Microwave Satellite Remote Sensing of High -Latitude Atmospheric Water Vapour and Surface Properties

高纬度大气水汽及地表性质微波卫星遥感

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-05580
• 负责人: Duck, Thomas
• 金额: $ 2.19万
• 依托单位: Dalhousie University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=717302
• 关键词: Microwave; Satellite; Remote; Sensing; Latitude

Climate change is proceeding two to three times faster in the Arctic than elsewhere, leading to a 13% per decade reduction in September Arctic sea ice extent. The changes are driven by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, and are subject to feedback effects, especially from water vapour. Our understanding of water vapour at high latitudes is limited by accessibility difficulties on the ground and interference by clouds with most forms of satellite measurement. Microwave satellite measurements have strong potential for filling data gaps, and for helping to improve predictive capabilities. Twenty-eight years of passive microwave (183 GHz) measurements from a series of polar-orbiting instruments represents a significant, freely available, and under-utilized resource for remote sensing of the Arctic atmosphere and surface. An impediment to their use is the lack of well-developed algorithms needed to retrieve properties of geophysical interest including water vapour column, surface emissivity, and surface emitting layer temperature. Retrieved water vapour columns are systematically moister than modeled historical reanalyses, which decreases the utility of the measurements for geophysical research. I propose an ambitious plan to increase the quality of information obtained from microwave satellite measurements by developing innovative retrieval techniques, analyzing sources of error, and validating retrieved properties against other data sources. Should the observed water vapour bias hold up to further scrutiny, models of the Arctic environment would need to change, with consequences for climate and weather prediction. Full use of available satellite resources will require new theoretical approaches. We will use optimal estimation and machine learning, with an emphasis on artificial neural networks (ANNs), to create new retrievals. New software will be written to process satellite measurements and produce high-quality geophysical data products. The impact of errors induced by surface assumptions, clouds, and choice of radiative transfer model will be explored. Advanced error statistics will be obtained in conjunction with the assimilation system operated by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). The calculations will represent an important step toward the assimilation of surface-sensitive microwave radiances over land and sea ice that will help improve predictive capabilities. Measurement validation will include a wide range of surface station and aircraft data. Benefits to the research community will include advancements in microwave retrieval capabilities and publicly available validated online data sets for geophysical research. Contributions toward improved forecasts will benefit quality of life through better short-term (i.e., weather) and long-term (i.e., climate) predictions. Trainees and scientists ready for careers in Canada's environmental monitoring and space sciences communities will be developed.

北极地区气候变化的速度是其他地区的两到三倍，导致9月份北极海冰面积每十年减少13%。这些变化是由人为的二氧化碳排放驱动的，并受到反馈效应的影响，特别是来自水蒸气的反馈效应。我们对高纬度地区水蒸气的了解受到地面上难以接近的困难和大多数卫星测量方式受到云的干扰的限制。微波卫星测量在填补数据空白和帮助提高预测能力方面具有很大的潜力。