Abstract
Continuous monitoring of the surface temperature is critical to understanding and forecasting Arctic climate change; as surface temperature integrates changes in the surface energy budget. The sea-ice surface temperature (IST) has been measured with optical and thermal infrared sensors for many years. With the IST Environmental Data Record (EDR) available from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) and future Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites; we can continue to monitor and investigate Arctic climate change. This work examines the quality of the VIIRS IST EDR. Validation is performed through comparisons with multiple datasets; including NASA IceBridge measurements; air temperature from Arctic drifting ice buoys; Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) IST; MODIS IST simultaneous nadir overpass (SNO); and surface air temperature from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis. Results show biases of −0.34; −0.12; 0.16; −3.20; and −3.41 K compared to an aircraft-mounted downward-looking pyrometer; MODIS; MODIS SNO; drifting buoy; and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis; respectively; root-mean-square errors of 0.98; 1.02; 0.95; 4.89; and 6.94 K; and root-mean-square errors with the bias removed of 0.92; 1.01; 0.94; 3.70; and 6.04 K. Based on the IceBridge and MODIS results; the VIIRS IST uncertainty (RMSE) meets or exceeds the JPSS system requirement of 1.0 K. The product can therefore be considered useful for meteorological and climatological applications.
Highlights
The Arctic has been warming at a greater rate than anywhere else on Earth, a trend that is projected to continue over the century [1]
This study presents the validation of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) ice surface temperature (IST) Environmental Data Record (EDR) with multiple datasets, including aircraft measurements, 2 m air temperature from Arctic drifting buoys, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) IST, and surface air temperatures from an atmospheric reanalysis product
The MODIS IST product has been validated with surface air temperatures from weather stations and from buoy air temperatures, with a reported root mean square error (RMSE) in the range of 1.2–1.3 K [12]
Summary
The Arctic has been warming at a greater rate than anywhere else on Earth, a trend that is projected to continue over the century [1]. Hall et al [12] adopted the Key et al [6] method for use with the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites Their validation yielded a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.2 K when compared to near-surface air temperature. IST is produced with the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite It is one of the official VIIRS products, or Environmental Data Records (EDR). This study presents the validation of the VIIRS IST EDR with multiple datasets, including aircraft measurements, 2 m air temperature from Arctic drifting buoys, MODIS IST, and surface air temperatures from an atmospheric reanalysis product. This work significantly extends the preliminary validation study of Key et al [18] by employing additional IST product inter-comparisons, thereby providing a robust evaluation of the operational VIIRS IST product
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