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CLIMATOLOGY FROM SATELLITES GROUP |
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Brief Description |
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This is a highly ambitious study on improvement
of angular dependence models that
requires a very broad range of expertise to make effective use of current
knowledge. The consortium includes expertise on broad-band radiometers
instrumentation issues, climate and radiative transfer modelling, satellite
data analysis, Earth radiation budget studies, atmosphere/clouds/surface
parameters retrieval, etc.
The
project is split in four tasks. First three tasks comprise the core of the work
to be carried out, and the forth task corresponds to the review of the work and
issue of conclusions and recommendations.
To
accomplish the objectives proposed in the first three tasks, the work is
planned by a close interaction between experimental and theoretical results.
The first task (Selection of a
Representative Dataset) is devoted to the construction of a database from satellite data. Best
current sources have been selected, which include broad-band sensors with
along-track capabilities, like CERES, sensors with multi-view capabilities,
like POLDER, AATSR or MISR, as well as high spatial resolution sensors (as compared
to broad-band sensors), like SEVIRI, AVHRR and MODIS. The second task (Scene Definition) defines the scenes upon which the angular models will be built, by
taking into account information provided by the statistical analysis of real
data, and realistic 3D radiative transfer simulations. The simulations will
have several roles along the study, among which the most important ones
correspond to the study of the impact of 3D effects in the inversion and the
base for the development of a multi-view inversion methodology. With that
methodology, developed as part of task 3 (ADMs, BRDFs and
surface albedo),
and based on the database generated in task 1 and on information from 3D
simulations, angular models optimised for along-track sensors will be
constructed and a study on their performance will be reported.
As well
as constructing angular models and identifying gaps in knowledge,
recommendations regarding specifications for future broad-band radiometers will
also be given in task 4 (Conclusions and Recommendations). |
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Definición de proceso de datos de la misión espacial SMOS en la estación de Villafranca del Castillo |
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Brief Description |
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SCALES |
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Brief Description |
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The principal objective of SCALES is to exploit the unique opportunity presented by the launch of the first European METEOSAT Second Generation geostationary satellite (MSG-1), to generate and validate new radiation budget and cloud products provided by the GERB instrument. SCALES’ specific objectives refer to i) the definition and characterisation of a low-resolution reference pixel compatible to GERB pixel size, ii) the validation of top of the atmosphere GERB radiances, as well as fluxes derived by means of bidirectional models, iii) the development of algorithms for the estimation of surface net radiation from the top of the atmosphere measurement, and iv) the development of accurate methodologies to measure radiation flux divergence and for the analysis of its influence on the thermal regime and the dynamics of the atmosphere, also by using GERB data. The Research Group of SCALES is composed of the Climatology from Satellites Group (University of Valencia), the Remote Sensing Group of the Polytechnic University School of Manresa, researchers from the Regional Meteorological Center of Valencia of the Spanish Institute for Meteorology, and also two of the centers that have contributed to the design, building and calibration of GERB, namely the Department of Atmospheric Physics (Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine) and the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium.
SCALES is highly innovative because it focuses on a new type of space
instrument, develops a new validation methodology specific for low
resolution sensors that is based on the use of a robust reference
meteorological station (Anchor Station) around which, on top of that,
three-dimensional high resolution meteorological information obtained from
the Numerical Meteorological Model MM5 is included. |
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Reference Meteorological Station for Remote Sensing data and products and Climate Change studies |
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Brief Description |
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The main objective of the Valencia Anchor Station is to define and characterise a large, reasonably homogeneous and flat area, mainly dedicated to vineyards, as reference for Calibration/Validation activities in low-resolution large-scale pixel size satellite sensors. It is desirable that the Valencia Anchor Station area, could define that region, in order to be able to account with a minimum number of large size pixels of the order of 50 x 50 km2. To get this characterisation, an area of about 50 km wide around the actual Valencia Anchor Station site will be selected, where to design and carry out a number of distributed measurements of soil moisture content, soil temperature, surface temperature, reflectance, albedo, and net radiation and together with some other meteorological parameters.
Valuable requirements for a test site are the information on the area, basic documentation, availability of retrospective measurements and maintenance and attention to the site. These conditions are especially accomplished for the Valencia Anchor Station.
With no doubt, the large size of the reference pixel, makes it necessary to
study in detail the change of scale processes to be able to compare
measurements with different scales, namely point measurements, aircraft
observations, remote sensing images with different spatial resolution, etc.,
and establish criteria for aggregation and disaggregation to get different
area averages and validate large scale pixels. |
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