This paper describes observations of radiances and radiance trends at DomeC in Antarctica made by three sensors—the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). It includes comparisons with independently measured surface temperatures. AIRS and IASI have been in simultaneous routine operations since May 2007. All three instruments have been producing operational data simultaneously since April 2012. DomeC is on a high plateau and provides a source of nearly uniform dry scenes with a temperature range from about 190 K to about 250 K. Located on this plateau is an operational automated weather station that provides ground truth, including temperature measurements two meters above the surface every ten minutes. Calibration of infrared radiometers at cold scene temperatures is very difficult. But high accuracy even at cold temperatures is critical for establishing a climate-quality data record. Since CrIS is presently planned to serve as a follow-on to AIRS, it is important to understand any differences in their observed radiances. We will compare AIRS, IASI, and CrIS brightness temperatures in the window channel at 900 cm^-1.

Date Published: 25 September 2014
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 9218, Earth Observing Systems XIX, 92180D (25 September 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2061079

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9218:
Earth Observing Systems XIX
James J. Butler; Xiaoxiong (Jack) Xiong; Xingfa Gu, Editor(s)