Cloud mask algorithm from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-CM products
<p>The EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) satellite mission will provide new insights into aerosol–cloud–radiation interactions by means of synergistic observations of the Earth's atmosphere from a collection of active and passive remote sensing instruments, flying...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
| Online Access: | https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/16/2821/2023/amt-16-2821-2023.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797809791466209280 |
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| author | A. Hünerbein S. Bley S. Horn S. Horn H. Deneke A. Walther |
| author_facet | A. Hünerbein S. Bley S. Horn S. Horn H. Deneke A. Walther |
| author_sort | A. Hünerbein |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>The EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) satellite mission will provide new insights into aerosol–cloud–radiation interactions by means of synergistic observations of the Earth's atmosphere from a collection of active and passive remote sensing instruments, flying on a single satellite platform. The Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) will provide visible and infrared images in the cross-track direction with a 150 km swath and a pixel sampling at 500 m. The suite of MSI cloud algorithms will deliver cloud macro- and microphysical properties complementary to the vertical profiles measured from the Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID) and the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) instruments. This paper provides an overview of the MSI cloud mask algorithm (M-CM) being developed to derive the cloud flag, cloud phase and cloud type products, which are essential inputs to downstream EarthCARE algorithms providing cloud optical and physical properties (M-COP) and aerosol optical properties (M-AOT). The MSI cloud mask algorithm has been applied to simulated test data from the EarthCARE end-to-end simulator and satellite data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) as well as from the Spinning Enhanced Visible InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI). Verification of the MSI cloud mask algorithm to the simulated test data and the official cloud products from SEVIRI and MODIS demonstrates a good performance of the algorithm. Some discrepancies are found, however, for the detection of thin cirrus clouds over bright surfaces like desert or snow. This will be improved by tuning of the thresholds once real observations are available.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:58:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-95541c9d79ae4302ab50f978482ca70f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1867-1381 1867-8548 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:58:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
| spelling | doaj.art-95541c9d79ae4302ab50f978482ca70f2023-06-07T05:30:13ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Measurement Techniques1867-13811867-85482023-06-01162821283610.5194/amt-16-2821-2023Cloud mask algorithm from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-CM productsA. Hünerbein0S. Bley1S. Horn2S. Horn3H. Deneke4A. Walther5Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Processes, Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Leipzig, GermanyRemote Sensing of Atmospheric Processes, Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Leipzig, GermanyRemote Sensing of Atmospheric Processes, Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Leipzig, GermanyMeteologix AG, Sattel, SwitzerlandRemote Sensing of Atmospheric Processes, Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Leipzig, GermanyCooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, Madison, WI, United States<p>The EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) satellite mission will provide new insights into aerosol–cloud–radiation interactions by means of synergistic observations of the Earth's atmosphere from a collection of active and passive remote sensing instruments, flying on a single satellite platform. The Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) will provide visible and infrared images in the cross-track direction with a 150 km swath and a pixel sampling at 500 m. The suite of MSI cloud algorithms will deliver cloud macro- and microphysical properties complementary to the vertical profiles measured from the Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID) and the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) instruments. This paper provides an overview of the MSI cloud mask algorithm (M-CM) being developed to derive the cloud flag, cloud phase and cloud type products, which are essential inputs to downstream EarthCARE algorithms providing cloud optical and physical properties (M-COP) and aerosol optical properties (M-AOT). The MSI cloud mask algorithm has been applied to simulated test data from the EarthCARE end-to-end simulator and satellite data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) as well as from the Spinning Enhanced Visible InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI). Verification of the MSI cloud mask algorithm to the simulated test data and the official cloud products from SEVIRI and MODIS demonstrates a good performance of the algorithm. Some discrepancies are found, however, for the detection of thin cirrus clouds over bright surfaces like desert or snow. This will be improved by tuning of the thresholds once real observations are available.</p>https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/16/2821/2023/amt-16-2821-2023.pdf |
| spellingShingle | A. Hünerbein S. Bley S. Horn S. Horn H. Deneke A. Walther Cloud mask algorithm from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-CM products Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
| title | Cloud mask algorithm from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-CM products |
| title_full | Cloud mask algorithm from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-CM products |
| title_fullStr | Cloud mask algorithm from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-CM products |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cloud mask algorithm from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-CM products |
| title_short | Cloud mask algorithm from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-CM products |
| title_sort | cloud mask algorithm from the earthcare multi spectral imager the m cm products |
| url | https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/16/2821/2023/amt-16-2821-2023.pdf |
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