Limb Sensing, on the Path to Better Weather Forecasting.
Abstract
Earth limb observations from orbiting sensors have a rich history. The cold space background, long optical paths, and limb geometry provide formidable advantages for calibration, sensitivity and retrieval of vertically well-resolved geophysical parameters. The measurement of limb ray refraction now provides temperature and pressure profiles unburdened by requirements of spectral calibration or gas concentration knowledge, leading to reliable long-term trends. This talk discusses those advantages and our relevant achievements with data from the SOFIE instrument on the AIM satellite. We then describe a path to advances in calibration, sensitivity, profile fidelity, and synergy between limb sensors and nadir sounders. These advances also include small-sat compatible size, elimination of on-board calibration systems and simple static designs, dramatically reducing risk, complexity and cost. Finally, we show how these advances, made possible by modern ADCS, FPA and GPS capabilities, will lead to improvements in weather forecasting and climate observation.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017AGUFM.A43H2573G
- Keywords:
-
- 0305 Aerosols and particles;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE;
- 0340 Middle atmosphere: composition and chemistry;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE;
- 0341 Middle atmosphere: constituent transport and chemistry;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE;
- 0360 Radiation: transmission and scattering;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE