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Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth’s Atmosphere II

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Atmospheric Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2023) | Viewed by 11894

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Guest Editor
Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis, National Research Council (IMAA/CNR), 85050 Tito Scalo, Potenza, Italy
Interests: cloud remote sensing; cloud radiative forcing; cloud detection and classification; cloud microphysical properties; surface solar irradiance
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Guest Editor
Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis, National Research Council (IMAA/CNR), 85100 Tito Scalo, PZ, Italy
Interests: satellite-data handling for meteorological studies with particular focus on cloud detection and classification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Remote sensing is an essential tool for the study of the climate system as it can measure the electromagnetic radiation emitted or reflected by the atmosphere and by surfaces. Remote sensing, especially in the infrared, has boomed over the past few years. This is the result of constant technical and technological developments, including space missions, which require the quality and reliability of satellite platforms and the measuring instruments they carry. In the last half-century, the observation of system improvements has been driven by the increasing demands for higher-resolution data for numerical models and the need for long-term measurements and global coverage. This has resulted in a growing demand for data access and the integration of data from an increasingly wide variety of observed system types and networks, as well as for atmospheric observations from satellite platforms. With the increase in observations, there is an improvement in the quantification of climatic variables (greenhouse gases, clouds, and aerosols), weather variables (water vapor, temperature, wind, and cloud cover), and the monitoring of air quality (particulate and gaseous pollution) or atmospheric chemistry (trace gases).

The Special Issue will present the latest advances in the advanced infrared observation of Earth's atmosphere, including innovative applications in meteorology, climatology and atmospheric physics, and a validation of retrievals based on independent measurements.

This Special Issue is the second edition of Special Issue: “Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth's Atmosphere”.

Dr. Filomena Romano
Dr. Elisabetta Ricciardelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • infrared observation
  • atmosphere
  • aerosol
  • clouds
  • greenhouse gases
  • water vapor profiles
  • temperature
  • monitoring air quality
  • atmospheric chemistry

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 9344 KiB  
Article
The Evaluation of FY-3E Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder-II Long-Wave Temperature Sounding Channels
by Jing Huang, Gang Ma, Guiqing Liu, Juan Li and Hua Zhang
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(23), 5525; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15235525 - 27 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 577
Abstract
Prior to assimilating hyperspectral infrared data on the FengYun (FY) satellite in the numerical weather prediction (NWP) system, it is necessary to identify the quality and bias characteristics of these data, especially as China’s first early-morning-orbit satellite data. Using the numerical model CMA-GFS [...] Read more.
Prior to assimilating hyperspectral infrared data on the FengYun (FY) satellite in the numerical weather prediction (NWP) system, it is necessary to identify the quality and bias characteristics of these data, especially as China’s first early-morning-orbit satellite data. Using the numerical model CMA-GFS (China Meteorological Administration Global Forecast System) and the observation of FY-3E HIRAS-II (Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder-II), the differences between observed and simulated brightness temperatures (O-Bs) are comprehensively analyzed, with a focus on evaluating the long-wave (LW) temperature sounding channels of HIRAS-II observation in the clear sky. The results show that the O-Bs in the LW channels are between ±1.0 K, except for the CO2 absorption line peak at 667 cm1. Only a tiny variation in O-Bs, with relative consistency, could be observed during the day, the line of dawn and dusk, and night. The difference in the standard deviations of O-Bs in the three cases is less than 0.1 K. The O-Bs of two typical channels (channels 14 and 47) in the stratosphere have disturbances at individual times, whereas the O-Bs are much more stable in time series in the tropospheric channels. The O-Bs in different channels show the characteristics of changing with the latitude, but the bias and standard deviations of O-Bs during the ascending and descending stages are not much different, except for the bias of channel 47 in low latitude. The optimal ranking of Fields of View (FOVs) in assimilation is derived from a priori analysis of O-Bs. The results demonstrate that FOV4 and FOV5 are the best in a Field of Regard (FOR) compared to all LW channels of HIRAS-II in constructions of their O-Bs and magnitude of O-B standard deviations, and they can be used as the preferred FOVs for assimilation. While the O-Bs in FOV1 and FOV2 are slightly larger, the O-Bs’ characteristics also meet the assimilation requirements and can be used as assimilation FOVs in HIRAS-II LW channels after FOV4 and FOV5 lose their efficacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth’s Atmosphere II)
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11 pages, 58376 KiB  
Communication
Effects of Temperature and Humidity on the Absorption Spectrum and Concentration of N2O Using an Open-Path Sensor System
by Jiahong Chen, Yuefeng Zhao, Zhihao Feng, Nan Zhang, Yanxuan Wang, Zhiqiang Shen, Zongmin Kang and Qingsong Li
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(22), 5390; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15225390 - 17 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 773
Abstract
This paper examines the effects of temperature and humidity on the absorption spectrum and concentration of nitrous oxide (N2O) using a compact, portable open optical-path gas detection sensor system. We obtained the absorption coefficient and widened the linear function [...] Read more.
This paper examines the effects of temperature and humidity on the absorption spectrum and concentration of nitrous oxide (N2O) using a compact, portable open optical-path gas detection sensor system. We obtained the absorption coefficient and widened the linear function of the N2O absorption spectrum related to temperature by theoretical analysis and the high-resolution transmission molecular absorption database (HITRAN). Afterward, we conducted real-time monitoring of N2O in both campus and laboratory environments using lasers for a duration of 32 h and 6 h, respectively, and the results were compared and analyzed with the theoretical derivation. The results show that the concentration of N2O increased with increasing environmental temperature but decreased with increasing humidity. Furthermore, the variations in temperature and humidity significantly affected the peak values of the second-harmonic (2f) and first-harmonic (1f) signals. Finally, the temperature N2O concentration and humidity N2O curves were calibrated separately, and temperature changes were positively correlated with the N2O concentration, while humidity changes were negatively correlated with the N2O concentration. The experimental results indicate that the concentration of N2O and its absorption spectra are influenced by humidity and temperature, which has a significant reference value in the absorption and measurement of N2O in practical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth’s Atmosphere II)
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26 pages, 4903 KiB  
Article
The MAMA Algorithm for Fast Computations of Upwelling Far- and Mid-Infrared Radiances in the Presence of Clouds
by Michele Martinazzo and Tiziano Maestri
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(18), 4454; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15184454 - 10 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1274
Abstract
A methodology for the computation of spectrally resolved upwelling radiances in the presence of atmospheric diffusive layers is presented. The algorithm, called MAMA (Martinazzo–Maestri), provides fast simulations over the whole longwave spectrum, with high accuracy, particularly for optically thin scattering layers like cirrus [...] Read more.
A methodology for the computation of spectrally resolved upwelling radiances in the presence of atmospheric diffusive layers is presented. The algorithm, called MAMA (Martinazzo–Maestri), provides fast simulations over the whole longwave spectrum, with high accuracy, particularly for optically thin scattering layers like cirrus clouds. The solution is obtained through a simplification of the multiple-scattering term in the general equation of the radiative transfer in a plane-parallel assumption. The scattering contribution is interpreted as a linear combination of the mean ambient radiances involved in the forward and back-scatter processes, which are multiplied by factors derived from the diffusive features of the layer. For this purpose, a fundamental property of the layer is introduced, named the angular back-scattering coefficient, which describes the fraction of radiation coming from a hemisphere and back-scattered into a specific direction (the observer in our case). This property, easily derived from the phase function of the particle size distribution, can be calculated from any generic single-scattering properties database, which allows for simple upgrades of the reference optical properties within the code. The paper discusses the solutions for mean upward and downward ambient radiances and their use in the simplification of the general radiative transfer equation for thermal infrared. To assess the algorithm performance, the results obtained with the MAMA code are compared with those derived with a discrete ordinate-based radiative transfer model for a large range of physical and optical properties of ice and liquid water clouds and for multiple atmospheric conditions. It is demonstrated that, for liquid water clouds, the MAMA code accuracy is mostly within 0.4 mW/(m2cm1sr) with respect to the reference code both at far- and mid-infrared wavelengths. Ice cloud spectra are also accurately simulated at mid-infrared for all realistic cloud cases, which makes the MAMA code suitable for the analysis of any spectral measurements of current satellite infrared sounders. At far infrared, the MAMA accuracy is excellent when ice clouds with an optical depth of less than 2 are considered, which is particularly valuable since cirrus clouds are one of the main targets of the future mission FORUM (Far-infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring) of the European Space Agency. In summary, the MAMA method allows computations of cloudy sky high-resolution radiances over the full longwave spectrum (4–100 μm) in less than a second (for pre-computed gas optical depths and on a standard personal computer). The algorithm exploits the fundamental properties of the scattering layers, and the code can be easily updated in relation to new scattering properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth’s Atmosphere II)
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25 pages, 10789 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study of the Atmospheric Gas Composition Detection Capabilities of FY-3D/HIRAS-I and FY-3E/HIRAS-II Based on Information Capacity
by Mengzhen Xie, Mingjian Gu, Chunming Zhang, Yong Hu, Tianhang Yang, Pengyu Huang and Han Li
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(16), 4096; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15164096 - 20 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 950
Abstract
Fengyun-3E (FY-3E)/Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder-II (HIRAS-II) is an extension Fengyun-3D (FY-3D)/HIRAS-I. It is crucial to fully explore and analyze the detection capabilities of these two instruments for atmospheric gas composition. Based on the observed spectral data from the infrared hyperspectral detection instruments FY-3D/HIRAS-I [...] Read more.
Fengyun-3E (FY-3E)/Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder-II (HIRAS-II) is an extension Fengyun-3D (FY-3D)/HIRAS-I. It is crucial to fully explore and analyze the detection capabilities of these two instruments for atmospheric gas composition. Based on the observed spectral data from the infrared hyperspectral detection instruments FY-3D/HIRAS-I and FY-3E/HIRAS-II, simulated radiance data and Jacobian matrices are obtained using the Rapid Radiative Transfer Model RTTOV (Radiative Transfer for TOVS (TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder)). By perturbing temperature (T), surface temperature (Tsurf), water vapor (H2O), ozone (O3), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrous oxide (N2O), the brightness temperature differences before and after the perturbations are calculated to analyze the sensitivity of temperature and various atmospheric gas components. The Improved Optimal Sensitivity Profile (OSP) algorithm is used to select the channels for atmospheric gas retrieval. The observation error covariance and background error covariance matrices are calculated, and then the information capacity is calculated, specifically the degrees of freedom for signal(DFS) and the entropy reduction (ER). Based on this, a comparative analysis is conducted on the information capacity of atmospheric water vapor and ozone components contained in the hyperspectral detection data from HIRAS-I and HIRAS-II instruments, respectively, to explore the retrieval capabilities of the two instruments for atmospheric gas components. We selected clear-sky data from the African oceanic region and the Chinese Yangtze River Delta terrestrial region for quantitative analysis of the information capacity of HIRAS-I and HIRAS-II. The results show that FY-3D/HIRAS-I and FY-3E/HIRAS-II exhibit different sensitivities to atmospheric gas components. In different experimental regions, temperature and water vapor show the most dramatic sensitivity changes, followed by ozone, methane, and nitrous oxide, while carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide exhibit the lowest variability. Regarding channel selection, HIRAS-II identifies more gas channels compared to HIRAS-I. The experiments concluded that HIRAS-II has a significantly higher information capacity than HIRAS-I, and the information capacity of atmospheric gas components varies across different experimental regions. Water vapor and ozone exhibit the highest information capacity, followed by nitrous oxide and methane, while carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide demonstrate the lowest capacity. The H2O ER (DFS) contained in FY-3E/HIRAS-II is 1.51 (0.35) higher than that in FY-3D/HIRAS-I, the O3 ER (DFS) in FY-3E/HIRAS-II is 1.51 (0.36) higher than that in FY-3D/HIRAS-I, while the N2O ER (DFS) in FY-3E/HIRAS-II is 0.17 (0.19) higher and the CH4 ER (DFS) is 0.07 (0.04) higher than that in FY-3D/HIRAS-I. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth’s Atmosphere II)
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19 pages, 9640 KiB  
Article
Construction of the Global Reference Atmospheric Profile Database
by Yuhang Guo, Xiaoying Li, Tianhai Cheng, Shenshen Li, Xinyuan Zhang, Wenjing Lu and Weifang Fang
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(12), 3006; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15123006 - 08 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1287
Abstract
Atmospheric profiles are important input parameters for atmospheric radiative transfer models and atmospheric parameter inversions. The construction of regionally representative reference atmospheric profiles can provide basic data for global atmospheric and environmental research. Most reference atmospheric profile databases commonly used lag behind in [...] Read more.
Atmospheric profiles are important input parameters for atmospheric radiative transfer models and atmospheric parameter inversions. The construction of regionally representative reference atmospheric profiles can provide basic data for global atmospheric and environmental research. Most reference atmospheric profile databases commonly used lag behind in updating frequency. These databases usually have limited spatial and temporal resolution and differ greatly from the real atmospheric state. To present the real atmospheric state, this article constructs the Global Reference Atmospheric Profile Database (GRAP) based on ACE-FTS satellite products of 2021 and 2022, AIRS satellite products and ERA5 reanalysis data of 2022 u6sing a random forest regression model and a hierarchical mean algorithm. The radiance spectrum of FY-3E HIRAS-II using different profile databases was simulated and compared with the measured spectrum. The results show that GRAP spectral simulations fit better with the measured HIRAS-II spectrum. Comparing the CO2, CH4, O3 and N2O profiles of GRAP, AFGL, MIPAS, RTTOV and NDACC ground station profiles in equatorial, mid-latitude summer and polar winter, the results show that GRAP has high spatial and temporal resolution and better fits the current real atmospheric state. Comparing the temperature profiles of eight regions in China, the results illustrate that GRAP is a better representation of the state of the atmosphere in the Chinese region. GRAP can provide fundamental atmospheric data for radiative transfer studies and atmospheric parameter inversions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth’s Atmosphere II)
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20 pages, 14270 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Bias in Fengyun-4B/AGRI Infrared Observations Using RTTOV
by Zhi Zhu, Chunxiang Shi and Junxia Gu
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(5), 1224; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15051224 - 22 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1587
Abstract
As China’s first operational second-generation geostationary satellite, Fengyun-4B carries the newly developed Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI), which adds a low-level water vapor detection channel and an adjusted spectrum range of four channels to improve the quality of observation. To characterize biases of [...] Read more.
As China’s first operational second-generation geostationary satellite, Fengyun-4B carries the newly developed Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI), which adds a low-level water vapor detection channel and an adjusted spectrum range of four channels to improve the quality of observation. To characterize biases of the infrared (IR) channels of Fengyun-4B/AGRI, RTTOV was applied to simulate the brightness temperature of the IR channels during the period of Fengyun-4B trial operation (from June to November 2022) under clear-sky conditions based on ERA5 reanalysis, which may provide beneficial information for the operational applications of Fengyun-4B/AGRI, such as data assimilation and severe weather monitoring. The results are as follows: (1) due to the sun’s influence on the satellite instrument, the brightness temperature observations of the Fengyun-4B/AGRI 3.75 μm channel were abnormally high around 1500 UTC in October, although the data producer made efforts to eliminate abnormal data; (2) the RTTOV simulations were in good agreement with the observations, and the absolute mean biases of the RTTOV simulations were less than 1.39 K over the ocean, and less than 1.77 K over land, for all IR channels under clear-sky conditions, respectively; (3) for the variation of spatial distribution bias over land, channels 12–15 were more obvious than channels 9–11, which indicates that the skin temperature of ERA-5 reanalysis and surface emissivity may have greater spatial uncertainty than the water vapor profile; (4) the biases and standard deviations of Fengyun-4B/AGRI channels 9–15 had negligible dependence on the satellite zenith angles over the ocean, while the standard deviation of channels 8 and 12 had a positive correlation with satellite zenith angles when the satellite zenith angles were larger than 30°; and (5) the biases and standard deviations of Fengyun-4B/AGRI IR channels showed scene brightness temperature dependence over the ocean. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth’s Atmosphere II)
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26 pages, 8723 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Retrieval of Ozone Profiles Using FY-3D/HIRAS Infrared Hyperspectral Data
by Mengzhen Xie, Mingjian Gu, Yong Hu, Pengyu Huang, Chunming Zhang, Tianhang Yang and Chunlei Yang
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(4), 1009; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15041009 - 12 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1309
Abstract
Atmospheric ozone is a pollutant gas that has an important influence on the process of atmospheric radiation transmission and climate change. The Fengyun-3D (FY-3D) satellite Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder (HIRAS) has better spectral performance than other remote sensing payloads. Its observation radiation data [...] Read more.
Atmospheric ozone is a pollutant gas that has an important influence on the process of atmospheric radiation transmission and climate change. The Fengyun-3D (FY-3D) satellite Hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounder (HIRAS) has better spectral performance than other remote sensing payloads. Its observation radiation data contains abundant atmospheric vertical information, which can be used for ozone retrieval, but there are no ozone profile business products being generated at present. Therefore, for the mainland of Hong Kong, based on HIRAS infrared hyperspectral observation data, we used the traditional one-dimensional variational (1D-VAR) physical retrieval algorithm, combined with the radiative transfer model for TOVS (RTTOV), and selected the spectrum channel according to the optimal sensitive profile algorithm. The artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm was used to optimize the prior profiles, and the atmospheric ozone profile retrieval system was established. Finally, a set of ozone profile retrieval schemes suitable for FY-3D/HIRAS were summarized. We used ERA5 reanalysis data and World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre (WOUDC) data to determine true values. The retrieval results were compared with Global Forecast System (GFS) forecast data, Ozone Mapping and Profile Suite (OMPS) ozone products, and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) ozone products. The results show that our ozone profile retrieval scheme makes up for the shortcomings of the conventional physical methods in some atmospheric pressure levels. The overall root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the ozone from the ground to the top of the stratosphere is within 30% on average, which was better than that for the GFS forecast data; the retrieval accuracy RMSE (%) was less than 20% in the pressure layer with the highest ozone concentration (15–25 hPa), which is better than that of OMPS ozone products and AIRS ozone products. The retrieval results prove that FY3D/HIRAS observation data allow ozone profile retrieval. This paper provides a reference for generating independent HIRAS ozone profile product data sets in business, and provides support for the subsequent application of Fengyun-3 series meteorological satellites in atmospheric parameter remote sensing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth’s Atmosphere II)
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16 pages, 7640 KiB  
Article
The Potential of Monitoring Carbon Dioxide Emission in a Geostationary View with the GIIRS Meteorological Hyperspectral Infrared Sounder
by Qi Zhang, William Smith, Sr. and Min Shao
Remote Sens. 2023, 15(4), 886; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15040886 - 05 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1935
Abstract
With the help of various polar-orbiting environment observing platforms, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been well established on a global scale. However, the spatial and temporal pattern of the CO2 emission and its flux dependence on daily [...] Read more.
With the help of various polar-orbiting environment observing platforms, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been well established on a global scale. However, the spatial and temporal pattern of the CO2 emission and its flux dependence on daily human activity processes are not yet well understood. One of the limiting factors could be attributed to the low revisit time frequency of the polar orbiting satellites. With high revisiting frequency and CO2-sensitive spectrum, the Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS) onboard the Chinese FY-4A and FY-4B satellites have the potential to measure the CO2 concentration at a higher temporal frequency than polar-orbiting satellites. To provide a prototypical demonstration on the CO2 monitoring capability using GIIRS observations, a hybrid-3D variational data assimilation system is established in this research and a one-month-long experiment is conducted. The evaluations against the Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) analysis field and Orbiting Carbon Observatory -2/-3 (OCO-2/-3) CO2 retrieval products reveal that assimilating GIIRS observations can reduce the first guess’s CO2 concentration mean bias and standard deviation, especially over the lower troposphere (975–750 hPa) and improve the diurnal variation of near surface CO2 concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth’s Atmosphere II)
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20 pages, 5509 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Retrieval of Temperature and Humidity Profiles from Space-Based and Ground-Based Infrared Sounders Using an Optimal Estimation Method
by Huijie Zhao, Xiaohang Ma, Guorui Jia, Zhiyuan Mi and Huanlin Ji
Remote Sens. 2022, 14(20), 5256; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14205256 - 20 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1348
Abstract
The atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles of the troposphere are generally measured by radiosondes and satellites, which are essential for analyzing and predicting weather. Nevertheless, the insufficient observation frequencies and low detection accuracy of the boundary layer restricts the description of atmospheric state [...] Read more.
The atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles of the troposphere are generally measured by radiosondes and satellites, which are essential for analyzing and predicting weather. Nevertheless, the insufficient observation frequencies and low detection accuracy of the boundary layer restricts the description of atmospheric state changes by the temperature and humidity profiles. Therefore, this work focus on retrieving the temperature and humidity profiles using observations of the FengYun-4 (FY-4) Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS) combined with ground-based infrared spectral observations from the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), which are more accurate than space-based individual retrieval results and have a wider effective retrieval range than ground-based individual retrieval results. Based on the synergistic observations, which are made by matching the space-based and ground-based data with those of different spatial and temporal resolutions, a synergistic retrieval process is proposed to obtain the temperature and humidity profiles at a high frequency under clear-sky conditions based on the optimal estimation method. In this research, using the line-by-line radiative transfer model (LBLRTM) as the forward model for observing simulations, a retrieval experiment was carried out in Qingdao, China, where an AERI is situated. Taking radiosonde data as a reference for comparing the retrieval results of the temperature and humidity profiles of the troposphere, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the synergistic retrieval algorithm below 400 hPa is within 2 K for temperature and within 12% for relative humidity. Compared with the GIIRS individual retrieval, the RMSE of temperature and relative humidity for the synergistic method is reduced by 0.13–1.5 K and 2.7–4.4% at 500 hPa, and 0.13–2.1 K and 2.5–7.2% at 900 hPa. Moreover, the forecast index (FI) calculated from the retrieval results shows reasonable consistency with the FIs calculated from the ERA5 reanalysis and from radiosonde data. The synergistic retrieval results have higher temporal resolution than space-based retrieval results and can reflect the changes in the atmospheric state more accurately. Overall, the results demonstrated the promising potential of the synergistic retrieval of temperature and humidity profiles at high accuracy and high temporal resolution under clear-sky conditions from FY-4/GIIRS and AERI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Infrared Observation of Earth’s Atmosphere II)
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