GRWG Microwave Sub-Group Web Meeting 2013-08-06

GSICS Microwave Sub-Group Web Meeting on Re-formation

A dedicated Wiki topic lists the current members of the MicrowaveSubGroup.

Agenda

1. Tim Hewison (EUMETSAT) – Scope and Chairing of Microwave Sub-Group
2. Fangfang Yu (NOAA) – Review of MSU/AMSU Re-Calibration Product
3. Hu (Tiger) Yang (CMA) - FY3-MWRI calibration evaluation, including the results of inter-cal with AMSR-E and TMI
4. Qifeng Lu (CMA) - Characterize the FY-3 MWTS using NWP fields
5. Arata Okuyama (JAXA) - AMSR2 calibration/characterization
6. All - Discussion of possible Sub-Group meetings

Attendees

CMA: Qifeng Lu, Tiger Yang

EUMETSAT: Tim Hewison (Chair), Viju John, Karsten Fennig (at DWD)

JAXA: Arata Okuyama, Keiji Imaoka, Misako Kachi

JMA: Keita Hosaka, Masaya Takahashi

NOAA: Fangfang Yu, Cheng-Zhi Zou, Jun Park, Manik Bali, Isaac Moradi (at UMD)

Summary

The meeting started with a round of introductions. Tim Hewison gave an overview of the scope of the Microwave Sub-Group and role of its chair.

Cheng-Zhi Zou was selected as chair of the GSICS Microwave Sub-Group.

Fangfang Yu described the GSICS Procedure for Product Acceptance and highlighted some of the difficulties in finding users to review the NOAA's demonstration product for the re-calibration of MSU/AMSU. It was suggested that these diffculties could be eased by emphasing to reviewers that they need only review the parts of the GPAF they feel qualified to. This would allow different reviewers to be assigned to cover the scientific review of the methodology and the technical review of the product's adherence to GSICS principles and standards. It was also suggested that a dedicated meeting be held to review this product.

Arata Okuyama presented the characterisation of AMSR2 and its inter-calibration with TMI. The results are available online and JAXA are considering setting up a near-real-time online monitoring facility.

Hu ("Tiger") Yang described the status of the Microwave Imagers (MWRI) on FY3A and FY3B, including a comprehensive error budget. Innovative design elements of these instruments can help understand the relative biases of other instruments when they are inter-calibrated.

Qifeng Lu presented an analysis of the performance of the Microwave Temperature Sounders (MWTS) on FY3A and FY3B using Obs-Calc statistics from the ECMWF NWP model. These showed a shift in the central frequency and a non-linearity corrections improved the biases observed for FY3A, but only a scan-angle dependent bias correction was necessary for FY3B.

Outcome

Action: Cheng-Zhi Zou and Fangfang Yu to consider setting up a dedicated meeting to review NOAA's demonstration product for the re-calibration of MSU/AMSU.

Recommendation: All members of the Microwave Sub-Group to consider reviewing parts of the GPAF for NOAA's demonstration product for the re-calibration of MSU/AMSU.

Recommendation: JAXA to consider generating inter-calibration corrections for AMSR-E, based on TMI and submitting these to the GPPA.

Action: Cheng-Zhi Zou to arrange topic and date of the next meeting of the Microwave Sub-Group - tentatively in November 2013.