Engineering topics

Platnick, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Platnick, S..

31 records · Page 2

NASA NTRS2004

Above-Cloud Precipitable Water Retrievals using the MODIS 0.94 micron Band with Applications for Multi-Layer Cloud Detection

In order to perform satellite retrievals of cloud properties, it is important to account for the effect of the above-cloud atmosphere on the observations. The solar bands used in the operational MODIS Terra and Aqua cloud optical and microphysical algorithms (visible, NIR, and SWIR spectral windows) are primarily affected by water vapor, and to a lesser extent by well-mixed gases. For water vapor, the above-cloud column amount, or precipitable water, provides adequate information for an atmospheric correction; details of the vertical vapor distribution are not typically necessary for the level of correction required. Cloud-top pressure has a secondary effect due to pressure broadening influences. For well- mixed gases, cloud-top pressure is also required for estimates of above-cloud abundances. We present a method for obtaining above-cloud precipitable water over dark Ocean surfaces using the MODIS 0.94 pm vapor absorption band. The retrieval includes an iterative procedure for establishing cloud-top temperature and pressure, and is useful for both single layer water and ice clouds. Knowledge of cloud thermodynamic phase is fundamental in retrieving cloud optical and microphysical properties. However, in cases of optically thin cirrus overlapping lower water clouds, the concept of a single unique phase is ill- defined and depends, at least, on the spectral region of interest. We will present a method for multi-layer and multi-phase cloud detection which uses above-cloud precipitable water retrievals along with several existing MODIS operational cloud products (cloud-top pressure derived from a C02 slicing algorithm, IR and SWIR phase retrievals). Results are catagorized by whether the radiative signature in the MODIS solar bands is primarily that of a water cloud with ice cloud contamination, or visa-versa. Examples in polar and mid-latitude regions will be shown.

Platnick, S.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Spatially Complete Surface Albedo Data Sets: Value-Added Products Derived from Terra MODIS Land Products

Spectral land surface albedo is an important parameter for describing the radiative properties of the Earth. Accordingly it reflects the consequences of natural and human interactions, such as anthropogenic, meteorological, and phenological effects, on global and local climatological trends. Consequently, albedos are integral parts in a variety of research areas, such as general circulation models (GCMs), energy balance studies, modeling of land use and land use change, and biophysical, oceanographic, and meteorological studies. The availability of global albedo data over a large range of spectral channels and at high spatial resolution has dramatically improved with the launch of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA s Earth Observing System (EOS) Terra spacecraft in December 1999. However, lack of spatial and temporal coverage due to cloud and snow effects can preclude utilization of official products in production and research studies. We report on a technique used to fill incomplete MOD43 albedo data sets with the intention of providing complete value-added maps. The technique is influenced by the phenological concept that within a certain area, a pixel s ecosystem class should exhibit similar growth cycle events over the same time period. The shape of an area s phenological temporal curve can be imposed upon existing pixel-level data to fill missing temporal points. The methodology will be reviewed by showcasing 2001 global and regional results of complete albedo and NDVl data sets.

Moody, E. G.↗

NASA NTRS2004

An Initial Analysis of the Pixel-Level Uncertainties in Global MODIS Cloud Optical Thickness and Effective Particle Size Retrievals

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) retrievals of cloud optical thickness and effective particle radius employ well-known solar reflectance techniques using pre-calculated reflectance look-up tables. We evaluate the quantitative uncertainty in simultaneous retrievals of cloud optical thickness and particle size for this type of algorithm. The technique uses sensitivity calculations derived from the reflectance look-up tables, coupled with estimates for the effect of various error terms on the uncertainty in inferring the actual cloud-top reflectance. The error terms include the effects of instrument calibration, surface spectral albedo, and atmospheric corrections on both water and ice cloud retrievals. Because particle shapes in ice clouds are highly variable, the effect of particle shape is analyzed separately with a more approximate method. Results will deal exclusively with pixel-level uncertainties associated with plane-parallel clouds; real-world radiative departures from a plane-parallel model are an additional consideration. While we demonstrate the uncertainty technique with operational 1 km MODIS retrievals from the Terra and Aqua satellite platforms, the technique is applicable to any reflectance-based satellite- or air-borne sensor retrieval using similar spectral channels.

Platnick, S.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Liquid Water and Ice Clouds Observed by MODIS Onboard the Terra and Aqua Satellites

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODE) was developed by NASA and launched onboard the Terra spacecraft on December 18,1999 and the Aqua spacecraft on April 26,2002. MODIS scans a swath width sufficient to provide nearly complete global coverage every two days from each polar-orbiting, sun-synchronous, platform at an altitude of 705 km, and provides images in 36 spectral bands between 0.415 and 14.235 pm with spatial resolutions of 250 m (2 bands), 500 m (5 bands) and 1000 m (29 bands). In this paper, we describe the radiative properties of clouds as currently determined from satellites (cloud fraction, optical thickness, cloud top pressure, and cloud effective radius), and highlight the global and regional cloud microphysical properties currently available for assessing climate variability and forcing. These include the latitudinal distribution of cloud optical and radiative properties of both liquid water and ice clouds, as well as joint histograms of cloud optical thickness and effective radius for selected geographical locations around the globe.

King, Michael D.↗

NASA NTRS2003

MODIS Cloud Products Derived from Terra and Aqua During CRYSTAL-FACE

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), developed as part of the Earth Observing System (EOS) and launched on Terra in December 1999 and Aqua in May 2002, is designed to meet the scientific needs for satellite remote sensing of clouds, aerosols, water vapor, and land and ocean surface properties. During the CRYSTAL-FACE experiment, numerous aircraft coordinated both in situ and remote sensing observations with the Terra and Aqua spacecraft. In this paper we will emphasize the optical, microphysical, and physical properties of both liquid water and ice clouds obtained from an analysis of the satellite observations over Florida and the Gulf of Mexico during July 2002. We will present the frequency distribution of liquid water and ice cloud microphysical properties throughout the region, separating the results over land and ocean. Probability distributions of effective radius and cloud optical thickness will also be shown.

King, Michael D.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Example MODIS Global Cloud Optical and Microphysical Properties: Comparisons between Terra and Aqua

MODIS observations from the NASA EOS Terra spacecraft (launched in December 1999, 1030 local time equatorial crossing) have provided a unique data set of Earth observations. With the launch of the NASA Aqua spacecraft in May 2002 (1330 local time), two MODIS daytime (sunlit) and nighttime observations are now available in a 24 hour period, allowing for some measure of diurnal variability. We report on an initial analysis of several operational global (Level-3) cloud products from the two platforms. The MODIS atmosphere Level-3 products, which include clear-sky and aerosol products in addition to cloud products, are available as three separate files providing daily, eight-day, and monthly aggregations; each temporal aggregation is spatially aggregated to a 1 degree grid. The files contain approximately 600 statisitical datasets (from simple means and standard deviations to 1 - and 2-dimensional histograms). Operational cloud products include detection (cloud fraction), cloud-top properties, and daytimeonly cloud optical thickness and particle effective radius for both water and ice clouds. We will compare example global Terra and Aqua cloud fraction, optical thickness, and effective radius aggregations.

Hubanks, P. A.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Inherent and Apparent Scattering Properties of Coated or Uncoated Spheres Embedded in an Absorbing Host Medium

The conventional Lorenz-Mie formalism is extended to the scattering process associated with a coated sphere embedded in an absorbing medium. It is shown that apparent and inherent scattering cross sections of a scattering particle, which are identical in the case of transparent host medium, are different if the host medium is absorptive. Here the inherent single-scattering properties are derived from the near-field information whereas the corresponding apparent counterparts are derived from the far-field asymptotic form of the scattered wave with scaling of host absorption that is assumed to be in an exponential form. The formality extinction and scattering efficiencies defined in the same manner as in the conventional sense can be unbounded. For a nonabsorptive particle embedded in an absorbing medium, the effect of host absorption on the phase matrix elements associated with polarization is significant. This effect, however, is largely reduced for strongly absorptive particles such as soot. For soot particles coated with water, the impurity can substantially reduce the single-scattering albedo of the particle if the size parameter is small. For water-coating soot and hollow ice spheres, it is shown that the phase matrix elements -P(sub 12)/P(sub 11) and P(sub 33)/P(sub 11) are unique if the shell is thin, as compared with the case for thick shell. Furthermore, the radiative transfer equation regarding a multidisperse particle system in an absorbing medium is discussed. It is illustrated that the conventional computation algorithms can be applied to solve the multiple scattering process if the scaled apparent single-scattering properties are applied.

Yang, P.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Early Results from the MODIS Atmosphere Cloud Algorithms

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is one of five instruments aboard the Terra Earth Observing System platform launched in December 1999. With 36 spectral bands from the visible through the infrared, and spatial resolution from 250m to 1km, the instrument provides an unprecedented opportunity for global cloud studies. A comprehensive set of remote sensing algorithms for cloud masking and retrieval of cloud physical and optical properties have been developed by members of the MODIS atmosphere team. The archived products from these algorithms have applications in climate change studies, climate modeling, numerical weather prediction, as well as fundamental atmospheric research. In addition to an extensive cloud mask, products include cloud top physical parameters (temperature, pressure, emissivity), cloud phase, cloud optical parameters (optical depth, effective particle radius, water path), visible cirrus reflectance, a contrail flag, and other derived parameters. All products are archived into two categories: pixel-level retrievals at a 1 km or 5 km spatial resolution at nadir (referred to as Level-2 products) and 1 degree global gridded statistics (Level-3 products). An overview of the MODIS atmosphere algorithms and products, their status, validation activities, and early level-2 and -3 results will be presented.

Platnick, S.↗

NASA NTRS2000

MODIS Retrievals of Cloud Optical Thickness and Particle Radius

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides an unprecedented opportunity for global cloud studies with 36 spectral bands from the visible through the infrared, and spatial resolution from 250 m to 1 km at nadir. In particular, all solar window bands useful for simultaneous retrievals of cloud optical thickness and particle size (0.67, 0.86, 1.2, 1.6, 2.1, and 3.7 micron bands) are now available on a single satellite instrument/platform for the first time. An operational algorithm for the retrieval of these optical and cloud physical properties (including water path) have been developed for both liquid and ice phase clouds. The product is archived into two categories: pixel-level retrievals at 1 km spatial resolution (referred to as a Level-2 product) and global gridded statistics (Level-3 product). An overview of the MODIS cloud retrieval algorithm and early level-2 and -3 results will be presented. A number of MODIS cloud validation activities are being planned, including the recent Southern Africa Regional Science Initiative 2000 (SAFARI-2000) dry season campaign conducted in August/September 2000. The later part of the experiment concentrated on MODIS validation in the Namibian stratocumulus regime off the southwest coast of Africa. Early retrieval results from this regime will be discussed.

Platnick, S.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Vertical Photon Transport in Cloud Remote Sensing Problems

Photon transport in plane-parallel, vertically inhomogeneous clouds is investigated and applied to cloud remote sensing techniques that use solar reflectance or transmittance measurements for retrieving droplet effective radius. Transport is couched in terms of weighting functions which approximate the relative contribution of individual layers to the overall retrieval. Two vertical weightings are investigated, including one based on the average number of scatterings encountered by reflected and transmitted photons in any given layer. A simpler vertical weighting based on the maximum penetration of reflected photons proves useful for solar reflectance measurements. These weighting functions are highly dependent on droplet absorption and solar/viewing geometry. A superposition technique, using adding/doubling radiative transfer procedures, is derived to accurately determine both weightings, avoiding time consuming Monte Carlo methods. Superposition calculations are made for a variety of geometries and cloud models, and selected results are compared with Monte Carlo calculations. Effective radius retrievals from modeled vertically inhomogeneous liquid water clouds are then made using the standard near-infrared bands, and compared with size estimates based on the proposed weighting functions. Agreement between the two methods is generally within several tenths of a micrometer, much better than expected retrieval accuracy. Though the emphasis is on photon transport in clouds, the derived weightings can be applied to any multiple scattering plane-parallel radiative transfer problem, including arbitrary combinations of cloud, aerosol, and gas layers.

Platnick, S.↗

NASA NTRS1999

A Superposition Technique for Deriving Photon Scattering Statistics in Plane-Parallel Cloudy Atmospheres

Photon transport in a multiple scattering medium is critically dependent on scattering statistics, in particular the average number of scatterings. A superposition technique is derived to accurately determine the average number of scatterings encountered by reflected and transmitted photons within arbitrary layers in plane-parallel, vertically inhomogeneous clouds. As expected, the resulting scattering number profiles are highly dependent on cloud particle absorption and solar/viewing geometry. The technique uses efficient adding and doubling radiative transfer procedures, avoiding traditional time-intensive Monte Carlo methods. Derived superposition formulae are applied to a variety of geometries and cloud models, and selected results are compared with Monte Carlo calculations. Cloud remote sensing techniques that use solar reflectance or transmittance measurements generally assume a homogeneous plane-parallel cloud structure. The scales over which this assumption is relevant, in both the vertical and horizontal, can be obtained from the superposition calculations. Though the emphasis is on photon transport in clouds, the derived technique is applicable to any scattering plane-parallel radiative transfer problem, including arbitrary combinations of cloud, aerosol, and gas layers in the atmosphere.

Platnick, S.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Optical Thickness and Effective Radius Retrievals of Liquid Water Clouds over Ice and Snow Surface

Cloud optical thickness and effective radius retrievals from solar reflectance measurements traditionally depend on a combination of spectral channels that are absorbing and non-absorbing for liquid water droplets. Reflectances in non-absorbing channels (e.g., 0.67, 0.86 micrometer bands) are largely dependent on cloud optical thickness, while longer wavelength absorbing channels (1.6, 2.1, and 3.7 micrometer window bands) provide cloud particle size information. Retrievals are complicated by the presence of an underlying ice/snow surface. At the shorter wavelengths, sea ice is both bright and highly variable, significantly increasing cloud retrieval uncertainty. However, reflectances at the longer wavelengths are relatively small and may be comparable to that of dark open water. Sea ice spectral albedos derived from Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) measurements during April 1992 and June 1995 Arctic field deployments are used to illustrate these statements. A modification to the traditional retrieval technique is devised. The new algorithm uses a combination of absorbing spectral channels for which the snow/ice albedo is relatively small. Using this approach, preliminary retrievals have been made with the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) imager flown aboard the NASA ER-2 during FIRE-ACE. Data from coordinated ER-2 and University of Washington CV-580 aircraft observations of liquid water stratus clouds on June 3 and June 6, 1998 have been examined. Size retrievals are compared with in situ cloud profile measurements of effective radius made with the CV-580 PMS FSSP probe, and optical thickness retrievals are compared with extinction profiles derived from the Gerber Scientific "g-meter" probe. MAS retrievals are shown to be in good agreement with the in situ measurements.

Platnick, S.↗

NASA NTRS1999

A Solar Reflectance Method for Retrieving Cloud Optical Thickness and Droplet Size Over Snow and Ice Surfaces

Cloud optical thickness and effective radius retrievals from solar reflectance measurements are traditionally implemented using a combination of spectral channels that are absorbing and non-absorbing for water particles. Reflectances in non-absorbing channels (e.g., 0.67, 0.86, 1.2 micron spectral window bands) are largely dependent on cloud optical thickness, while longer wavelength absorbing channels (1.6, 2. 1, and 3.7 micron window bands) provide cloud particle size information. Cloud retrievals over ice and snow surfaces present serious difficulties. At the shorter wavelengths, ice is bright and highly variable, both characteristics acting to significantly increase cloud retrieval uncertainty. In contrast, reflectances at the longer wavelengths are relatively small and may be comparable to that of dark open water. A modification to the traditional cloud retrieval technique is devised. The new algorithm uses only a combination of absorbing spectral channels for which the snow/ice albedo is relatively small. Using this approach, retrievals have been made with the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) imager flown aboard the NASA ER-2 from May - June 1998 during the Arctic FIRE-ACE field deployment. Data from several coordinated ER-2 and University of Washington CV-580 in situ aircraft observations of liquid water stratus clouds are examined. MAS retrievals of optical thickness, droplet effective radius, and liquid water path are shown to be in good agreement with the in situ measurements. The initial success of the technique has implications for future operational satellite cloud retrieval algorithms in polar and wintertime regions.

Platnick, S.↗