Uncertainty in Fengyun-3C Microwave Humidity Sounder Measurements at 118 GHz With Respect to Simulations From GPS RO Data

Abstract

Microwave Humidity Sounder (MWHS) onboard the Chinese FengYun-3C satellite has a total of 12 channels. Eight of these channels are located near the 118-GHz oxygen absorption band for probing atmospheric temperature and humidity fields from space. While the water vapor sounding channels near 183 GHz have been extensively studied in the past, we report the first satellite observations at 118 GHz. In this paper, the MWHS calibration accuracy is assessed by comparing the satellite observations with simulations. Using the collocated Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) radio occultation (RO) data in clear-sky conditions as inputs to Community Radiative Transfer Model, MWHS brightness temperatures are simulated for the five upper level sounding channels 2–9 located near the 118-GHz oxygen absorption band. For quality control of clear-sky radiance, a new cloud index is first developed based on the two MWHS window channels 1 and 10. Monthly mean biases of the antenna brightness temperature observations for the 118-GHz sounding channels are quantified by using more than 2000–5000 collocated COSMIC and MWHS data from August 2014 to February 2015. It is found that the bias of MWHS data relative to COSMIC RO simulation is dependent on channel and ranges within ±1.5 K. The standard deviation from the bias is the largest at MWHS channel 2, indicating a larger variability of the measurements of channel 2 than the other channels.