Orbital-Radar v1.0.0: a tool to transform suborbital radar observations to synthetic EarthCARE cloud radar data
<p>The Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched in May 2024 carries a novel 94 GHz cloud profiling radar (CPR) with Doppler capability. This work describes the open-...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Geoscientific Model Development |
| Online Access: | https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/101/2025/gmd-18-101-2025.pdf |
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| author | L. Pfitzenmaier P. Kollias P. Kollias N. Risse I. Schirmacher B. Puigdomenech Treserras K. Lamer |
| author_facet | L. Pfitzenmaier P. Kollias P. Kollias N. Risse I. Schirmacher B. Puigdomenech Treserras K. Lamer |
| author_sort | L. Pfitzenmaier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>The Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched in May 2024 carries a novel 94 GHz cloud profiling radar (CPR) with Doppler capability. This work describes the open-source instrument simulator Orbital-Radar, which transforms high-resolution radar data from field observations or forward simulations of numerical models to CPR primary measurements and uncertainties. The transformation accounts for sampling geometry and surface effects. We demonstrate Orbital-Radar's ability to provide realistic CPR views of typical cloud and precipitation scenes. The presented case studies show small-scale convection, marine stratus clouds, and Arctic mixed-phase cloud cases. These results provide valuable insights into the capabilities and challenges of the EarthCARE CPR mission and its advantages over the CloudSat CPR. Finally, Orbital-Radar allows for evaluating kilometre-scale numerical weather prediction models with EarthCARE CPR observations. So, Orbital-Radar can generate calibration and validation (Cal/Val) data sets already pre-launch. Nevertheless, an evaluation of synthetic CPR output data to accurate EarthCARE CPR data is missing.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2721734973d94211bbfee651fa2e86d8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-959X 1991-9603 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geoscientific Model Development |
| spelling | doaj-art-2721734973d94211bbfee651fa2e86d82025-01-14T06:11:33ZengCopernicus PublicationsGeoscientific Model Development1991-959X1991-96032025-01-011810111510.5194/gmd-18-101-2025Orbital-Radar v1.0.0: a tool to transform suborbital radar observations to synthetic EarthCARE cloud radar dataL. Pfitzenmaier0P. Kollias1P. Kollias2N. Risse3I. Schirmacher4B. Puigdomenech Treserras5K. Lamer6Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyInstitute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanySchool of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USAInstitute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyInstitute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyDepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaEnvironmental and Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA<p>The Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched in May 2024 carries a novel 94 GHz cloud profiling radar (CPR) with Doppler capability. This work describes the open-source instrument simulator Orbital-Radar, which transforms high-resolution radar data from field observations or forward simulations of numerical models to CPR primary measurements and uncertainties. The transformation accounts for sampling geometry and surface effects. We demonstrate Orbital-Radar's ability to provide realistic CPR views of typical cloud and precipitation scenes. The presented case studies show small-scale convection, marine stratus clouds, and Arctic mixed-phase cloud cases. These results provide valuable insights into the capabilities and challenges of the EarthCARE CPR mission and its advantages over the CloudSat CPR. Finally, Orbital-Radar allows for evaluating kilometre-scale numerical weather prediction models with EarthCARE CPR observations. So, Orbital-Radar can generate calibration and validation (Cal/Val) data sets already pre-launch. Nevertheless, an evaluation of synthetic CPR output data to accurate EarthCARE CPR data is missing.</p>https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/101/2025/gmd-18-101-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | L. Pfitzenmaier P. Kollias P. Kollias N. Risse I. Schirmacher B. Puigdomenech Treserras K. Lamer Orbital-Radar v1.0.0: a tool to transform suborbital radar observations to synthetic EarthCARE cloud radar data Geoscientific Model Development |
| title | Orbital-Radar v1.0.0: a tool to transform suborbital radar observations to synthetic EarthCARE cloud radar data |
| title_full | Orbital-Radar v1.0.0: a tool to transform suborbital radar observations to synthetic EarthCARE cloud radar data |
| title_fullStr | Orbital-Radar v1.0.0: a tool to transform suborbital radar observations to synthetic EarthCARE cloud radar data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Orbital-Radar v1.0.0: a tool to transform suborbital radar observations to synthetic EarthCARE cloud radar data |
| title_short | Orbital-Radar v1.0.0: a tool to transform suborbital radar observations to synthetic EarthCARE cloud radar data |
| title_sort | orbital radar v1 0 0 a tool to transform suborbital radar observations to synthetic earthcare cloud radar data |
| url | https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/101/2025/gmd-18-101-2025.pdf |
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