High latitude land surface retrieval using high spectral resolution sensors - art. no. 64051D

The NASA Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the EOS Aqua platform was the first of a series of high spectral resolution sensors that includes the operational Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on Europe's METOP platforms and the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) on the U.S. National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System platforms. High latitude polar regions of the Earth provide challenges for the use of infrared observations during the polar winter. A methodology is described for the identification of clear fields of view of the sounder over snow and the estimation of surface infrared emission. An example over the Greenland ice sheet is presented. The effective identification of clear sounder fields of view and the correct interpretation of the surface emission is an important component of making high latitude sounder data over land useable in Numerical Weather Prediction data assimilation.