Title :
AIRS/AMSU/HSB on the Aqua mission: design, science objectives, data products, and processing systems
Author :
Aumann, Hartmut H. ; Chahine, Moustafa T. ; Gautier, Catherine ; Goldberg, Mitchell D. ; Kalnay, Eugenia ; McMillin, Larry M. ; Revercomb, Hank ; Rosenkranz, Philip W. ; Smith, William L. ; Staelin, David H. ; Strow, L. Larrabee ; Susskind, Joel
Author_Institution :
Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA
Abstract :
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), and the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB) form an integrated cross-track scanning temperature and humidity sounding system on the Aqua satellite of the Earth Observing System (EOS). AIRS is an infrared spectrometer/radiometer that covers the 3.7-15.4-μm spectral range with 2378 spectral channels. AMSU is a 15-channel microwave radiometer operating between 23 and 89 GHz. HSB is a four-channel microwave radiometer that makes measurements between 150 and 190 GHz. In addition to supporting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration´s interest in process study and climate research, AIRS is the first hyperspectral infrared radiometer designed to support the operational requirements for medium-range weather forecasting of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration´s National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and other numerical weather forecasting centers. AIRS, together with the AMSU and HSB microwave radiometers, will achieve global retrieval accuracy of better than 1 K in the lower troposphere under clear and partly cloudy conditions. This paper presents an overview of the science objectives, AIRS/AMSU/HSB data products, retrieval algorithms, and the ground-data processing concepts. The EOS Aqua was launched on May 4, 2002 from Vandenberg AFB, CA, into a 705-km-high, sun-synchronous orbit. Based on the excellent radiometric and spectral performance demonstrated by AIRS during prelaunch testing, which has by now been verified during on-orbit testing, we expect the assimilation of AIRS data into the numerical weather forecast to result in significant forecast range and reliability improvements.
Keywords :
aerospace instrumentation; atmospheric humidity; atmospheric measuring apparatus; atmospheric temperature; infrared spectrometers; microwave measurement; radiometers; remote sensing; 150 to 190 GHz; 23 to 89 GHz; 3.7 to 15.4 micron; AIRS; AIRS/AMSU/HSB; AMSU; Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit; Aqua mission; Atmospheric Infrared Sounder; EOS; Earth Observing System; HSB; Humidity Sounder for Brazil; data products; design; global retrieval accuracy; humidity; infrared spectrometer/radiometer; microwave radiometer; processing systems; science objectives; temperature; weather forecasting; Atmospheric measurements; Earth Observing System; Humidity; Infrared spectra; Microwave radiometry; Ocean temperature; Satellite broadcasting; Spectroscopy; Testing; Weather forecasting;
Journal_Title :
Geoscience and Remote Sensing, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TGRS.2002.808356