Reprocessing of HIRS Satellite Measurements from 1980 to 2015: Development toward a Consistent Decadal Cloud Record

Abstract

This paper presents the cloud-parameter data records derived from High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) measurements from 1980 through 2015 on the NOAA and MetOp polar-orbiting platforms. Over this time period, the HIRS sensor has been flown on 16 satellites from TIROS-N through NOAA-19 and MetOp-A and MetOp-B, forming a 35-yr cloud data record. Intercalibration of the Infrared Advanced Sounding Interferometer (IASI) and HIRS on MetOp-A has created confidence in the onboard calibration of this HIRS as a reference for others. A recent effort to improve the understanding of IR-channel response functions of earlier HIRS sensor radiance measurements using simultaneous nadir overpasses has produced a more consistent sensor-to-sensor calibration record. Incorporation of a cloud mask from the higher-spatial-resolution Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) improves the subpixel cloud detection within the HIRS measurements. Cloud-top pressure and effective emissivity (εf, or cloud emissivity multiplied by cloud fraction) are derived using the 15-μm spectral bands in the carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption band and implementing the CO2-slicing technique; the approach is robust for high semitransparent clouds but weak for low clouds with little thermal contrast from clear-sky radiances. This paper documents the effort to incorporate the recalibration of the HIRS sensors, notes the improvements to the cloud algorithm, and presents the HIRS cloud data record from 1980 to 2015. The reprocessed HIRS cloud data record reports clouds in 76.5% of the observations, and 36.1% of the observations find high clouds.

A comparison of Aqua MODIS ice and liquid water cloud physical and optical properties between collection 6 and collection 5.1: Pixel‐to‐pixel comparisons

“…Properly representing clouds and cloud radiative effects within general circulation models (GCMs) has long been a great challenge [ Yi et al ., ; Jiang et al ., ; Waliser et al ., ]. Now that multiple decadal global cloud property data sets are available [e.g., Heidinger et al ., ; Stengel et al ., ; Menzel et al ., ], with much improved radiometric calibration [e.g., Heidinger et al ., ], the modeling and satellite communities will be able to better compare global cloud characteristics. The goal of this study is to better understand the changes in the MODIS C6 cloud products because of the many advances in calibration [e.g., Xiong et al ., , ], retrieval methodology, ancillary data, and validation with CALIOP products.…”

“…Properly representing clouds and cloud radiative effects within general circulation models (GCMs) has long been a great challenge [Yi et al, 2013;Jiang et al, 2012;Waliser et al, 2009]. Now that multiple decadal global cloud property data sets are available [e.g., Heidinger et al, 2014;Stengel et al, 2014;Menzel et al, 2016], with much improved radiometric calibration [e.g., Heidinger et al, 2010], the modeling and satellite communities will be able to better compare global YI ET AL.…”

Error Correlations in High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) Radiances

“…The filters for channels 1-12 are located close to the central axis of the filter wheel, whereas the filters for the remaining channels are located close to the outer edge. The order in which the channels are measured is: 1,17,2,3,13,4,18,11,19,7,8,20,10,14,6,5,15,12,16, and 9. HIRS detects radiation using three different detectors: a Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) detector receives radiation for longwave (wavelength λ > 6 µm) channels 1 to 12, an Indium Antimonide (InSb) detector for shortwave (λ < 5 µm) channels 13 to 19, and a silicon photodiode for the visible channel 20.…”

“…Then, in [12], the author examined this in more detail for longwave channels between two pairs of satellites. In [13,14], the authors optimised HIRS spectral response functions to reduce inter-satellite biases. More recently, the authors of [15] used physical considerations to intercalibrate HIRS channel 12 between HIRS/2 and HIRS/3.…”

Improvement in cloud retrievals from VIIRS through the use of infrared absorption channels constructed from VIIRS-CrIS data fusion

“…For instance, VIIRS does not take measurements in the broad 6.7-µm water vapor band or the 15-µm CO 2 band that are useful for both cloud thermodynamic phase and semitransparent ice cloud height retrievals (Baum et al 2012). µm channels are used in the CO 2 slicing approach that was implemented in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products (Menzel et al, 2008;Baum et al 2012) and High resolution Infrared Radiometer Sounder (HIRS) products (Menzel et al 2016). Fortunately, these IR channels are available on the hyperspectral IR sensor called the Crosstrack Infrared Sounder (CrIS), also on 20 the S-NPP and NOAA-20 platforms.…”