Accession Number:

ADA106733

Title:

A Climate Index Derived from Satellite Measured Spectral Infrared Radiation.

Descriptive Note:

Doctoral thesis,

Corporate Author:

AIR FORCE INST OF TECH WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH

Personal Author(s):

• Abel,Michael David

Report Date:

1981-04-01

Pagination or Media Count:

160.0

Abstract:

This thesis introduces a climate index based on radiative transfer theory and derived from the spectral radiances typically used to retrieve temperature profiles. It is assumed that clouds and climate are closely related and a change in one will result in a change in the other. Because the index developed in this paper is primarily a function of the cloud distribution and also dependent upon temperature and moisture distributions, it may be used as a climate index. The advantage is that the index is more accurately retrieved from satellite data than cloudiness per se. This index, hereafter referred to as the VIRES index for Vertical Infrared Radiative Emitting Structure, is based upon the shape and relative magnitude of the broadband weighting function of the infrared radiative transfer equation. The broadband weighting curves VIRES curves are retrieved from simulated satellite infrared sounder data spectral radiances. the VIRES index is a useful means of classifying the VIRES curves. This thesis describes the retrieval procedure and investigates error sensitivities of this method. Advantages of the approach include day and night capability, no need to know cloud radiative properties, retrieval ability when cloud fraction or cloud emittance is less than 1.0, retrieved information below sensor resolution, minimum influence on the index from low tropospheric retrieval errors, and the ability to statistically discriminate between VIRES curves retrieved from different scenes. Operational VIRES index retrieval strategies and a number of specific applications are also proposed. Author

Descriptors:

• *CLOUDS
• *RADIATIVE TRANSFER
• *WEATHER FORECASTING
• *CLIMATE
• *INDEXES
• MATHEMATICAL MODELS
• DATA PROCESSING
• THESES
• SENSITIVITY
• METEOROLOGICAL DATA
• METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITES
• WEIGHTING FUNCTIONS
• ERRORS
• BROADBAND
• INFORMATION RETRIEVAL
• DAY
• NIGHT
• INFRARED RADIATION
• CLOUD COVER

Subject Categories:

• Atmospheric Physics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE