TOVS Pathfinder Path B Atmospheric and Surface Parameters

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Scott, N.A.

Publication_Date: Unknown

Title: TOVS Pathfinder Path B Atmospheric and Surface Parameters

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Online_Linkage: http://mirador.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/mirador/presentNavigation.pl?project=TOVS&tree=project

Description:

Abstract:

This dataset contains the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) level 3 geophysical parameters derived using the classification method of Chedin and Scott (1985) and processed by the Atmopheric Radiation Analysis (ARA) group of the Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique (LMD) du CNRS (France). This method, which is a priori data-dependent but model-independent, was designated as the Path B scheme by the TOVS Pathfinder Science Working Group. The primary goal of Pathfinder is the production of consistently processed, long-term data sets for use in global change studies. Two of the three sounding instruments aboard the NOAA-xx series of Polar Orbiting Satellites are used to produce global, 1 degree by 1 degree fields of the 3-dimensional temperature-moisture structure of the atmosphere, namely, the 20 channel High resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder 2 (HIRS2) and the 4 channel Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU). In addition to profiles of temperature and moisture, the HIRS2/MSU radiances are used by the Path B methodology to derive surface skin temperature, surface microwave emissivity, cloud fraction, and cloudtop height and temperature. The basic premise behind the Path B technique involves deriving geophysical parameters from TOVS radiance data in a manner which is independent of the output from any hydrodynamic model forecast or analysis. It is based upon the Improved Initialization Inversion (3I) algorithm of Chedin et al.(1985), which relies on a pattern recognition approach to relate cloud-corrected radiances to geophysical parameters. The inversion of the radiative transfer equation comprises two steps, which each take satellite measurements as their data sources. The first step performs a library search to obtain a best initial profile out of a large selection of archived atmospheric situations classified in groups according to latitude and season. This library of atmospheres, called the Thermodynamic Initial Guess Retrieval (TIGR) data set, consists of 1800 situations selected by statistical methods out of 150,000 samples. Transmittances, radiances, and weighting functions for all sounding channels have been precalculated for each profile using the 4A line-by-line model of Scott and Chedin (1981). Calculations have been performed for multiple viewing angles, surface pressures, and surface types (land or sea). The optimal initial profile is that profile which minimizes the overall deviation of the cloud-corrected, observed brightness temperatures with the precomputed brightness temperatures stored in the TIGR database. The second step performs the inversion of the radiative transfer equation by means of a Bayesian-type direct estimation method (maximum a posteriori probability), which aims at minimizing the deviation between the cloud-cleared radiance observations and the radiances computed using the candidate atmospheric profile. See Chedin et al. (1985) for further details on the inversion methodology and the technique used to correct the observed radiances for the effects of clouds.

Purpose:

Not Available

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: Chedin, A., N. A. Scott, C. Wahiche and P. Moulinier 1985 The improved initialization inversion method: A high resolution physical method for temperature retrievals from satellites of the TIROS-N series J. Climate Appl. Meteor 24 128-143

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: Chedin, A., and N. A. Scott 1985 Initialization of the radiative transfer equation inversion problem from a pattern recognition type approach. Application to the satellite of the TIROS-N series Advances in Remote Sensing Retrieval Methods, A. Deepak, Ed., Academic Press 495-515

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: Scott, N. A., and A. Chedin 1981 A fast line-by-line method for atmospheric absorption computation: the Automatized Atmospheric Absorption Atlas J. Appl. Meteor 20 802-812

Time_Period_of_Content:

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Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 19861231

Ending_Date: 19910930

Currentness_Reference:Unknown

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -180.0

East_Bounding_Coordinate: 180.0

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 90.0

South_Bounding_Coordinate: -90.0

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD SCIENCE PARAMETERS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD PLATFORM

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD INSTRUMENT

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: PROJECT

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ANCILLARY KEYWORDS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO TOPIC CATEGORY

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > AIR TEMPERATURE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > SKIN TEMPERATURE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > SURFACE AIR TEMPERATURE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > VIRTUAL TEMPERATURE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR > PRECIPITABLE WATER

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD PROPERTIES > CLOUD FREQUENCY

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD PROPERTIES > CLOUD HEIGHT

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD PROPERTIES > CLOUD TOP PRESSURE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD PROPERTIES > CLOUD TOP TEMPERATURE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD PROPERTIES > CLOUD VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LAND TEMPERATURE > SKIN TEMPERATURE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > SURFACE RADIATIVE PROPERTIES > EMISSIVITY

Theme_Keyword: NOAA-10 > NATIONAL OCEANIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION-10

Theme_Keyword: HIRS/2 > HIGH RESOLUTION INFRARED RADIATION SOUNDER/2

Theme_Keyword: TOVS > TIROS OPERATIONAL VERTICAL SOUNDER

Theme_Keyword: MSU > MICROWAVE SOUNDING UNIT

Theme_Keyword: EOSDIS > EARTH OBSERVING SYSTEM DATA INFORMATION SYSTEM

Theme_Keyword: ESIP > EARTH SCIENCE INFORMATION PARTNERS PROGRAM

Theme_Keyword: NOAA/NASA PATHFINDER > NOAA/NASA PATHFINDER PROGRAM

Theme_Keyword: Atmospheric Layer Precip Water

Theme_Keyword: Atmospheric Layer Temperatures

Theme_Keyword: Climate Change

Theme_Keyword: Global Data

Theme_Keyword: Gridded Data

Theme_Keyword: Pathfinder

Theme_Keyword: Eosdis

Theme_Keyword: CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE

Theme_Keyword: GEOSCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD

Place_Keyword: GEOGRAPHIC REGION > GLOBAL

Place_Keyword: VERTICAL LOCATION > STRATOSPHERE > VERTICAL_LOCATION

Temporal:

Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD

Temporal_Keyword: Daily

Access_Constraints: Not Available

Use_Constraints:

Not Available

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: NOELLE SCOTT

Contact_Position: INVESTIGATOR

Contact_Position: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique

Address: Ecole Polytechnique

City: Palaiseaux Cedex

Postal_Code: 1128

Country: FRANCE

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 33-1-69 33 45 32

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 33-1-69 33 30 05

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: nas@jungle.polytechnique.fr

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

Not Available

Logical_Consistency_Report:

Not Available

Completeness_Report:

Not Available

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

Not Available

Process_Date: Unknown

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Geographic:

Latitude_Resolution: 1 deg

Longitude_Resolution: 1 deg

Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees

Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Altitude_System_Definition:

Altitude_Datum_Name: Not Available

Altitude_Resolution: 9 layers

Altitude_Distance_Units: Not Available

Altitude_Encoding_Method: Implicit coordinate

Depth_System_Definition:

Depth_Datum_Name: Not Available

Depth_Resolution: 9 layers

Depth_Distance_Units: Not Available

Depth_Encoding_Method: Implicit coordinate

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/GCDC/GESDISC > Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (formerly Goddard DAAC), Global Change Data Center, Earth Sciences Division, Science and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA

Contact_Person: GES DISC HELP DESK SUPPORT GROUP

Contact_Position: DATA CENTER CONTACT

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center

Address: Code 610.2

Address: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

City: Greenbelt

State_or_Province: MD

Postal_Code: 20771

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 301-614-5224

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 301-614-5268

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: gsfc-help-disc@lists.nasa.gov

Resource_Description: TOVS Pathfinder Daily Path B Grids

Resource_Description: TOVS Pathfinder 5-Day Path B Grids

Resource_Description: TOVS Pathfinder Monthly Path B Grids

Distribution_Liability:

Not Available

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Format_Name: Not Available

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Access_Instructions:

DATA CENTER URL

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://mirador.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/mirador/prese...

Access_Instructions:

Access TOVS Path B Data Organized by Data Product Groups.

Fees: Not Available

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date:

Metadata_Review_Date: 20110406

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: GCMD User Support Office

Contact_Organization: NASA Global Change Master Directory

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: Not Available

City: Lanham

State_or_Province: MD

Postal_Code: 20706

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: Not Available

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: gcmduso@gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Time_Convention: local time