A global, multi-sensor based, water-vapor data base from ERS-2, ENVISAT and Terra/Aqua measurements for model evaluation and data assimilation

• Antragsteller: Dr. Rüdiger Lang
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Physik und Chemie der Atmosphäre
• Förderung: Förderung in 2005
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 5444583

A multi-sensor based 3D water-vapor product will be developed using satellite remote sensing data from instruments situated on ESA¿s ERS-2 and ENVISAT and NASA¿s Terra/Aqua satellite platforms. The main instruments on both platforms capable of providing water vapor (WV) over various surface types and for different parts of the atmosphere are GOME (ERS-2), SCIAMACHY, MERIS (all Envisat), MWR (ERS-2 and Envisat) and MODIS (Terra and Aqua). These instruments cover wavelength regions from the visible part of the spectrum to the microwave region. They measure the back-scattered solar radiation or the emitted thermal radiation in both nadir and limb (SCIAMACHY) mode at significantly different spatial resolution, spatial coverage and comprising different time periods. An optimized data-base will be constructed by evaluating the highest quality WV data product in 3D space from a full information content study of the individual retrievals and by an optimized synergistic use of complementary data-sets. The database will offer WV fields products covering various requirements for model evaluation and data assimulation, from meso scale to large scale models. WV quantities will be provided in conjunction with covariance matrices to allow an optimal assimilation of the data in offline transport models, as well as for sophisticated evaluations of general circulation and chemical transport online model output. WV products from the targeted instruments are not operationally assimilated in the ECMWF and NCEP reanalysis and forecast data will therefore provide an independent WV data source.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen