1. FY08 GIMPAP Project Proposal Title Page

1. 1. FY08 GIMPAP Project Proposal Title Page • Title: GOES-Sounder Cloud Property Climate Data Records • Project Type: GOES Utilization Proposal • Status: New Start • Duration: 2 years • Leads: • Bryan A. Baum (SSEC/CIMSS) • Other Participants: • Anthony Schreiner (CIMSS) • CIMSS support (web page development, IT)

2. 2. Project Summary • Generate consistent, hourly, long-term (since September,1994) climate data records of GOES Sounder cloud properties, including cloud-top pressure, and effective cloud amount (cloud emittance multiplied by cloud fraction) • Incorporate improvements to algorithms, including use of surface emittance maps, updates to calibration, modification of transmittance model to 101 levels from the current 40 pressure levels, and more • From the climate data records (CDRs), develop hourly baseline of diurnal cloud properties over monthly, seasonal (3 months), and annual time periods • Development of baseline for diurnal cloud properties (stratified by cloud type) will be critical for transitioning to GOES-R series when a sounder may not be available • Compare with other cloud climatologies such as PATMOS-x (cloud climatology derived from AVHRR data) and the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) • Publish results through journal publications; provide CDRs through dedicated CIMSS web site

3. 3. Motivation/Justification • Supports NOAA Mission Goal(s): - Climate: Understand climate variability and change - Weather and Water: Assess historical record and impact of potential changes in cloud properties over CONUS • In the event that cloud properties were to change persistently over CONUS, the question is: Who would notice? Our goal is to establish a baseline, and then look for departures weekly, monthly, and annually. • Requires well-documented record of cloud property CDRs to enable assessment of potential impact of regional changes over CONUS • Currently, modifications to processing affect only forward data product stream; this leads to numerous discontinuities in historical data product • No plan currently in place for reprocessing of historical data archive to mitigate discontinuities • Research would provide further insight into diurnal cloud properties through analysis of GOES cloud property CDRs over CONUS (very limited attention given to this topic in the literature) • Another benefit to establishing consistent set of cloud CDRs is that it would be useful for evaluating performance of general circulation and weather prediction models • Further establish baseline cloud property CDR climatology through intercomparison of GOES and POES products over CONUS

4. 4. Methodology • GOES Sounder cloud products are provided routinely at CIMSS for GOES-East and GOES-West; processing takes place within the McIDAS environment on a linux computer with limited resources (and is more than several years old) • Transition processing package to existing CIMSS multiprocessor linux cluster to greatly increase processing speed and available data storage (total GOES sounder data volume is approximately 500 GB, and increases by 18 GB/year per satellite) • Establish consistent set of CDRs for each GOES Sounder that is based on single field of view (SFOV) rather than 3x3 FOVs • Compare GOES East/West SFOV cloud top properties with those from CALIPSO and Cloudsat • Also compare GOES East/West cloud properties in overlap region to investigate inter-satellite consistency at high viewing angles • Provide results on-line through CIMSS web site developed for GOES cloud CDRs

5. 5. Summary of Previous Results • Until 2002, GOES cloud products were developed for 3x3 FOVs. Subsequently (2003-present), GOES cloud products are produced for single FOVs. The product resolution change introduces a step change in the products (see figure below). • Developed and implemented a technique to improve low-level cloud detection at sunrise and sunset; publication of journal article is imminent (Schreiner, A. J., S. A. Ackerman, B. A. Baum, and A. K. Heidinger: A multispectral technique for detecting low level cloudiness. In press, J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol.) Note the step change in cloud frequency beginning in early 2003. This is attributed to a change in sampling from 3x3 FOVs to the SFOV. Note: while the high cloud frequencies seem to be increasing, one cannot draw any conclusions without reprocessing the data to mitigate sampling changes and other coding changes over time

6. 6. Expected Outcomes • Transition GOES Sounder cloud processing software to dedicated linux platform, using NOAA coding standards similar to those being implemented for GOES-R cloud product development • Build capability to process the GOES Sounder radiance record as necessary to implement updates to the calibration, surface emissivity characterization, radiative transfer transmittance (forward) model, and more • Establish consistent, hourly, long-term (from 1994 to present) cloud property CDRs for GOES-8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 (east and west). • Establish protocol for consistent quality control on retrievals • Fully document processing history, calibration, and other changes incorporated in each version of CDRs • Successful completion of this work will entail the derivation of the cloud CDRs, documentation of the work, and the publication of at least one paper on the analysis of the products

7. 7. Major Milestones • FY08 • Organize GOES Sounder Level-1 data and ancillary data • Transition data processing software to existing linux cluster • Establish calibration record for each sounder • Document algorithms and ancillary data • Process entire data record and provide initial set of CDRs • Make CDRs available through dedicated CIMSS web site • FY09 • Improve cloud property CDRs by implementing code modifications one at a time • Analyze results of each new set of CDRs to gauge affect of each modification • Document changes between each new set of CDRs • Perform intercomparisons between GOES Sounder cloud heights and Calipso (active lidar) for selected time periods (leverage with GOES-R activity) • Automate process to compare newly derived cloud products to historical record to look for anomalies • Begin intercomparing cloud CDRs with those from PATMOS-x

8. 8. Funding Profile (K) • Summary of leveraged funding

9. 9. Expected Purchase Items • FY08 • $107K: STAR CIMSS Grant for 3 scientists at (0.25, 0.2, 0.2) time each from 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2008 Budget consists of: • Personnel support (including benefits, IT charges, overhead, etc): $93K • Contracts: N/A • Software charges: N/A • Equipment: $7K for dedicated data storage • Travel: 3K/year to disseminate results at a national conference • Publication charges: 1 article @ 4K per article • FY09 • $100K: STAR CIMSS Grant for 3 scientists at (0.25, 0.2, 0.2) time from 1/1/2009 to 12/31/2009 Budget consists of: • Personnel support (including benefits, IT charges, overhead, etc): $93K • Contracts: N/A • Software charges: N/A • Equipment: N/A • Travel: 3K/year to disseminate results at a national conference (includes SSEC indirect cost) • Publication charges: 1 article @ 4K per article (includes SSEC indirect cost)