concordiasi field experiment, 635 Dropsondes were released from the lower stratosphere providing in situ atmospheric profiles from the release height (~60 hPa) to the surface over Antarctica. They provide a unique data set of high vertical resolution temperature profiles over the entire Antarctic continent and surrounding ocean. This study uses temperature profiles and derived surface-based inversion (SBI) properties from the sonde data set to evaluate Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) versions 5 (v5) and 6 (v6) temperature profiles. A total of 1486 matched pairs of profiles are available for analysis. The AIRS averaging kernel, representing the AIRS measurement sensitivity, is applied to the dropsonde profiles. The AIRS data are compared to kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles and found, on average, to have a small cold bias (~0.5°C) (for v6) in the troposphere. AIRS v6 is improved over v5 with both profile-averaged bias and root-mean-square errors reduced by over 25%. Compared to the kernel-averaged dropsonde profiles, AIRS v6 accurately detects the existence of SBIs in 79% of the profiles and agrees on the inversion depth 79% of the time. AIRS correctly identifies SBIs in 59% of cases when compared to the full-resolution sonde. AIRS systematically underestimates the SBI intensity. This is due to warmer reported AIRS surface air temperatures (Ta) than Ta measured with the dropsonde. Replacement of AIRS Ta with that measured by the dropsonde improves the agreement in both SBI detection and intensity. If AIRS Ta could be improved, AIRS has the potential to be a stand-alone SBI detection tool over Antarctica.
