CATS Single-Wavelength Data Products and Performance
CATS Single-Wavelength Data Products and Performance
Yorks, John↗
Engineering topics
Vaughan, Mark
Publications and source records attributed to Vaughan, Mark.
Application of High-Dimensional Fuzzy K-Means Cluster Analysis to CALIOP/CALIPSO Version 4.1 Cloud-Aerosol Discrimination
This study applies fuzzy k-means (FKM) cluster analyses to a subset of the parameters reported in the CALIPSO lidar level 2 data products in order to classify the layers detected as either clouds or aerosols. The results obtained are used to assess the reliability of the cloud–aerosol discrimination (CAD) scores reported in the version 4.1 release of the CALIPSO data products. FKM is an unsupervised learning algorithm, whereas the CALIPSO operational CAD algorithm (COCA) takes a highly supervised approach. Despite these substantial computational and architectural differences, our statistical analyses show that the FKM classifications agree with the COCA classifications for more than 94 % of the cases in the troposphere. This high degree of similarity is achieved because the lidar-measured signatures of the majority of the clouds and the aerosols are naturally distinct, and hence objective methods can independently and effectively separate the two classes in most cases. Classification differences most often occur in complex scenes (e.g., evaporating water cloud filaments embedded in dense aerosol) or when observing diffuse features that occur only intermittently (e.g., volcanic ash in the tropical tropopause layer). The two methods examined in this study establish overall classification correctness boundaries due to their differing algorithm uncertainties. In addition to comparing the outputs from the two algorithms, analysis of sampling, data training, performance measurements, fuzzy linear discriminants, defuzzification, error propagation, and key parameters in feature type discrimination with the FKM method are further discussed in order to better understand the utility and limits of the application of clustering algorithms to space lidar measurements. In general, we find that both FKM and COCA classification uncertainties are only minimally affected by noise in the CALIPSO measurements, though both algorithms can be challenged by especially complex scenes containing mixtures of discrete layer types. Our analysis results show that attenuated backscatter and color ratio are the driving factors that separate water clouds from aerosols; backscatter intensity, depolarization, and mid-layer altitude are most useful in discriminating between aerosols and ice clouds; and the joint distribution of backscatter intensity and depolarization ratio is critically important for distinguishing ice clouds from water clouds.
Zeng, Shan↗
Laser Pulse Bidirectional Reflectance from CALIPSO Mission
In this Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) study, we present a simple way of determining laser pulse bidirectional reflectance over snow/ice surface using the Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) 532 nanometer polarization channels' measurements. The saturated laser pulse returns from snow and ice surfaces are recovered based on surface tail information. The method overview and initial assessment of the method performance will be presented. The retrieved snow surface bidirectional reflectance is compared with reflectance from both CALIOP cloud cover regions and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (Earth Observing System (EOS)) (MODIS) Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) / Albedo model parameters. The comparisons show that the snow surface bidirectional reflectance over Antarctica for saturation region are generally reliable with a mean value of about 0.90 plus or minus 0.10, while the mean surface reflectance from cloud cover region is about 0.84 plus or minus 0.13 and the calculated MODIS reflectance at 555 nanometers from the BRDF / Albedo model with near nadir illumination and viewing angles is about 0.96 plus or minus 0.04. The comparisons here demonstrate that the snow surface reflectance underneath the cloud with cloud optical depth of about 1 is significantly lower than that for a clear sky condition.
Lu, Xiaomei↗
CATS Aerosol Typing and Future Directions
The Cloud Aerosol Transport System (CATS), launched in January of 2015, is a lidar remote sensing instrument that will provide range-resolved profile measurements of atmospheric aerosols and clouds from the International Space Station (ISS). CATS is intended to operate on-orbit for at least six months, and up to three years. Status of CATS Level 2 and Plans for the Future:Version. 1. Aerosol Typing (ongoing): Mode 1: L1B data released later this summer; L2 data released shortly after; Identify algorithm biases (ex. striping, FOV (field of view) biases). Mode 2: Processed Released Currently working on correcting algorithm issues. Version 2 Aerosol Typing (Fall, 2016): Implementation of version 1 modifications Integrate GEOS-5 aerosols for typing guidance for non spherical aerosols. Version 3 Aerosol Typing (2017): Implementation of 1-D Var Assimilation into GEOS-5 Dynamic lidar ratio that will evolve in conjunction with simulated aerosol mixtures.
McGill, Matt↗
Laser Remote Sensing from ISS: CATS Cloud and Aerosol Level 2 Data Products (Heritage Edition)
With the recent launch of the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) we have the opportunity to acquire a continuous record of space based lidar measurements spanning from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) era to the start of the EarthCARE mission. Utilizing existing well-validated science algorithms from the CALIPSO mission, we will ingest the CATS data stream and deliver high-quality lidar data sets to the user community at the earliest possible opportunity. In this paper we present an overview of procedures necessary to generate CALIPSO-like lidar level 2 data products from the CATS level 1 data products.
cloud-aerosol lidar↗
The Top 10 Improvements to the Version 4 Level 2 CALIPSO Lidar Data Products
No abstract available
Vaughan, Mark↗
Recent Improvements to CALIOP Level 3 Aerosol Profile Product for Global 3-D Aerosol Extinction Characterization
No abstract available
Tackett, Jason L.↗
Cloud-Aerosol Interactions: Retrieving Aerosol Angstrom Exponents from CALIPSO Measurements of Opaque Water Clouds
No abstract available
Vaughan, Mark↗
An Innovative Concept for Spacebased Lidar Measurement of Ocean Carbon Biomass
Beam attenuation coefficient, c, provides an important optical index of plankton standing stocks, such as phytoplankton biomass and total particulate carbon concentration. Unfortunately, c has proven difficult to quantify through remote sensing. Here, we introduce an innovative approach for estimating c using lidar depolarization measurements and diffuse attenuation coefficients from ocean color products or lidar measurements of Brillouin scattering. The new approach is based on a theoretical formula established from Monte Carlo simulations that links the depolarization ratio of sea water to the ratio of diffuse attenuation Kd and beam attenuation C (i.e., a multiple scattering factor). On July 17, 2014, the CALIPSO satellite was tilted 30Âdeg off-nadir for one nighttime orbit in order to minimize ocean surface backscatter and demonstrate the lidar ocean subsurface measurement concept from space. Depolarization ratios of ocean subsurface backscatter are measured accurately. Beam attenuation coefficients computed from the depolarization ratio measurements compare well with empirical estimates from ocean color measurements. We further verify the beam attenuation coefficient retrievals using aircraft-based high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) data that are collocated with in-water optical measurements.
Hu, Yongxiang↗
Laser Remote Sensing From ISS: CATS Cloud and Aerosol Level 2 Data Products (Heritage Edition)
The Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) instrument was developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and deployed to the International Space Station (ISS) on 10 January 2015. CATS is mounted on the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility (JEM_EF) and will provide near-continuous, altitude-resolved measurements of clouds and aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere. The CATS ISS orbit path provides a unique opportunity to capture the full diurnal cycle of cloud and aerosol development and transport, allowing for studies that are not possible with the lidar aboard the CALIPSO platform, which flies in the sun-synchronous A-Train orbit." " One of the primary science objectives of CATS is to continue the CALIPSO aerosol and cloud profile data record to provide continuity of lidar climate observations during the transition from CALIPSO to EarthCARE. To accomplish this, the CATS project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the CALIPSO project at NASA's Langley Research Center (LaRC) are closely collaborating to develop and deliver a full suite of CALIPSO-like level 2 data products that will be produced using the newly acquired CATS level 1B data whenever CATS is operating in science modes 1. The CALIPSO mission is now well into its ninth year of on-orbit operations, and has developed a robust set of mature and well-validated science algorithms to retrieve the spatial and optical properties of clouds and aerosols from multi-wavelength lidar backscatter signals. By leveraging both new and existing NASA technical resources, this joint effort by the CATS and CALIPSO teams will deliver validated lidar data sets to the user community at the earliest possible opportunity. The science community will have access to two sets of CATS Level 2 data products. The "Operational" data products will be produced by the GSFC CATS team utilizing the new instrument capabilities (e.g., multiple FOVs and 1064 nm depolarization), while the "Heritage" data products created using the existing CALIPSO algorithms and the CATS 532 nm channels and the total 1064 nm channel. " Below is the development of the CATS "Heritage" level 2 software and data along with some initial results with operational data."
Rodier, Sharon↗
Chaos, Consternation and CALIPSO Calibration: New Strategies for Calibrating the CALIOP 1064 nm Channel
The very low signal-to-noise ratios of the 1064 nm CALIOP molecular backscatter signal make it effectively impossible to employ the "clear air" normalization technique typically used to calibrate elastic back-scatter lidars. The CALIPSO mission has thus chosen to cross-calibrate their 1064 nm measurements with respect to the 532 nm data using the two-wavelength backscatter from cirrus clouds. In this paper we discuss several known issues in the version 3 CALIOP 1064 nm calibration procedure, and describe the strategies that will be employed in the version 4 data release to surmount these problems.
Vaughan, Mark↗
CALIOP Version 3 Data Products: A Comparison to Version 2
After launch we discovered that the CALIOP daytime measurements were subject to thermally induced beamdrift,and this caused the calibration to vary by as much as 30% during the course of a single daytime orbit segment. Using an algorithm developed by Powell et al.(2010), empirically derived correction factors are now computed in near realtime as a function of orbit elapsed time, and these are used to compensate for the beam wandering effects.
Vaughan, Mark↗
CALIPSO at Four: Results and Progress
Aerosols and clouds play important roles in Earth?s climate system, but limitations in our ability to observe them globally limit our understanding of the climate system and our ability to model it. The CALIPSO satellite was developed to provide new capabilities to observe aerosol and cloud from space. CALIPSO carries the first polarization-sensitive lidar to fly in space, which has now provided a four-year record of global aerosol and cloud profiles. This paper briefly summarizes the status of the CALIPSO mission, describes some of the results from CALIPSO, and presents highlights of recent improvements in data products.
Winker, Dave↗
Radiative Effects of African Dust and Smoke Observed from CERES and CALIOP Data
Cloud and aerosol effects have a significant impact on the atmospheric radiation budget in the Tropical Atlantic because of the spatial and temporal extent of desert dust and smoke from biomass burning in the atmosphere. The influences of African dust and smoke aerosols on cloud radiative properties over the Tropical Atlantic Ocean were analyzed for the month of July for three years (2006-2008) using collocated data collected by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments on the CALIPSO and Aqua satellites. Aerosol layer height and type can be more accurately determined using CALIOP data, through parameters such as cloud and aerosol layer height, optical depth and depolarization ratio, than data from atmospheric imagers used in previous cloud-aerosol interaction studies. On average, clouds below 5 km had a daytime instantaneous shortwave (SW) radiative flux of 270.2 +/- 16.9 W/sq m and thin cirrus clouds had a SW radiative flux of 208.0 +/- 12.7 W/sq m. When dust aerosols interacted with clouds below 5 km, as determined from CALIPSO, the SW radiative flux decreased to 205.4 +/- 13.0 W/sq m. Similarly, smoke aerosols decreased the SW radiative flux of low clouds to a value of 240.0 +/- 16.6 W/sq m. These decreases in SW radiative flux were likely attributed to the aerosol layer height and changes in cloud microphysics. CALIOP lidar observations, which more accurately identify aerosol layer height than passive instruments, appear essential for better understanding of cloud-aerosol interactions, a major uncertainty in predicting the climate system.
Yorks, John E.↗
CALIPSO Satellite Lidar Identification Of Elevated Dust Over Australia Compared With Air Quality Model PM60 Forecasts
Global measurements of the vertical distribution of clouds and aerosols have been recorded by the lidar on board the CALIPSO (Cloud Aerosol Lidar Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) satellite since June 2006. Such extensive, height-resolved measurements provide a rare and valuable opportunity for developing, testing and validating various atmospheric models, including global climate, numerical weather prediction, chemical transport and air quality models. Here we report on the initial results of an investigation into the performance of the Australian Air Quality Forecast System (AAQFS) model in forecasting the distribution of elevated dust over the Australian region. The model forecasts of PM60 dust distribution are compared with the CALIPSO lidar Vertical Feature Mask (VFM) data product. The VFM classifies contiguous atmospheric regions of enhanced backscatter as either cloud or aerosols. Aerosols are further classified into six subtypes. By comparing forecast PM60 concentration profiles to the spatial distribution of dust reported in the CALIPSO VFM, we can assess the model s ability to predict the occurrence and the vertical and horizontal extents of dust events within the study area.
Young, Stuart A.↗
Evaluation and Applications of Cloud Climatologies from CALIOP
Clouds have a major impact on the Earth radiation budget and differences in the representation of clouds in global climate models are responsible for much of the spread in predicted climate sensitivity. Existing cloud climatologies, against which these models can be tested, have many limitations. The CALIOP lidar, carried on the CALIPSO satellite, has now acquired over two years of nearly continuous cloud and aerosol observations. This dataset provides an improved basis for the characterization of 3-D global cloudiness. Global average cloud cover measured by CALIOP is about 75%, significantly higher than for existing cloud climatologies due to the sensitivity of CALIOP to optically thin cloud. Day/night biases in cloud detection appear to be small. This presentation will discuss detection sensitivity and other issues associated with producing a cloud climatology, characteristics of cloud cover statistics derived from CALIOP data, and applications of those statistics.
Winker, David↗
Validation of CALIPSO Lidar Observations Using Data From the NASA Langley Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar
This poster focuses on preliminary comparisons of data from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument on the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) spacecraft with data acquired by the NASA Langley Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL). A series of 20 aircraft validation flights was conducted from 14 June through 27 September 2006, under both day and night lighting conditions and a variety of aerosol and cloud conditions. This poster presents comparisons of CALIOP measurements of attenuated backscatter at 532 and 1064 nm and depolarization at 532 nm with near coincident measurements from the Airborne HSRL as a preliminary assessment of CALIOP calibration accuracy. Note that the CALIOP data presented here are the pre-release version. These data have known artifacts in calibration which have been corrected in the December 8 CALIPSO data release which was not available at the time the comparisons were conducted for this poster. The HSRL data are also preliminary. No artifacts are known to exist; however, refinements in calibration and algorithms are likely to be implemented before validation comparisons are made final.
Hostetler, Chris↗
Validating Lidar Depolorization Calibration using Solar Radiation Scattered by Ice Clouds
This letter proposes the use of solar background radiation scattered by ice clouds for validating space lidar depolarization calibration. The method takes advantage of the fact that the background light scattered by ice clouds is almost entirely unpolarized. The theory is examined with Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) background light measurements.
Liu, Zhao-Yang↗