Chapter 8
Atmospheric Temperature Climate Data
Records from Satellite Microwave Sounders
Cheng-Zhi Zou
Abstract This chapter reviews the simultaneous nadir overpass (SNO) method to
remove time-varying inter-satellite biases at the swath level for developing a wellinter-calibrated Level-1c radiance fundamental climate data record (FCDR) from
the microwave sounding unit (MSU) and advanced MSU observations onboard
historical NOAA polar-orbiting satellite series. The SNO method has effectively
minimized scene temperature-dependent radiance biases and solar heating-related
instrument temperature variability in the radiances, resulting in global mean intersatellite biases of only 0.05–0.1 K. Twenty years of the SNO-calibrated Level-1c
radiances had been assimilated into the NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) and NASA Modern Era Retrospective analysis for Research and
Applications (MERRA) reanalysis, yielding much consistent bias correction
patterns across different satellites compared to those using prelaunch-calibrated
radiances.
The SNO-calibrated radiances were further used to generate the NOAA Center
for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) version of deep-layer atmospheric
temperature climate data record. The chapter reviews various residual bias correction algorithms for developing the STAR layer temperature time series, including
antenna pattern correction, limb adjustment, diurnal drift correction, geo-locationdependent bias removal, and channel frequency difference between MSU and
AMSU. With these adjustments, well-merged atmospheric temperature time series
were generated for climate change monitoring and research.
Keywords Simultaneous nadir overpass • Inter-satellite calibration • Microwave
sounding unit • Residual bias correction • Atmospheric temperature climate data
record • Long-term atmospheric temperature trends
C.-Z. Zou (*)
NOAA/NESDIS/Center for Satellite Applications and Research,
5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD 20740, USA
e-mail: cheng-zhi.zou@noaa.gov
J.J. Qu et al. (eds.), Satellite-based Applications on Climate Change,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5872-8_8, # Springer (outside the USA) 2013
107
Atmospheric Temperature Climate Data
Records from Satellite Microwave Sounders
Cheng-Zhi Zou
Abstract This chapter reviews the simultaneous nadir overpass (SNO) method to
remove time-varying inter-satellite biases at the swath level for developing a wellinter-calibrated Level-1c radiance fundamental climate data record (FCDR) from
the microwave sounding unit (MSU) and advanced MSU observations onboard
historical NOAA polar-orbiting satellite series. The SNO method has effectively
minimized scene temperature-dependent radiance biases and solar heating-related
instrument temperature variability in the radiances, resulting in global mean intersatellite biases of only 0.05–0.1 K. Twenty years of the SNO-calibrated Level-1c
radiances had been assimilated into the NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) and NASA Modern Era Retrospective analysis for Research and
Applications (MERRA) reanalysis, yielding much consistent bias correction
patterns across different satellites compared to those using prelaunch-calibrated
radiances.
The SNO-calibrated radiances were further used to generate the NOAA Center
for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) version of deep-layer atmospheric
temperature climate data record. The chapter reviews various residual bias correction algorithms for developing the STAR layer temperature time series, including
antenna pattern correction, limb adjustment, diurnal drift correction, geo-locationdependent bias removal, and channel frequency difference between MSU and
AMSU. With these adjustments, well-merged atmospheric temperature time series
were generated for climate change monitoring and research.
Keywords Simultaneous nadir overpass • Inter-satellite calibration • Microwave
sounding unit • Residual bias correction • Atmospheric temperature climate data
record • Long-term atmospheric temperature trends
C.-Z. Zou (*)
NOAA/NESDIS/Center for Satellite Applications and Research,
5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD 20740, USA
e-mail: cheng-zhi.zou@noaa.gov
J.J. Qu et al. (eds.), Satellite-based Applications on Climate Change,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5872-8_8, # Springer (outside the USA) 2013
107