STAR Overview Briefing

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Center for Satellite Applications and Research
(STAR)
NOAA Contributions to Satellite Calibration and
the need for a National and International
Framework
Al Powell, Director
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Outline

• STARs Mission and Activities
• Challenges
• NOAA-NIST program to address satellite
  calibration issues for climate

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STARs Mission

• To provide NOAA with scientific research and
  development that transitions state-of-the-art
  satellite data systems, products, and services
  to operations for use by land, atmosphere, ocean,
  and climate user communities.

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STAR Activities

• STAR is engaged in product development,
  readiness, and applications with respect to
  satellites and satellite data
• STARs responsibilities include
• Developing algorithms and prototype software
  systems that are transitioned into the production
  of operational environmental satellite products
• Monitoring and improving instrument calibration
• Validating and analyzing products for weather and
  climate applications
• Overseeing the development of future satellite
  instruments and their requirements specifications
• STAR utilizes collaborative environments for
  product development
• Faster research to operations
• Interconnectivity across multiple satellite
  programs and NOAA offices

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STAR USER Community Connections
Decision makers, educators, analysts, farmers,
pilots, ...
National Center for Environmental Prediction
NOAA Goals Supported
Weather Water
Ecosystems
Critical Mission Support
Commerce Transportation
Climate
NOAA Acquisition Programs NPOESS (IVV) GOES-R
(AWG RR)
International Collaboration CGMS, WMO,
EUMETSAT Bilateral Agreements China, India
STAR
NOAA Projects NPOESS Data Exploitation
(NDE) Scientific Data Stewardship
NOAA Programs Corals, Climate, Ocean, etc
NASA
EPA
Air Force
NAVY
ARMY
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Mission Support to NOAA Programs

• Ecosystems
• NOAA CoastWatch Program
• Real-time distribution of regional SST, Ocean
  Color and Ocean Winds
• Coral Reef Watch Program
• Climate
• Integrated Climate Data Record Program
• Improved calibrated radiances
• Time Series of Ozone , Vegetation Condition
  (Drought), Hydrology, Temperature, Moisture,
  Radiation Budget, Clouds, Aerosols, and Carbon
• Reanalysis Project
• Data assimilation algorithms
• Radiative transfer models

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Mission Support to NOAA Programs

• Weather and Water
• Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation
• Radiative transfer models
• Surface emissivity models
• Cloud cleared hyperspectral infrared radiances
• Satellite Derived Winds
• Surface conditions
• Hazards
• Air Quality
• Forest Fires/Biomass Burning
• Commerce and Transportation
• Aviation Weather Satellite Applications
• Clear-sky turbulence
• Convective cloud conditions
• Icing
• Volcanic Ash

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STAR Support
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Support to Existing Observing Systems

• Calibration and validation across systems
• Pre-launch and post-launch support
• Data quality and algorithm improvement

Intersatellite Calibration
Instrument Calibration
In-Situ Systems
Product Validation
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SUPPORT TO PROTOTYPE AND QUASI-OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS
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Support to Future Observing Systems
GOES-R and NPOESS are the next generation of
environmental satellites. STARs work will
ensure data continuity and advanced products to
the benefit of all users

• Provide services to ensure accurate instrument
  data and algorithms from future sensors,
  involving
• calibration and validation
• algorithm development
• instrument performance specifications
• For
• Metop Instrument Functional Chain Teams (IFCT)
• NPOESS Operational Algorithm Teams (OAT)
• GOES-R Algorithm Working Group and Risk Reduction
  Plan
• Risk Reduction applied to acquisition programs,
  quasi-operational data use from non-NOAA
  satellites
• Developing data reduction techniques for user
  assimilation of hyperspectral data and climate
  data records

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Next Generation NOAA Satellite Observing Systems
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Future Challenges

• New satellites sensors, both domestic and
  international, will create new challenges
• Continuity of past, present, and future data for
  climate data records, calibration accuracy,
  stability of satellite sensors, reprocessing and
  analysis of long-term series for reproducible
  results
• Data assimilation methodologies for weather,
  climate, and oceans
• Hyperspectral technology applied to radiative
  transfer models and interpretation of spectral
  signatures
• New applications from advanced sensors, including
  water and air quality, trace gas monitoring, and
  coastal and ocean forecasts
• Generating blended products and
  multi-disciplinary algorithm development in
  support of GEOSS
• Working in a collaborative environment as new
  operational and research satellite data becomes
  available

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NOAA-NIST Joint Program Plan
Climate Calibration and Measurement
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Goal

• Reduced measurement uncertainties to meet climate
  monitoring requirements
• ?Accurate climate information for sound policy
  decisions
• Program Strategy
• NOAA and NIST partnership to leverage
  complementary expertise to broadened DoC
  portfolio on climate change
• Technical Strategy
• Improved instrument characterization and
  calibration
• Aerosols greenhouse gas measurements and
  standards
• Reference sites and satellite intercalibration

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BackgroundWhat is the problem?

• Unreliable estimates of climate trends due to
  uncertainties in
• pre-launch and post-launch characterization and
  standards
• instrument inter-calibration
• physical and chemical properties of atmospheric
  constituents
• No joint strategy to leverage DOCs unique
  capabilities to address these uncertainties
• Lack of a framework to relate climate
  observations with international standards to
  provide climate change information to
  policymakers

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Requirements are not being met!
Example Total Solar Irradiance
Total Solar Irradiance W/m2
Year
Target Precision 0.3 W m-2
Target Accuracy 1 W m-2
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Aerosols and GHGs are not understood
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What are the challenges?

• Instruments are complex and operate in a hostile
  environment.
• Opportunities to modify space instrumentation
  problems are on decadal scale.
• Integration of multiple observations
• different instruments
• different spectral ranges
• long time periods
• Gaps in critical chemical physical reference
  data (e.g. aerosols, Volatile Organic Compounds
  (VOCs), GreenHouse Gases (GHG)).

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Why a NOAA NIST Partnership?

• DoC is the lead agency on Global Climate Change
• Leverages NISTs core competencies in measurement
  science and standards
• Leverages NOAAs core competencies in climate
  monitoring and satellite remote sensing
• Partnership will ensure accurate climate data to
  underpin policy decisions

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NOAA-NIST Climate Calibration Measurement
Program
GOAL Reduced measurement uncertainties to meet
climate monitoring requirements
NOAA Lead
NIST Lead
In current NOAA program

IASI GHG maps (CO2, CO,
CH4)


CrIS GHG maps


VIIRS aerosol maps
Climate monitoring measurements, including
aerosols GHG
DATA MANAGEMENT

METOP/IASI cal/val system
Cal/Val Framework
NPP cal/val
system


NPOESS cal/val sys.
On-orbit cal/val and satellite intercalibration

Continue operations Marine
Optical Buoy (MOBY) for ocean color
Carbon
measurements from aircraft and towers coincident
with satellite
Benchmark balloon
measurements coincident with satellite overpass


Field campaigns
Reference sites vicarious calibration
Reference metrology standards for
critical atmospheric constituents

Reference data standards to validate
climate models


Lifecycles of aerosols


Mitigation Strategies
Chemical and physical reference standards for
aerosols GHGs
Pre-launch calibration standards

Post-launch calibration standards



Extra
terrestrial standards



Field standards
Standards for absolute instrument
characterization calibration
2008 2009 2010
2011 2012
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Benefits

• Accurate estimates of climate trends
• Joint strategy to leverage DOCs unique
  capabilities
• Framework to relate climate observations with
  international standards
• Ability to make sound policy decisions based on
  accepted accurate information

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Next Steps

• Develop joint NOAA-NIST program plan on Climate
  Calibration and Measurements
• Develop a National Roadmap to include other
  agencies and institutions
• Part of a coordinated international WMO effort --
  Global Space-based Intercalibration System
  (GSICS)