GCOM-C Data Validation Plan for Land, Atmosphere, Ocean, and Cryosphere

Abstract

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch an Earth observing satellite for climate studies named “Global Change Observation Mission – Climate (GCOM-C)” in 2017 which carries a multi-spectral optical sensor named Second-Generation Global Imager (SGLI). The GCOM-C satellite will observe various geophysical variables such as vegetation, land surface temperature, aerosol, clouds, ocean color, sea surface temperature, snow cover extent, snow grain size and so on. The objectives of the SGLI observations are to elucidate the roles of the geophysical variables in the recent changing Earth's climate system and to establish long-term satellite data record of the variables. Three kinds of target accuracies to be achieved for the SGLI observations are defined for evaluating the success of the GCOM-C satellite mission. First one is the minimum thresholds to be achieved for the first SGLI data release at one year after the launch of GCOM-C. Second and third thresholds are the standard and goal accuracies to be achieved at five years after the launch for evaluating the full and extra success of the mission. The target accuracies for individual SGLI products are available at the GCOM-C web site (http://suzaku.eorc.jaxa.jp/GCOM_C/index.html). The quality and accuracies of SGLI products are planned to be evaluated and maintained through validation activities organized by the SGLI validation team consisting of JAXA and SGLI principal investigators (PIs). Uncertainties of the SGLI data products will be characterized through the comparison with in-situ observations, similar products derived from other satellites, climatological data, and/or numerical model simulations. This paper summarizes the overall validation plan for the SGLI geophysical variable products.