Evaluation of MISR and MODIS IR arctic wind retrievals relative to rawinsondes

The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) provides a unique source of purely geometric arctic wind observations insensitive to temperature inversions. From aboard the Terra satellite, MISR wind retrievals are height resolved to within a few hunded meters and provide accuracy to within a few meters per second. Here, the performance of MISR wind retrievals is evaluated relative to a number of collocated arctic rawinsonde sites, and relative to collocated MODIS IR wind retrievals. Attention is paid not only to bias and root-mean-square error relative to RAOB, but also to wind variability, cloud regimes observed, and cloud height accuracy relative to RAOB indicated cloud presence. Initial findings show enhanced wind retrieval accuracy relative to MODIS, as a likely result of more accurate wind height registration. Assimilation of MISR data into arctic weather forecasting is the ultimate goal.