Numerical Radiative Transfer Model Research Articles

HABLAN: Multispectral and multiangular remote sensing of artificial light at night from high altitude balloons

Some studies have established statistical links between Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) and the risk associated with diseases such as hormone-dependent Cancers (HDC). These links have been identified in part under a yellowish lighting regime and with space-borne images that only detect light travelling upward and that are often blind to the blue or the shorter wavelengths of the visible spectrum. The use of colour images taken by astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) can detect the blue component of ALAN but it is still restricted to the upward light emissions. It may be expected that the light travelling near horizontal is even more correlated to HDC. Therefore, it is essential to develop multispectral and multiangular remote sensing techniques of ALAN. To achieve this, we suggested a new experiment to observe ALAN from the stratosphere during High Altitude Balloon (HAB) flights. The system use multiple colour cameras to picture a city at different viewing angles and in the three RGB bands (Red, Green and Blue bands). The ultimate goal of the project is to provide better remote sensing data as inputs to numerical radiative transfer models. The model may then be used to infer health risks associated with ALAN. Stratospheric remote sensing makes it possible to measure large areas in a short period of time at low cost compared to space-borne methods. The system High Altitude Balloon Light At Night (HABLAN) was designed to achieve that goal. The first HABLAN experiments were carried out aboard balloon flights of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) as part of their STRATOS program. In this paper, we present the experimental concept of the HABLAN system and we show some preliminary results.

Forward modelling of synthetic aperture radar backscatter from lake ice over Canadian Subarctic Lakes

Lake ice provides important social and economic services to local communities, in addition to being a sensitive indicator of climate change. The reduction of ground observations of freshwater ice has led to an increased reliance on the use of satellite remote sensing data. There is currently interest in the retrieval of lake ice properties (e.g., ice thickness, bubble radius, roughness) using synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Roughness at the ice-water interface is particularly important as it has been identified as the dominant mechanism for increasing SAR backscatter throughout the ice season and must be considered in numerical radiative transfer models. Therefore, this study determines optimal ice-water interface roughness height for two subarctic lakes in northern Canada and models backscatter throughout two ice seasons using the snow microwave radiative transfer (SMRT) model. The two lakes for this study are Noell Lake and Malcolm Ramsay Lake. Field observations of ice thickness, snow depth, snow density, and the Canadian Lake Ice Model (CLIMo) are used to parameterize SMRT. Modelled L, C, and X-band backscatter at different incidence angles is assessed using SAR imagery from multiple satellite missions. Root mean square errors ranged from 0.38 to 1.45 dB for Noell Lake and 0.70 to 2.33 dB for Malcolm Ramsay Lake. Discrepancies between modelled and observed backscatter were found to be connected to the representation of roughness at different interfaces within the ice column and changes that occurred during freeze-melt events. These results provide insight into how changes in ice properties impact backscatter throughout the ice season. SMRT is valuable for modelling backscatter from lake ice during the cold season and could be used to develop retrieval algorithms for estimating ice-water interface roughness. This would allow for the development of other inversion models for retrieval of surface ice conditions and ice thickness.

Numerical modelling of radiative heat transfer in a polydispersion of ceramic particles under direct high-flux solar irradiation

The effects of polydispersity on radiative and interfacial convective heat transfer are investigated in particle–gas two-phase media for solar particle receiver applications. Non-grey radiative transfer is analysed using the collision-based Monte Carlo ray-tracing method. The Mie theory is employed to calculate radiative properties of particles. The finite volume method and the explicit Euler time integration scheme are used to solve the transient energy equations for the particle and gas phases. Three alternative approaches to modelling particle properties and thermal conditions are employed: (i) a novel discrete size model, in which particle groups within discrete size intervals are assigned individual properties and temperatures locally; (ii) a lumped size model, in which integral properties and a single temperature are assigned to the particle phase locally; and (iii) a monodisperse size model, in which properties are evaluated for the Sauter mean diameter of the polydispersion and a single temperature is assigned to the particle phase locally. Strongly size-dependent radiation absorption and interfacial convective heat transfer are predicted with the discrete size model for alumina particles. Particles smaller than 27.4μm located near the aperture absorb the solar irradiation and transfer heat to the gas phase most effectively. The angular spread of the incident solar radiation is found to have a negligible effect on the overall absorption, although the most uniform thermal conditions occur for the solar irradiation with the smallest confinement angle. The overall absorptance of alumina particles is higher by 3.4% and 2.7% than that of iron (III) oxide and mullite particles, respectively. The lumped and monodisperse size models allow for reduction of the computational time at the expense of lower accuracy and limited information about particle properties and thermal conditions.

Sensitivity Analysis and Optimization of a Radiative Transfer Numerical Model for Turbid Lake Water

Remote sensing can detect and map algal blooms. The HydroLight (Sequoia Scientific Inc., Bellevue, Washington, DC, USA) model generates the reflectance profiles of various water bodies. However, the influence of model parameters has rarely been investigated for inland water. Moreover, the simulation time of the HydroLight model increases as the amount of input data increases, which limits the practicality of the HydroLight model. This study developed a graphical user interface (GUI) software for the sensitivity analysis of the HydroLight model through multiple executions. The GUI software stably performed parameter sensitivity analysis and substantially reduced the simulation time by up to 92%. The GUI software results for lake water show that the backscattering ratio was the most important parameter for estimating vertical reflectance profiles. Based on the sensitivity analysis results, parameter calibration of the HydroLight model was performed. The reflectance profiles obtained using the optimized parameters agreed with observed profiles, with R2 values of over 0.98. Thus, a strong relationship between the backscattering coefficient and the observed cyanobacteria genera cells was identified.

An Evaluation of Radiative Transfer Simulations of Cloudy Scenes from a Numerical Weather Prediction Model at Sub-Millimetre Frequencies Using Airborne Observations

The Ice Cloud Imager (ICI) will be launched on the next generation of EUMETSAT polar-orbiting weather satellites and make passive observations between 183 and 664 GHz which are sensitive to scattering from cloud ice. These observations have the potential to improve weather forecasts through direct assimilation using "all-sky" methods which have been successfully applied to microwave observations up to 200 GHz in current operational systems. This requires sufficiently accurate representations of cloud ice in both numerical weather prediction (NWP) and radiative transfer models. In this study, atmospheric fields from a high-resolution NWP model are used to drive radiative transfer simulations using the Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator (ARTS) and a recently released database of cloud ice optical properties. The simulations are evaluated using measurements between 89 and 874 GHz from five case studies of ice and mixed-phase clouds observed by the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) BAe-146 research aircraft. The simulations are strongly sensitive to the assumed cloud ice optical properties, but by choosing an appropriate ice crystal model it is possible to simulate realistic brightness temperatures over the full range of sub-millimetre frequencies. This suggests that sub-millimetre observations have the potential to be assimilated into NWP models using the all-sky method.

Modeling the forecasted power of a photovoltaic generator using numerical weather prediction and radiative transfer models coupled with a behavioral electrical model

The intermittency of the solar radiation is the big challenger for the management of electrical SMART GRID network. So the forecasting of the solar radiation remains the crucial objective to anticipate the injection of the electrical power produced by a photovoltaic generator. In this study, we use the Numerical Weather Prediction model WRF coupled to a radiative transfer model libRadtran to forecast the global, direct and diffuse solar radiations. The NMM core of WRF model was used to predict the vertical profiles of the atmospheric meteorological parameters such as liquid and ice water concentration, cloud cover, relative humidity, temperature, etc. These data are used as input in libRadtran to calculate the hourly solar radiations components (Direct, Diffuse and Global) in real meteorological situations. The radiation values are obtained on regular geographical grid points. A behavioral electrical power model is used to compute the electrical power produced by a photovoltaic generator located at the Center of Development of Renewable Energy in the city of Algiers in Algeria. The comparative study shows well that the results are very encouraging.

The art of modelling CO, [C i], and [C ii] in cosmological galaxy formation models

The advent of new sub-millimeter observational facilities has stimulated the desire to model the sub-mm line emission of galaxies within cosmological galaxy formation models. This is typically done in post-processing by applying sub-resolution recipes to describe the properties of the unresolved interstellar medium. At the same time, while there is freedom in how one implements these sorts of recipes, the impact of various choices has yet to be systematically explored in simulations. In this paper, we do just that. We combine a semi-analytic model of galaxy formation with chemical equilibrium networks and numerical radiative transfer models and explore how different choices for the sub-grid modeling affect the predicted CO, [CI], and [CII] emission of galaxies. We find that a key component for a successful model includes a molecular cloud mass-size relation and scaling for the ultraviolet and cosmic ray radiation field that varies based on local ISM properties. Our most successful model adopts a Plummer profile for the radial density distribution of gas within molecular clouds. On the other hand, different assumptions for the clumping of gas within molecular clouds and changes in the slope of the molecular cloud mass distribution function hardly affect the CO, [CI], and [CII] luminosities of galaxies. At fixed star-formation rate the [CII]-SFR ratio of galaxies scales inversely with the pressure acting on molecular clouds, increasing the molecular clouds density and hence decreasing the importance of [CII] line cooling. Overall we find that it is essential that a wide range of sub-mm emission lines arising in vastly different phases of the ISM are used as model constraints in order to limit the freedom in sub-grid choices and we present the details of the most successful model variant.

Cloud information content in EPIC/DSCOVR’s oxygen A- and B-band channels: A physics-based approach

In a companion paper [Davis et al., JQSRT 216, 6–16 (2018)], we used a numerical 1D radiative transfer (RT) model and the statistical formalism of optimal estimation to quantify cloud information content in the O2 A- and B-band channels of the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on the Deep Space Climate ObserVatoRy (DSCOVR) platform that images the Earth’s sunlit hemisphere from the vantage of the Lagrange-1 point. These two pairs of “in-band” and nearby “reference” radiances are combined into differential optical absorption spectroscopic (DOAS) ratios for both A- and B-bands, from which one can derive, in principle, both cloud top height (CTH) and cloud geometric thickness (CGT). However, Davis et al. show that under most circumstances, there is much redundancy between the two DOAS ratios and, in practice, only CTH can be reliably and accurately retrieved. Here, we derive a simplified analytical 1D RT model for the DOAS ratios to gain physical insights as well as quantify both the CTH retrieval bias from neglecting in-cloud absorption and the impact of measurement error on CTH and CGT retrievals. Using this alternative approach, we again show that only CTH can be inferred reliably when unavoidable measurement error is factored in. Finally, our new theoretical developments are related to a recently uncovered invariance property of the mean path cumulated by light in arbitrarily-shaped optical media of arbitrary opacity with arbitrary scattering properties, as long as it is conservative.

On cylindrically symmetric solutions of polarized radiative transfer equation

AbstractWhile the observed polarization maps of spatially resolved post-AGB objects usually require numerical modelling of radiative transfer, it is useful to have known analytical solutions of the polarized radiative transfer equation (PRTE) as benchmarks of computer codes in the simplest model cases. We consider two such solutions: cylindrically symmetric Green’s function for an infinite medium and cylindrically symmetric inner eigenfunctions of PRTE.

Puzzling Lyman-alpha line profiles in green pea galaxies

Context. The Lyman-alpha (Lyα) line of hydrogen is of prime importance for detecting galaxies at high redshift. For a correct data interpretation, numerical radiative transfer models are necessary due to Lyα resonant scattering off neutral hydrogen atoms. Aims. Recent observations have discovered an escape of ionizing Lyman-continuum radiation from a population of compact, actively star-forming galaxies at redshift z ~ 0.2−0.3, also known as “green peas”. For the potential similarities with high-redshift galaxies and impact on the reionization of the universe, we study the green pea Lyα spectra, which are mostly double-peaked, unlike in any other galaxy sample. If the double peaks are a result of radiative transfer, they can be a useful source of information on the green pea interstellar medium and ionizing radiation escape. Methods. We select a sample of twelve archival green peas and we apply numerical radiative transfer models to reproduce the observed Lyα spectral profiles, using the geometry of expanding, homogeneous spherical shells. We use ancillary optical and ultraviolet data to constrain the model parameters, and we evaluate the match between the models and the observed Lyα spectra. As a second step, we allow all the fitting parameters to be free, and examine the agreement between the interstellar medium parameters derived from the models and those from ancillary data. Results. The peculiar green pea double-peaked Lyα line profiles are not correctly reproduced by the constrained shell models. Conversely, unconstrained models fit the spectra, but parameters derived from the best-fitting models are not in agreement with the ancillary data. In particular: 1) the best-fit systemic redshifts are larger by 10–250 km s−1 than those derived from optical emission lines; 2) the double-peaked Lyα profiles are best reproduced with low-velocity (≲150 km s−1) outflows that contradict the observed ultraviolet absorption lines of low-ionization-state elements with characteristic velocities as large as 300 km s−1; and 3) the models need to consider intrinsic Lyα profiles that are on average three times broader than the observed Balmer lines. Conclusions. Differences between the modelled and observed velocities are larger for targets with prominent Lyα blue peaks. The blue peak position and flux appear to be connected to low column densities of neutral hydrogen, leading to Lyα and Lyman-continuum escape. This is at odds with the kinematic origin of the blue peak in the homogeneous shell models. Additional modelling is needed to explore alternative geometries such as clumpy media and non-recombination Lyα sources to further constrain the role and significance of the Lyα double peaks.

Foam-Scattering Effects on Microwave Emission From Foam-Covered Ocean Surface

In this letter, we investigate volume-scattering effects on microwave emission from a foam-covered ocean surface by a comparative study of emissivities and polarization indexes of a numerical radiative transfer model and an incoherent emission model. The matrix doubling method is applied in the numerical model, which fully accounts for the multiple scattering in the foam layer and at the interfaces. The incoherent emission model considers incoherent interactions between air–foam and foam–seawater interfaces but ignores the volume scattering in the foam layer. Model analyses show that foam volume scattering affects both the magnitude and polarization index of emission from the foam-covered ocean surface. Foam volume scattering reduces the rate of increase in emissivity with increasing foam water fraction. Results also show that polarization index is more sensitive to volume scattering at a large observation angle and at a low foam water fraction. Comparison between model predictions and experimental measurements accentuate the need to account for foam-scattering effects in interpreting emission measurements from the foam-covered ocean surface.

An analytical model for the celestial distribution of polarized light, accounting for polarization singularities, wavelength and atmospheric turbidity

We present a computationally inexpensive analytical model for simulating celestial polarization patterns in variable conditions. We combine both the singularity theory of Berry et al (2004 New J. Phys. 6 162) and the intensity model of Perez et al (1993 Sol. Energy 50 235–245) such that our single model describes three key sets of data: (1) the overhead distribution of the degree of polarization as well as the existence of neutral points in the sky; (2) the change in sky polarization as a function of the turbidity of the atmosphere; and (3) sky polarization patterns as a function of wavelength, calculated in this work from the ultra-violet to the near infra-red. To verify the performance of our model we generate accurate reference data using a numerical radiative transfer model and statistical comparisons between these two methods demonstrate no significant difference in almost all situations. The development of our analytical model provides a novel method for efficiently calculating the overhead skylight polarization pattern. This provides a new tool of particular relevance for our understanding of animals that use the celestial polarization pattern as a source of visual information.

A case study of GOES-15 imager bias characterization with a numerical weather prediction model

The infrared imager onboard the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 15 (GOES-15) provides temporally continuous observations over a limited spatial domain. To quantify bias of the GOES-15 imager, observations from four infrared channels (2, 3, 4, and 6) are compared with simulations from the numerical weather prediction model and radiative transfer model. One-day clear-sky infrared observations from the GOES-15 imager over an oceanic domain during nighttime are selected. Two datasets, Global Forecast System (GFS) analysis and ERAInterim reanalysis, are used as inputs to the radiative transfer model. The results show that magnitudes of biases for the GOES-15 surface channels are approximately 1 K using two datasets, whereas the magnitude of bias for the GOES-15 water vapor channel can reach 5.5 K using the GFS dataset and 2.5 K using the ERA dataset. The GOES- 15 surface channels show positive dependencies on scene temperature, whereas the water vapor channel has a weak dependence on scene temperature. The strong dependence of bias on sensor zenith angle for the GOES-15 water vapor channel using GFS analysis implies large biases might exist in GFS water vapor profiles.

A model to predict spatial, spectral and vertical changes in the average cosine of the underwater light fields: Implications for remote sensing of shelf-sea waters

An optical model is developed using experimental data of Inherent Optical Properties (IOP) from oceanic, coastal and productive lagoon waters in order to calculate vertical and spectral profiles of the average cosine in a wide variety of waters within coastal and shelf-sea environments. The results are compared with those generated using a radiative transfer numerical model based on the invariant imbedding technique (HydroLight) with realistic depth-dependent IOPs and appropriate surface and bottom boundary conditions and the results from three existing models (Haltrin, 1998; Timofeyeva, 1971; Talaulikar et al., 2014). The average cosine predicted by the new model shows good agreement with the values obtained directly from radiative transfer calculations for a broad range of the IOPs and solar zenith conditions. Good correlations with excellent linearity with significantly low errors demonstrate a good deal of confidence of the model for accomplishing further applications. Since knowledge of spatial and temporal structures of the average cosine is of great importance to our understanding of the particle dynamics of pelagic ecosystems and coastal processes, efforts were made to apply the present model to both multispectral MODIS-Aqua imagery and hyperspectral (HICO) images acquired over the Arabian Sea and coastal lagoons of the Bay of Bengal dominated by river plumes and phytoplankton blooms. Maps of the average cosine derived from these data demonstrated significant changes in the magnitude and spectral behavior of the average cosine (from nearly featureless to strong spectral features and inflections) from different water types. Substantial changes in its spatial and spectral structures associated with highly productive waters, phytoplankton blooms and sediment plumes, as compared with open ocean areas, are well supported by the theoretical and experimental studies. The advantages of the new model in comparison with existing models are its capability to predict the vertical, spatial, spectral and temporal structures of average cosine with greater accuracy.

Accounting for aerosol scattering in the CLARS retrieval of column averaged CO2 mixing ratios

AbstractThe California Laboratory for Atmospheric Remote Sensing Fourier transform spectrometer (CLARS‐FTS) deployed at Mount Wilson, California, has been measuring column abundances of greenhouse gases in the Los Angeles (LA) basin in the near‐infrared spectral region since August 2011. CLARS‐FTS measures reflected sunlight and has high sensitivity to absorption and scattering in the boundary layer. In this study, we estimate the retrieval biases caused by aerosol scattering and present a fast and accurate approach to correct for the bias in the CLARS column averaged CO2 mixing ratio product, XCO2. The high spectral resolution of 0.06 cm−1 is exploited to reveal the physical mechanism for the bias. We employ a numerical radiative transfer model to simulate the impact of neglecting aerosol scattering on the CO2 and O2 slant column densities operationally retrieved from CLARS‐FTS measurements. These simulations show that the CLARS‐FTS operational retrieval algorithm likely underestimates CO2 and O2 abundances over the LA basin in scenes with moderate aerosol loading. The bias in the CO2 and O2 abundances due to neglecting aerosol scattering cannot be canceled by ratioing each other in the derivation of the operational product of XCO2. We propose a new method for approximately correcting the aerosol‐induced bias. Results for CLARS XCO2 are compared to direct‐Sun XCO2 retrievals from a nearby Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) station. The bias‐correction approach significantly improves the correlation between the XCO2 retrieved from CLARS and TCCON, demonstrating that this approach can increase the yield of useful data from CLARS‐FTS in the presence of moderate aerosol loading.

A Novel Microsensor for Measuring Angular Distribution of Radiative Intensity.

This article presents the design, construction and characterization of a novel type of light probe for measuring the angular radiance distribution of light fields. The differential acceptance angle (DAA) probe can resolve the directionality of a light field in environments with steep light gradients, such as microbial mats, without the need to remove, reorient, and reinsert the probe, a clear advantage over prior techniques. The probe consists of an inner irradiance sensor inside a concentric, moveable light-absorbing sheath. The radiative intensity in a specific zenith direction can be calculated by comparing the irradiance onto the sensor at different acceptance angles. We used this probe to measure the angular radiance distribution of two sample light fields, and observed good agreement with a conventional radiance probe. The DAA probe will aid researchers in understanding light transfer physics in dense microbial communities and expedite validation of numerical radiative transfer models for these environments.

Multi-angular thermal infrared emission characteristics of Bohai Sea ice based on in situ measurements

AbstractWe report on the radiative transfer process and optical properties of sea ice in the thermal infrared (TIR) band, presenting two new linear kernel driver models (Relative Emissivity Distribution Function, REDF) that describe TIR emission characteristics of smooth and rough ice. In order to test the models and determine the necessary coefficients, in situ measurements from the Bohai Sea were carried out during the 2011/12 and 2012/13 boreal winters. The results show that the relative emissivity of smooth sea ice decreases along with increasing viewing zenith angle, and the shape of the relative emissivity curve is similar to that of an ideal plane. Affected by parameters such as roughness and surface temperature distribution, the anisotropy of relative emissivity of sea ice with a high degree of roughness is stronger relative to the cosine emitter. The model coefficients were also obtained using a robust regression method based on the measured data. The presented models are more practical than the numerical radiative transfer model and can be used for multi-angular TIR remote sensing.

Modelling Combined Heat Exchange in the Leading Edge of Perspective Aircraft Wing

In this paper gas dynamic numerical modelling of leading edge flow is presented and thermal loading parameters are determined. Numerical modelling of combined radiative and conductive heat transfer of the wing edge is carried out, thermal state of structure is given and the results are analyzed.

FORMING CHONDRULES IN IMPACT SPLASHES. I. RADIATIVE COOLING MODEL

The formation of chondrules is one of the oldest unsolved mysteries in meteoritics and planet formation. Recently an old idea has been revived: the idea that chondrules form as a result of collisions between planetesimals in which the ejected molten material forms small droplets which solidify to become chondrules. Pre-melting of the planetesimals by radioactive decay of 26Al would help producing sprays of melt even at relatively low impact velocity. In this paper we study the radiative cooling of a ballistically expanding spherical cloud of chondrule droplets ejected from the impact site. We present results from a numerical radiative transfer models as well as analytic approximate solutions. We find that the temperature after the start of the expansion of the cloud remains constant for a time t_cool and then drops with time t approximately as T ~ T_0[(3/5)t/t_cool+ 2/5]^(-5/3) for t>t_cool. The time at which this temperature drop starts t_cool depends via an analytical formula on the mass of the cloud, the expansion velocity and the size of the chondrule. During the early isothermal expansion phase the density is still so high that we expect the vapor of volatile elements to saturate so that no large volatile losses are expected.

HelioFTH: combining cloud index principles and aggregated rating for cloud masking using infrared observations from geostationary satellites

Abstract. In this paper a cloud mask and cloud fractional coverage (CFC) retrieval scheme called HelioFTH is presented. The algorithm is self-calibrating and relies on infrared (IR) window-channel observations only. It needs no input from numerical weather prediction (NWP) or radiative transfer models, nor from other satellite platforms. The scheme is applicable to the full temporal and spatial resolution of the Meteosat Visible and InfraRed Imager (MVIRI) and the Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) sensors. The main focus is laid on the separation of middle- and high-level cloud coverage (HCC) from low-level clouds based on an internal cloud-top pressure (CTP) product. CFC retrieval employs a IR-only cloud mask based on an aggregated rating scheme. CTP retrieval is based on a Heliosat-like cloud index for the MVIRI IR channel. CFC from HelioFTH, the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) DX and the Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF) were validated with CFC from the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) and the Alpine Surface Radiation Budget (ASRB) network. HelioFTH CFC differs by not more than 5–10% from CM SAF CFC but it is higher than ISCCP-DX CFC. In particular the conditional probability to detect cloud-free pixels with HelioFTH is raised by about 35% compared to ISCCP-DX. The HelioFTH CFC is able to reproduce the day-to-day variability observed at the surface. Also, the HelioFTH HCC was inter-compared to CM SAF and ISCCP-DX over different regions and stations. The probability of false detection of cloud-free HCC pixels is in the same order as ISCCP-DX compared to the CM SAF HCC product over the full-disk area. HelioFTH could be used for generating an independent climate data record of cloud physical properties once its consistency and homogeneity is validated for the full Meteosat time series.