A Nonlinear Physical Retrieval Algorithm—Its Application to the GOES-8/9 Sounder

Abstract A nonlinear physical retrieval algorithm is developed and applied to the GOES-8/9 sounder radiance observations. The algorithm utilizes Newtonian iteration in which the maximum probability solution for temperature and water vapor profiles is achieved through the inverse solution of the nonlinear radiative transfer equation. The nonlinear physical retrieval algorithm has been tested for one year. It has also been implemented operationally by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service during February 1997. Results show that the GOES retrievals of temperature and moisture obtained with the nonlinear algorithm more closely agree with collocated radiosondes than the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) forecast temperature and moisture profile used as the initial profile for the solution. The root-mean-square error of the total water vapor from the solution first guess, which is the NCEP 12-h forecast (referred to ...

[1]  Claire L. Parkinson,et al.  Atlas of satellite observations related to global change , 1993 .

[2]  C. Rodgers,et al.  Retrieval of atmospheric temperature and composition from remote measurements of thermal radiation , 1976 .

[3]  W. Menzel,et al.  Introducing GOES-I: The First of a New Generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites , 1994 .

[4]  L. Larrabee Strow,et al.  Atmospheric infrared fast transmittance models: a comparison of two approaches , 1996, Optics + Photonics.

[5]  William L. Smith,et al.  Linear simultaneous solution for temperature and absorbing constituent profiles from radiance spectra. , 1991, Applied optics.

[6]  Charles G. Wade,et al.  An Evaluation of Problems Affecting the Measurement of Low Relative Humidity on the United States Radiosonde , 1994 .

[7]  William H. Press,et al.  Numerical Recipes: FORTRAN , 1988 .

[8]  J. R. Eyre,et al.  Inversion of cloudy satellite sounding radiances by nonlinear optimal estimation. I: Theory and simulation for TOVS , 1989 .

[9]  William L. Smith,et al.  NIMBUS-5 sounder data processing system, part I : measurement characteristics and data reduction procedures , 1974 .

[10]  Larry M. McMillin,et al.  Transmittances for the TIROS operational vertical sounder , 1981 .

[11]  R. Pratt.  Review of Radiosonde Humidity and Temperature Errors , 1985 .

[12]  G. S. Wade,et al.  Application of GOES-8/9 Soundings to Weather Forecasting and Nowcasting. , 1998 .

[13]  Timothy J. Schmit,et al.  Sounder bias correction of the east-west radiance gradient , 1996, Optics & Photonics.

[14]  William L. Smith,et al.  The Use of Eigenvectors of Statistical Covariance Matrices for Interpreting Satellite Sounding Radiometer Observations , 1976 .

[15]  Kenneth Levenberg.  A METHOD FOR THE SOLUTION OF CERTAIN NON – LINEAR PROBLEMS IN LEAST SQUARES , 1944 .

[16]  Christopher M. Hayden,et al.  GOES-VAS Simultaneous Temperature-Moisture Retrieval Algorithm , 1988 .

[17]  J. Sela,et al.  The Regional Analysis and Forecast System of the National Meteorological Center , 1989 .

[18]  D. Marquardt.  An Algorithm for Least-Squares Estimation of Nonlinear Parameters , 1963 .

[19]  J. R. Eyre,et al.  Inversion of cloudy satellite sounding radiances by nonlinear optimal estimation. II: Application to TOVS data , 1989 .

[20]  William L. Smith,et al.  The Retrieval of Atmospheric Profiles from VAS Geostationary Radiance Observations , 1983 .