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At least 127 records · Page 7

Using Sounder Data to Improve Cirrus Cloud Height Estimation from Satellite Imagers

Modern polar-orbiting meteorological satellites provide both imaging and sounding observations simultaneously. Most imagers, however, do not have H2O and CO2 absorption bands and therefore struggle to accurately estimate the height of optically thin cirrus clouds. Sounders provide these needed observations, but at a spatial resolution that is too coarse to resolve many important cloud structures. This paper presents a technique to merge sounder and imager observations with the goal of maintaining the details offered by the imager’s high spatial resolution and the accuracy offered by the sounder’s spectral information. The technique involves deriving cloud temperatures from the sounder observations, interpolating the sounder temperatures to the imager pixels, and using the sounder temperatures as an additional constraint in the imager cloud height optimal estimation approach. This technique is demonstrated using collocated VIIRS and Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) observations with the impact of the sounder observations validated using coincident CALIPSO/CALIOP cloud heights These comparisons show significant improvement in the cloud heights for optically thin cirrus. The technique should be generally applicable to other imager/sounder pairs.

Sounder Data↗

Long Term Stability Monitoring of Aqua MODIS Thermal Emissive Bands through Radiative Transfer Modeling

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Aqua has been in operation providing continuous global observations for science research and applications since 2002. The long-term stability of thermal emissive bands (TEBs) of Aqua MODIS was monitored through inter-comparisons with measurements by hyperspectral infrared sensors, such as AIRS on Aqua and IASI on MetOp satellite, or through long term vicarious monitoring over cold targets, such as Dome- C and deep convective clouds (DCC). In this paper, a radiative transfer modeling-based simulation model using Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) is developed to perform the long-term monitoring of the stability of TEBs of Aqua MODIS. CRTM is a fast-radiative transfer model for calculations of radiances for satellite infrared radiometers and is able to output infrared radiance and brightness temperature at spectral bands of MODIS. Long term European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) global atmospheric reanalysis data, such as temperature and humidity profiles, are used as inputs to the CRTM simulation. By confining the area of interest to be over low to middle latitude ocean, the long-term stabilities of selected Aqua MODIS TEBs are monitored through Observation–Background (O-B) brightness temperature (BT) bias between MODIS measurements and BT retrieval from CRTM simulation. The consistency and relative stability between Aqua MODIS and ECMWF reanalysis data for surface channels of MODIS are evaluated. In addition, the radiative transfer modeling with CRTM enables us to evaluate the impacts of long term variation of global CO2 distribution on the O-B BT biases for CO2 channels of Aqua MODIS through comparison of simulations with constant or long term variable CO2 as inputs. The O-B analysis with RTM show that Aqua MODIS surface channels are all radiometrically stable with yearly BT bias drift less than 0.004K/year for B20, B22, B23 and ~0.01K/year for B31 and B32. The CO2 absorption channels of Aqua MODIS, e.g. B33-B36, are stable with BT bias drift < 0.005K/year.

MODIS↗

Computer Simulation of the far Infrared Collision Induced Absorption Spectra of Gaseous CO2

Far infrared collision induced absorption spectra of gaseous CO2 were computed using molecular dynamics simulations. The quadrupole and hexadecapole multipolar induction, through the trace, and the anisotropy of the molecular polarizability were found to be insufficient to represent properly the dipole induction mechanism. For a detailed analysis of the induction process the spectra obtained were decomposed into components resulting from different terms of the induced dipole. Based on this decomposition, all additional overlap contribution for each term was proposed. When spectra were recomputed including such overlap, good agreement between experiment and simulation was achieved over the temperature range at which measurements exist (233-400 K). The use of an anisotropic intermolecular potential was found to be of critical importance for obtaining the right shape of the far wings of the spectra.

Gruszka, Marcin↗

Ground-based measurements of atmospheric backscatter and absorption using coherent CO2 lidar

In the present derivation of vertical profiles of atmospheric absorption and backscatter coefficients from coherent pulsed Doppler lidar by means of a slant path method, a strong seasonal variation of absorption and backscatter is evident throughout the lower troposphere. Measurements beyond the lower troposphere are hampered by modest pulse energy and lidar beam absorption, although small backscatter values are occasionally observed at midtropospheric levels during the winter months, when absorption is minimal. While a monomodal lognormal backscatter distribution is found within the lower boundary layer, evidence of a bimodal lognormal distribution is found at higher levels.

Rothermel, J.↗

Pseudorandom Noise Code-Based Technique for Thin Cloud Discrimination with CO2 and O2 Absorption Measurements

NASA Langley Research Center is working on a continuous wave (CW) laser based remote sensing scheme for the detection of CO2 and O2 from space based platforms suitable for ACTIVE SENSING OF CO2 EMISSIONS OVER NIGHTS, DAYS, AND SEASONS (ASCENDS) mission. ASCENDS is a future space-based mission to determine the global distribution of sources and sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). A unique, multi-frequency, intensity modulated CW (IMCW) laser absorption spectrometer (LAS) operating at 1.57 micron for CO2 sensing has been developed. Effective aerosol and cloud discrimination techniques are being investigated in order to determine concentration values with accuracies less than 0.3%. In this paper, we discuss the demonstration of a pseudo noise (PN) code based technique for cloud and aerosol discrimination applications. The possibility of using maximum length (ML)-sequences for range and absorption measurements is investigated. A simple model for accomplishing this objective is formulated, Proof-of-concept experiments carried out using SONAR based LIDAR simulator that was built using simple audio hardware provided promising results for extension into optical wavelengths.

Campbell, Joel F.↗

Development of a Pulsed 2-Micron Integrated Path Differential Absorption Lidar for CO2 Measurement

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to the carbon cycle and global radiation budget on Earth. Active remote sensing of CO2 is important to address several limitations that contend with passive sensors. A 2-micron double-pulsed, Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) lidar instrument for ground and airborne atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements via direct detection method is being developed at NASA Langley Research Center. This active remote sensing instrument will provide an alternate approach of measuring atmospheric CO2 concentrations with significant advantages. A high energy pulsed approach provides high-precision measurement capability by having high signal-to-noise ratio level and unambiguously eliminates the contamination from aerosols and clouds that can bias the IPDA measurement. Commercial, on the shelf, components are implemented for the detection system. Instrument integration will be presented in this paper as well as a background for CO2 measurement at NASA Langley research Center

Singh, Upendra N.↗

Development of a Fabry-Perot Interferometer for Ultra-Precise Measurements of Column CO2

A passive Fabry-Perot based instrument is described for detecting column CO2 through absorption measurements at 1.58 microns . In this design, solar flux reaches the instrument platform and is directed through two channels. In the first channel, transmittance fi5nges from a Fabry-Perot interferometer are aligned with CO2 absorption lines so that absorption due to CO2 is primarily detected. The second channel encompasses the same frequency region as the first, but is comparatively more sensitive to changes in the solar flux than absorption due to CO2. The ratio of these channels is sensitive to changes in the total CO2 column, but not to changes in solar flux. This inexpensive instrument will offer high precision measurements (error 4%) in a compact package. Design of this instrument and preliminary ground-based measurements of column CO2 are presented here as well as strategies for deployment on aircraft and satellite platforms.

Wilson, Emily L.↗

Vibrational relaxation of the bending mode of shock-heated CO2 by laser-absorption measurements.

Study of the vibrational relaxation characteristics of shock-heated CO2 using a tuned CO2 laser absorption technique. Absorption-coefficient histories were obtained for a single rotational state in each of the -10 0- and -02 0- levels over the temperature range from 500 to 2000 K, and for 21 rotational states of the -10 0- level at 1000 K. These histories have been combined with translational-rotational temperature histories based on interferometer measurements to calculate vibrational relaxation times for the bending mode. The results verify the mutual equilibrium of the bending and symmetric-stretch modes due to Fermi resonance. The bending mode relaxation times are approximately 10% shorter than predicted from interferometer results using the ratio of specific heats. Furthermore, relaxation times based on measurements of different rotational states at 1000 K show a variation with quantum number J, indicating a possible rotational nonequilibrium during the vibration relaxation process.

Eckstrom, D. J.↗

Scattering and absorption properties of CO2 ice spheres in the region 360-4000 kaysers

The results of Mie calculations for CO2 ice particles of radius a = 0.1, 1 and 10 microns in the region 360-4000 kaysers are presented. Since CO2 possesses a very small imaginary refractive index, the larger particles behave as conservative scatters. This is quite different from the equivalent water ice particles. The results presented in this study will be useful for investigation of the Martian atmosphere and surface.

Hunt, G. E.↗

Development and Evaluation of a High Sensitivity DIAL System for Profiling Atmospheric CO2

A ground-based 2-micron Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) CO2 profiling system for atmospheric boundary layer studies and validation of space-based CO2 sensors is being developed and tested at NASA Langley Research Center as part of the NASA Instrument Incubator Program. To capture the variability of CO2 in the lower troposphere a precision of 1-2 ppm of CO2 (less than 0.5%) with 0.5 to 1 km vertical resolution from near surface to free troposphere (4-5 km) is one of the goals of this program. In addition, a 1% (3 ppm) absolute accuracy with a 1 km resolution over 0.5 km to free troposphere (4-5 km) is also a goal of the program. This DIAL system leverages 2-micron laser technology developed under NASA's Laser Risk Reduction Program (LRRP) and other NASA programs to develop new solid-state laser technology that provides high pulse energy, tunable, wavelength-stabilized, and double-pulsed lasers that are operable over pre-selected temperature insensitive strong CO2 absorption lines suitable for profiling of lower tropospheric CO2. It also incorporates new high quantum efficiency, high gain, and relatively low noise phototransistors, and a new receiver/signal processor system to achieve high precision DIAL measurements. This presentation describes the capabilities of this system for atmospheric CO2 and aerosol profiling. Examples of atmospheric measurements in the lidar and DIAL mode will be presented.

Ismail, Syed↗

2-Micron Laser Transmitter for Coherent CO2 DIAL Measurement

Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been recognized as one of the most important greenhouse gases. It is essential for the study of global warming to accurately measure the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and continuously record its variation. A high repetition rate, highly efficient, Q-switched 2-micron laser system as the transmitter of a coherent differential absorption lidar for CO2 measurement has been developed in NASA Langley Research Center. This laser system is capable of making a vertical profiling of CO2 from ground and column measurement of CO2 from air and space-borne platform. The transmitter is a master-slave laser system. The master laser operates in a single frequency, either on-line or off-line of a selected CO2 absorption line. The slave laser is a Q-switched ring-cavity Ho:YLF laser which is pumped by a Tm:fiber laser. The repetition rate can be adjusted from a few hundred Hz to 10 kHz. The injection seeding success rate is from 99.4% to 99.95%. For 1 kHz operation, the output pulse energy is 5.5mJ with the pulse length of ~50 ns. The optical-to-optical efficiency is 39% when the pump power is 14.5W. A Ho:YLF laser operating in the range of 2.05 micrometers can be tuned over several characteristic lines of CO2 absorption. Experimentally, a diode pumped Ho:Tm:YLF laser has been successfully used as the transmitter of coherent differential absorption lidar for the measurement of CO2 with a repetition rate of 5 Hz and pulse energy of 75 mJ. For coherent detection, high repetition rate is required for speckle averaging to obtain highly precise measurements. However, a diode pumped Ho:Tm:YLF laser can not operate in high repetition rate due to the large heat loading and up-conversion. A Tm:fiber laser pumped Ho:YLF laser with low heat loading can operate in high repetition rate. A theoretical model has been established to simulate the performance of Tm:fiber laser pumped Ho:YLF lasers. For continuous wave (CW) operation, high pump intensity with small beam size is suitable for high efficiency. For Q-switched operation, the optimal energy extraction relies on the pump intensity, pump volume, and pump duration which is inversely proportion to the repetition rate. CW and Q-switched Ho:YLF lasers with different linear cavity configurations have been designed and demonstrated for a 30 W Tm:fiber pump laser. The CW Ho laser slope efficiency and optical-to-optical efficiencies reach 65% and 55%, respectively. The pulsed laser efficiency depends on the repetition rate. For 1 kHz operation, the optical-to-optical efficiency is 39% when the pump power is 14.5W. Currently, the injection seeding success rate is between 99.4% and 99.95%. After a ten thousand pulses, the standard deviation of the laser frequency jitter is about 3 MHz. It meets the requirements of highly precise CO2 concentration measurement. In conclusion, an injection seeded, high repetition rate, Q-switched Ho:YLF laser has been developed for a coherent CO2 differential absorption lidar. This master-slave laser system has high optical-to-optical efficiency and seeding success rate. It can potentially meet the requirements of the coherent detection of CO2 concentration by a differential absorption lidar technique.

Singh, Upendra N.↗

A parameterization of the absorption in the 15 micron CO2 spectral region with application to climate sensitivity studies

A technique for quantifying the absorption that takes place in the 15 micron CO2 band in the atmosphere is developed as a function of the scaled CO2 content. A spectrally averaged transmission function is defined and a scaling approximation for the absorption coefficient is calculated, as is the width of the absorption band. An assessment is made of the accuracies of the parameterized atmospheric transmittance and cooling rate. The resulting radiation parameterization is applied in a climate sensitivity study. The model is concluded useful in examining atmospheres with a variable CO2 content, with the highest accuracies being available in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere. CO2 doubling the earth's atmosphere is projected to cause a 20 percent warming in the surface temperatures and a 30 percent warming for the tripling of the CO2 content, provided the spectral range for CO2 absorption is extended from 580-760 to 540-800/cm.

Chou, M.-D.↗

Self-Calibration and Laser Energy Monitor Validations for a Double-Pulsed 2-Micron CO2 Integrated Path Differential Absorption Lidar Application

Double-pulsed 2-micron integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) lidar is well suited for atmospheric CO2 remote sensing. The IPDA lidar technique relies on wavelength differentiation between strong and weak absorbing features of the gas normalized to the transmitted energy. In the double-pulse case, each shot of the transmitter produces two successive laser pulses separated by a short interval. Calibration of the transmitted pulse energies is required for accurate CO2 measurement. Design and calibration of a 2-micron double-pulse laser energy monitor is presented. The design is based on an InGaAs pin quantum detector. A high-speed photo-electromagnetic quantum detector was used for laser-pulse profile verification. Both quantum detectors were calibrated using a reference pyroelectric thermal detector. Calibration included comparing the three detection technologies in the single-pulsed mode, then comparing the quantum detectors in the double-pulsed mode. In addition, a self-calibration feature of the 2-micron IPDA lidar is presented. This feature allows one to monitor the transmitted laser energy, through residual scattering, with a single detection channel. This reduces the CO2 measurement uncertainty. IPDA lidar ground validation for CO2 measurement is presented for both calibrated energy monitor and self-calibration options. The calibrated energy monitor resulted in a lower CO2 measurement bias, while self-calibration resulted in a better CO2 temporal profiling when compared to the in situ sensor.

Refaat, Tamer F.↗

First Spectroscopic Identification of Massive Young Stellar Objects in the Galactic Center

We report the detection of several molecular gas-phase and ice absorption features in three photometrically-selected young stellar object (YSO) candidates in the central 280 pc of the Milky Way. Our spectra, obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope, reveal gas-phase absorption from CO2 (15.0 microns), C2H2 (13.7 microns) and HCN (14.0 microns). We attribute this absorption to warm, dense gas in massive YSOs. We also detect strong and broad 15 microns CO2 ice absorption features, with a remarkable double-peaked structure. The prominent long-wavelength peak is due to CH3OH-rich ice grains, and is similar to those found in other known massive YSOs. Our IRS observa.tions demonstra.te the youth of these objects, and provide the first spectroscopic identification of massive YSOs in the Galactic Center.

An, Deokkeun↗

Modeling of collision induced absorption spectra of CO2-CO2 pairs for planetary atmosphere of Venus

The objective of the proposal was to model the rototranslational and rotovibrational collision induced absorption spectral bands of importance for the radiative transfer analysis of the atmosphere of Venus. Our main task has involved CO2 pairs. The approach is not straightforward: whereas computational techniques to compute CIA spectra of small linear molecules exist, and were successfully applied to molecules like H2 or N2, they fail when applied to large molecules like CO2. For small molecules one can safely assume that the interaction potential is isotropic. The same approximation does not work for CO2, and when employed, it gives an incorrect band shape and only 50 percent of the CIA intensity.

Borysow, Aleksandra↗

A 2-Micron Pulsed Integrated Path Differential Absorption Lidar Development For Atmospheric CO2 Concentration Measurements

A 2-micron pulsed, Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) lidar instrument for ground and airborne atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements via direct detection method is being developed at NASA Langley Research Center. This instrument will provide an alternate approach to measure atmospheric CO2 concentrations with significant advantages. A high energy pulsed approach provides high-precision measurement capability by having high signal-to-noise level and unambiguously eliminates the contamination from aerosols and clouds that can bias the IPDA measurement.

Yu, Jirong↗