Articles | Volume 17, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-839-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-839-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
31 Jan 2024
Research article |
| 31 Jan 2024
| 31 Jan 2024
The EarthCARE mission: science data processing chain overview
Michael Eisinger
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
European Space Agency, ESA-ECSAT, Fermi Avenue, Didcot, OX11 0FD, United Kingdom
Fabien Marnas
European Space Agency, ESA-ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, the Netherlands
Kotska Wallace
European Space Agency, ESA-ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, the Netherlands
Takuji Kubota
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), 2 Chome-1-1, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505, Japan
Nobuhiro Tomiyama
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), 2 Chome-1-1, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505, Japan
Yuichi Ohno
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), 4 Chome-2-1, Nukui Kitamachi, Koganei, Tokyo 184-0015, Japan
Toshiyuki Tanaka
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), 2 Chome-1-1, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505, Japan
Eichi Tomita
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), 2 Chome-1-1, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505, Japan
Tobias Wehr
European Space Agency, ESA-ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, the Netherlands
deceased, 1 February 2023
Dirk Bernaerts
European Space Agency, ESA-ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, the Netherlands
Related authors
Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Diego G. Loyola, Barry Latter, Richard Siddans, Brian Kerridge, Daan Hubert, Michel van Roozendael, and Michael Eisinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-196, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-196, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for AMT
Short summary
Short summary
The GOME-type Ozone Profile Essential Climate Variable (GOP-ECV) data record provides monthly mean ozone profiles with global coverage from 1995 to 2021 at a spatial resolution of 5°x5°. Measurements from five nadir-viewing satellite sensors are first harmonized and then merged into a coherent record. The long-term stability of the data record is further improved through scaling of the profiles using as a reference the GOME-type Total Ozone Essential Climate Variable (GTO-ECV) data record.
Nicole Docter, Anja Hünerbein, David P. Donovan, Rene Preusker, Jürgen Fischer, Jan Fokke Meirink, Piet Stammes, and Michael Eisinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2507–2519, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2507-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2507-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
MSI is the imaging spectrometer on board EarthCARE and will provide across-track information on clouds and aerosol properties. The MSI solar channels exhibit a spectral misalignment effect (SMILE) in the measurements. This paper describes and evaluates how the SMILE will affect the cloud and aerosol retrievals that do not account for it.
Shunsuke Aoki, Takuji Kubota, and Francis Joseph Turk
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3596, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3596, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Short summary
The EarthCARE/CPR provides the first spaceborne Doppler velocity measurements, while the GPM/DPR excels at observing rain and heavy snow, which are more attenuated in CPR. Using coincident observations from both radars, we examined vertical motions in stratiform and convective precipitation systems. The synergy between the radars enables a more comprehensive understanding of hydrometeor fall speeds and vertical air motions across different precipitation types.
Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Diego G. Loyola, Barry Latter, Richard Siddans, Brian Kerridge, Daan Hubert, Michel van Roozendael, and Michael Eisinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-196, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-196, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for AMT
Short summary
Short summary
The GOME-type Ozone Profile Essential Climate Variable (GOP-ECV) data record provides monthly mean ozone profiles with global coverage from 1995 to 2021 at a spatial resolution of 5°x5°. Measurements from five nadir-viewing satellite sensors are first harmonized and then merged into a coherent record. The long-term stability of the data record is further improved through scaling of the profiles using as a reference the GOME-type Total Ozone Essential Climate Variable (GTO-ECV) data record.
Hajime Okamoto, Kaori Sato, Tomoaki Nishizawa, Yoshitaka Jin, Takashi Nakajima, Minrui Wang, Masaki Satoh, Kentaroh Suzuki, Woosub Roh, Akira Yamauchi, Hiroaki Horie, Yuichi Ohno, Yuichiro Hagihara, Hiroshi Ishimoto, Rei Kudo, Takuji Kubota, and Toshiyuki Tanaka
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-101, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-101, 2024
Publication in AMT not foreseen
Short summary
Short summary
This article gives overviews of the JAXA L2 algorithms and products by Japanese science teams for EarthCARE. The algorithms provide corrected Doppler velocity, cloud particle shape and orientations, microphysics of clouds and aerosols, and radiative fluxes and heating rate. The retrievals by the algorithms are demonstrated and evaluated using NICAM/J-simulator outputs. The JAXA EarthCARE L2 products will bring new scientific knowledge about the clouds, aerosols, radiation and convections.
Woosub Roh, Masaki Satoh, Yuichiro Hagihara, Hiroaki Horie, Yuichi Ohno, and Takuji Kubota
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3455–3466, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3455-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3455-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The advantage of the use of Doppler velocity in the categorization of the hydrometeors is that Doppler velocities suffer less impact from the attenuation of rain and wet attenuation on an antenna. The ground Cloud Profiling Radar observation of the radar reflectivity for the precipitation case is limited because of wet attenuation on an antenna. We found the main contribution to Doppler velocities is the terminal velocity of hydrometeors by analysis of simulation results.
Nicole Docter, Anja Hünerbein, David P. Donovan, Rene Preusker, Jürgen Fischer, Jan Fokke Meirink, Piet Stammes, and Michael Eisinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2507–2519, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2507-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2507-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
MSI is the imaging spectrometer on board EarthCARE and will provide across-track information on clouds and aerosol properties. The MSI solar channels exhibit a spectral misalignment effect (SMILE) in the measurements. This paper describes and evaluates how the SMILE will affect the cloud and aerosol retrievals that do not account for it.
Tobias Wehr, Takuji Kubota, Georgios Tzeremes, Kotska Wallace, Hirotaka Nakatsuka, Yuichi Ohno, Rob Koopman, Stephanie Rusli, Maki Kikuchi, Michael Eisinger, Toshiyuki Tanaka, Masatoshi Taga, Patrick Deghaye, Eichi Tomita, and Dirk Bernaerts
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3581–3608, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3581-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3581-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The EarthCARE satellite is due for launch in 2024. It includes four scientific instruments to measure global vertical profiles of aerosols, clouds and precipitation properties together with radiative fluxes and derived heating rates. The mission's scientific requirements, the satellite and the ground segment are described. In particular, the four scientific instruments and their performance are described at the level of detail required by mission data users.
Woosub Roh, Masaki Satoh, Tempei Hashino, Shuhei Matsugishi, Tomoe Nasuno, and Takuji Kubota
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3331–3344, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3331-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3331-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
JAXA EarthCARE synthetic data (JAXA L1 data) were compiled using the global storm-resolving model (GSRM) NICAM (Nonhydrostatic ICosahedral
Atmospheric Model) simulation with 3.5 km horizontal resolution and the Joint-Simulator. JAXA L1 data are intended to support the development of JAXA retrieval algorithms for the EarthCARE sensor before launch of the satellite. The expected orbit of EarthCARE and horizontal sampling of each sensor were used to simulate the signals.
Yuichiro Hagihara, Yuichi Ohno, Hiroaki Horie, Woosub Roh, Masaki Satoh, and Takuji Kubota
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3211–3219, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3211-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3211-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The CPR on the EarthCARE satellite is the first satellite-borne Doppler radar. We evaluated the effectiveness of horizontal integration and the unfolding method for the reduction of the Doppler error (the standard deviation of the random error) in the CPR_ECO product. The error was higher in the tropics than in the other latitudes due to frequent rain echo occurrence and limitation of its unfolding correction. If we use low-mode operation (high PRF), the errors become small enough.
Minrui Wang, Takashi Y. Nakajima, Woosub Roh, Masaki Satoh, Kentaroh Suzuki, Takuji Kubota, and Mayumi Yoshida
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 603–623, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-603-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-603-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
SMILE (a spectral misalignment in which a shift in the center wavelength appears as a distortion in the spectral image) was detected during our recent work. To evaluate how it affects the cloud retrieval products, we did a simulation of EarthCARE-MSI forward radiation, evaluating the error in simulated scenes from a global cloud system-resolving model and a satellite simulator. Our results indicated that the error from SMILE was generally small and negligible for oceanic scenes.
Cited articles
Cole, J. N. S., Barker, H. W., Qu, Z., Villefranque, N., and Shephard, M. W.: Broadband radiative quantities for the EarthCARE mission: the ACM-COM and ACM-RT products, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4271–4288, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4271-2023, 2023. a, b
Docter, N., Preusker, R., Filipitsch, F., Kritten, L., Schmidt, F., and Fischer, J.: Aerosol optical depth retrieval from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-AOT product, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3437–3457, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3437-2023, 2023. a
Donovan, D. P., Kollias, P., Velázquez Blázquez, A., and van Zadelhoff, G.-J.: The generation of EarthCARE L1 test data sets using atmospheric model data sets, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5327–5356, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5327-2023, 2023. a
Feofilov, A. G., Chepfer, H., Noël, V., and Szczap, F.: Incorporating EarthCARE observations into a multi-lidar cloud climate record: the ATLID (Atmospheric Lidar) cloud climate product, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3363–3390, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3363-2023, 2023. a
Haarig, M., Hünerbein, A., Wandinger, U., Docter, N., Bley, S., Donovan, D., and van Zadelhoff, G.-J.: Cloud top heights and aerosol columnar properties from combined EarthCARE lidar and imager observations: the AM-CTH and AM-ACD products, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-327, 2023. a, b
Hagihara, Y., Okamoto, H., and Yoshida, R.: Development of a combined CloudSat-CALIPSO cloud mask to show global cloud distribution, J. Geophys. Res., 115, D00H33, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD012344, 2010. a, b, c
Hagihara, Y., Ohno, Y., Horie, H., Roh, W., Satoh, M., and Kubota, T.: Global evaluation of Doppler velocity errors of EarthCARE cloud-profiling radar using a global storm-resolving simulation, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3211–3219, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3211-2023, 2023. a, b
Hünerbein, A., Bley, S., Deneke, H., Meirink, J. F., van Zadelhoff, G.-J., and Walther, A.: Cloud optical and physical properties retrieval from EarthCARE multi-spectral imager: the M-COP products, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-305, 2023a. a
Hünerbein, A., Bley, S., Horn, S., Deneke, H., and Walther, A.: Cloud mask algorithm from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-CM products, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2821–2836, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2821-2023, 2023b. a
IPCC: Climate Change 2021 – The Physical Science Basis: Working Group I Contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, edited by: Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Pirani, A., Connors, S. L., Péan, C., Berger, S., Caud, N., Chen, Y., Goldfarb, L., Gomis, M. I., Huang, M., Leitzell, K., Lonnoy, E., Matthews, J. B. R., Maycock, T. K., Waterfield, T., Yelekçi, O., Yu, R., and Zhou, B., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157896, 2023. a
Irbah, A., Delanoë, J., van Zadelhoff, G.-J., Donovan, D. P., Kollias, P., Puigdomènech Treserras, B., Mason, S., Hogan, R. J., and Tatarevic, A.: The classification of atmospheric hydrometeors and aerosols from the EarthCARE radar and lidar: the A-TC, C-TC and AC-TC products, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2795–2820, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2795-2023, 2023. a, b, c
Kollias, P., Puidgomènech Treserras, B., Battaglia, A., Borque, P. C., and Tatarevic, A.: Processing reflectivity and Doppler velocity from EarthCARE's cloud-profiling radar: the C-FMR, C-CD and C-APC products, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1901–1914, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1901-2023, 2023. a, b
Kudo, R., Nishizawa, T., and Aoyagi, T.: Vertical profiles of aerosol optical properties and the solar heating rate estimated by combining sky radiometer and lidar measurements, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 3223–3243, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-3223-2016, 2016. a
Letu, H., Ishimoto, H., Riedi, J., Nakajima, T. Y., C.-Labonnote, L., Baran, A. J., Nagao, T. M., and Sekiguchi, M.: Investigation of ice particle habits to be used for ice cloud remote sensing for the GCOM-C satellite mission, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 12287–12303, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12287-2016, 2016. a
Letu, H., Nagao, T. M., Nakajima, T. Y., Riedi, J., Ishimoto, H., Baran, A. J., Shang, H., Sekiguchi, M., and Kikuchi, M.: Ice cloud properties from Himawari-8/AHI next-generation geostationary satellite: Capability of the AHI to monitor the DC cloud generation process, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 57, 3229–3239, 2018. a
Mason, S. L., Cole, J. N. S., Docter, N., Donovan, D. P., Hogan, R. J., Hünerbein, A., Kollias, P., Puigdomènech Treserras, B., Qu, Z., Wandinger, U., and van Zadelhoff, G.-J.: An intercomparison of EarthCARE cloud, aerosol and precipitation retrieval products, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1682, 2023a. a
Mason, S. L., Hogan, R. J., Bozzo, A., and Pounder, N. L.: A unified synergistic retrieval of clouds, aerosols, and precipitation from EarthCARE: the ACM-CAP product, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3459–3486, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3459-2023, 2023b. a
Mroz, K., Treserras, B. P., Battaglia, A., Kollias, P., Tatarevic, A., and Tridon, F.: Cloud and precipitation microphysical retrievals from the EarthCARE Cloud Profiling Radar: the C-CLD product, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2865–2888, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2865-2023, 2023. a
Nakajima, T. Y., Ishida, H., Nagao, T. M., Hori, M., Letu, H., Higuchi, R., Tamaru, N., Imoto, N., and Yamazaki, A.: Theoretical basis of the algorithms and early phase results of the GCOM-C (Shikisai) SGLI cloud products, Progress in Earth and Planetary Science, 6, 1–25, 2019. a
Nishizawa, T., Sugimoto, N., Matsui, I., Shimizu, A., Tatarov, B., and Okamoto, H.: Algorithm to retrieve aerosol optical properties from high-spectral-resolution lidar and polarization Mie-scattering lidar measurements, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 46, 4094–4103, 2008. a
Nishizawa, T., Sugimoto, N., Matsui, I., Shimizu, A., and Okamoto, H.: Algorithms to retrieve optical properties of three component aerosols from two-wavelength backscatter and one-wavelength polarization lidar measurements considering nonsphericity of dust, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Ra., 112, 254–267, 2011. a
Nishizawa, T., Kudo, R., Higure, A., Oikawa, E., and Hajime, O.: Aerosol and Cloud Retrieval Algorithms Using EarthCARE Satellite-borne Lidar Data, J. Remote Sensing Society of Japan, 39, 215–224, https://doi.org/10.11440/rssj.39.215, 2019 (in Japanese). a
Nishizawa, T., Kudo, R., Oikawa, E., Higurashi, A., Jin, Y., Takakura, S., Sugimoto, N., Fujikawa, M., Sato, K., and Okamoto, H.: Retrieval of aerosol optical properties from the EarthCARE high-spectral resolution lidar measurements, Atmos. Meas. Tech., in preparation, 2024. a
Okamoto, H., Nishizawa, T., Takemura, T., Kumagai, H., Kuroiwa, H., Sugimoto, N., Matsui, I., Shimizu, A., Emori, S., Kamei, A., and Nakajima, T.: Vertical cloud structure observed from shipborne radar and lidar: Midlatitude case study during the MR01/K02 cruise of the research vessel Mirai, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D08216, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD007628, 2007. a
Okamoto, H., Nishizawa, T., Takemura, T., Sato, K., Kumagai, H., Ohno, Y., Sugimoto, N., Shimizu, A., Matsui, I., and Nakajima, T.: Vertical cloud properties in the tropical western Pacific Ocean: Validation of the CCSR/NIES/FRCGC GCM by shipborne radar and lidar, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 113, D24213, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD009812, 2008. a
Okamoto, H., Sato, K., and Hagihara, Y.: Global analysis of ice microphysics from CloudSat and CALIPSO: Incorporation of specular reflection in lidar signals, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 115, D22209, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD013383, 2010. a, b
Okamoto, H., Sato, K., Oikawa, E., Hagihara, Y., Shaik, A., and Nishizawa, T.: Cloud mask and particle type classification using EarthCARE CPR and ATLID, Atmos. Meas. Tech., in preparation, 2024a. a
Okamoto, H., Sato, K., Oikawa, E., Ishimoto, H., Ohno, Y., Horie, H., Hagihara, Y., Nishizawa, T., Kudo, R., Higurashi, A., Jin, Y., Nakajima, T. Y., Wang, M., Roh, W., Satoh, M., Suzuki, K., Kubota, T., Tanaka, T., Yamauchi, A., Sekiguchi, M., and Nagao, T. M.: Overview of EarthCARE JAXA Level 2 algorithms, Atmos. Meas. Tech., in preparation, 2024b. a, b, c, d, e, f
Okata, M., Nakajima, T., Suzuki, K., Inoue, T., Nakajima, T., and Okamoto, H.: A study on radiative transfer effects in 3-D cloudy atmosphere using satellite data, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 122, 443–468, 2017. a
Qu, Z., Barker, H. W., Cole, J. N. S., and Shephard, M. W.: Across-track extension of retrieved cloud and aerosol properties for the EarthCARE mission: the ACMB-3D product, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2319–2331, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2319-2023, 2023a. a
Qu, Z., Donovan, D. P., Barker, H. W., Cole, J. N. S., Shephard, M. W., and Huijnen, V.: Numerical model generation of test frames for pre-launch studies of EarthCARE's retrieval algorithms and data management system, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4927–4946, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4927-2023, 2023b. a
Roh, W., Satoh, M., Hashino, T., Matsugishi, S., Nasuno, T., and Kubota, T.: Introduction to EarthCARE synthetic data using a global storm-resolving simulation, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3331–3344, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3331-2023, 2023. a
Sato, K. and Okamoto, H.: Refinement of global ice microphysics using spaceborne active sensors, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 116, D20202, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD015885, 2011. a, b
Sato, K., Okamoto, H., Yamamoto, M. K., Fukao, S., Kumagai, H., Ohno, Y., Horie, H., and Abo, M.: 95-GHz Doppler radar and lidar synergy for simultaneous ice microphysics and in-cloud vertical air motion retrieval, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 114, D03203, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD010222, 2009. a, b, c, d
van Zadelhoff, G.-J., Donovan, D. P., and Wang, P.: Detection of aerosol and cloud features for the EarthCARE atmospheric lidar (ATLID): the ATLID FeatureMask (A-FM) product, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3631–3651, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3631-2023, 2023a. a
van Zadelhoff, G.-J., Barker, H. W., Baudrez, E., Bley, S., Clerbaux, N., Cole, J. N. S., de Kloe, J., Docter, N., Domenech, C., Donovan, D. P., Dufresne, J.-L., Eisinger, M., Fischer, J., García-Marañón, R., Haarig, M., Hogan, R. J., Hünerbein, A., Kollias, P., Koopman, R., Madenach, N., Mason, S. L., Preusker, R., Puigdomènech Treserras, B., Qu, Z., Ruiz-Saldaña, M., Shephard, M., Velázquez-Blazquez, A., Villefranque, N., Wandinger, U., Wang, P., and Wehr, T.: EarthCARE level-2 demonstration products from simulated scenes, Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7117115, 2023b. a
Velázquez Blázquez, A., Baudrez, E., Clerbaux, N., and Domenech, C.: Unfiltering of the EarthCARE Broadband Radiometer (BBR) observations: the BM–RAD product, Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2023-170, in review, 2023. a, b
Velázquez Blázquez, A., Baudrez, E., Clerbaux, N., Domenech, C., Madenach, N., Marañón, R. G., and Salas Molar, C.: Retrieval of top-of-atmosphere fluxes from combined EarthCARE lidar, imager and broadband radiometer observations: the BMA-FLX product, Atmos. Meas. Tech., in preparation, 2024. a
Wandinger, U., Haarig, M., Baars, H., Donovan, D., and van Zadelhoff, G.-J.: Cloud top heights and aerosol layer properties from EarthCARE lidar observations: the A-CTH and A-ALD products, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4031–4052, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4031-2023, 2023. a, b
Wang, M., Nakajima, T. Y., Roh, W., Satoh, M., Suzuki, K., Kubota, T., and Yoshida, M.: Evaluation of the spectral misalignment on the Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer/multi-spectral imager cloud product, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 603–623, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-603-2023, 2023. a
Wehr, T., Kubota, T., Tzeremes, G., Wallace, K., Nakatsuka, H., Ohno, Y., Koopman, R., Rusli, S., Kikuchi, M., Eisinger, M., Tanaka, T., Taga, M., Deghaye, P., Tomita, E., and Bernaerts, D.: The EarthCARE mission – science and system overview, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3581–3608, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3581-2023, 2023. a, b, c, d, e
Yamauchi, A., Suzuki, K., Oikawa, E., Sekiguchi, M., and Nagao, T. M.: Description and validation of the Japanese algorithms for radiative flux and heating rate products with all four EarthCARE instruments, Atmos. Meas. Tech., in preparation, 2024. a
Yoshida, M., Kikuchi, M., Nagao, T. M., Murakami, H., Nomaki, T., and Higurashi, A.: Common retrieval of aerosol properties for imaging satellite sensors, J. Meteorol. Soc. Jpn., Ser. II, 96B, 193–209, https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2018-039, 2018. a
Yoshida, R., Okamoto, H., Hagihara, Y., and Ishimoto, H.: Global analysis of cloud phase and ice crystal orientation from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) data using attenuated backscattering and depolarization ratio, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos, 115, D00H32, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD012334, 2010. a
Short summary
The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) is an ESA–JAXA satellite mission to be launched in 2024. We presented an overview of the EarthCARE processors' development, with processors developed by teams in Europe, Japan, and Canada. EarthCARE will allow scientists to evaluate the representation of cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and radiative flux in weather forecast and climate models, with the objective to better understand cloud processes and improve weather and climate models.
The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) is an ESA–JAXA satellite mission to...
Special issue