Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Comparative Assessment of COSMIC Radio Occultation Data and TIMED/SABER Satellite Data over China

Z. Q. Fan College of Meteorology and Oceanology, People’s Liberation Army University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China

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Z. Sheng College of Meteorology and Oceanology, People’s Liberation Army University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China

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H. Q. Shi College of Meteorology and Oceanology, People’s Liberation Army University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China

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X. Yi Beijing Applied Meteorological Institute, Beijing, China

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Y. Jiang College of Meteorology and Oceanology, People’s Liberation Army University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China

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E. Z. Zhu College of Meteorology and Oceanology, People’s Liberation Army University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China

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Print Publication:
01 Sep 2015
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-14-0151.1
Page(s):
1931–1943
Restricted access

Abstract

The accuracy of temperature data from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) radio occultation and Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics, and Dynamics/Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (TIMED/SABER) observation over China is analyzed. High-resolution sounding data are used to assess the accuracy of these two kinds of satellite observation data at corresponding heights, and the two sets of data are compared in the height range 15–40 km. Very good agreement between radiosondes and COSMIC is observed in the stratosphere. In the troposphere COSMIC temperatures are about 2 K higher than the radiosonde observations. SABER detection at 15–32 km agrees well with a maximum warm bias of ~2 K around 25-km altitude. The comparison between SABER and COSMIC for altitudes 15–40 km also indicates higher temperatures of SABER in the lower stratosphere. The standard deviations are all greater than 2.5 K and are larger near 15 km and smallest at 20 km. The temperature deviation and in particular the standard deviation comparing SABER and COSMIC changes with altitude, season, and latitude. The results of this comparative assessment can offer a basis for research into the application of COSMIC and TIMED/SABER over China.

Corresponding author address: Z. Sheng and H. Q. Shi, College of Meteorology and Oceanology, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 211101, China. E-mail: 19994035@sina.com

Abstract

The accuracy of temperature data from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) radio occultation and Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics, and Dynamics/Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (TIMED/SABER) observation over China is analyzed. High-resolution sounding data are used to assess the accuracy of these two kinds of satellite observation data at corresponding heights, and the two sets of data are compared in the height range 15–40 km. Very good agreement between radiosondes and COSMIC is observed in the stratosphere. In the troposphere COSMIC temperatures are about 2 K higher than the radiosonde observations. SABER detection at 15–32 km agrees well with a maximum warm bias of ~2 K around 25-km altitude. The comparison between SABER and COSMIC for altitudes 15–40 km also indicates higher temperatures of SABER in the lower stratosphere. The standard deviations are all greater than 2.5 K and are larger near 15 km and smallest at 20 km. The temperature deviation and in particular the standard deviation comparing SABER and COSMIC changes with altitude, season, and latitude. The results of this comparative assessment can offer a basis for research into the application of COSMIC and TIMED/SABER over China.

Corresponding author address: Z. Sheng and H. Q. Shi, College of Meteorology and Oceanology, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 211101, China. E-mail: 19994035@sina.com
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Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology

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