CSU Project #: 5-31279
Sponsor: NOAA
Primary Investigator: Prof. Chris Kummerow
Start Date: February 1st, 2012
End Date: January 31st, 2013

• The work will focus on adapting the current GPROF 2010 algorithm being finished for use with AMSR-E to the AMSR-2 data stream. A number of procedures are necessary for this adaptation. First, a new database has to be constructed for AMSR-2 to account for the slight differences in FOV size (the antenna sizes are slightly different).
• The second step is for the Tbs from AMSR-2 to be compared to AMSR-E. While the two sensors will not fly at the same time (AMSR-E ceased operations in October 2011), Tb comparisons can nonetheless be made by comparing each sensor to a common reference such as TRMM TMI.
• The final step is to verify the rainfall retrieval algorithm by comparing rainfall from AMSR-2 to simultaneous TMI overpasses. Any necessary adjustments to the algorithm will be determined by these comparisons over both land and ocean backgrounds.
• In addition to precipitation, the GPROF code also produces water vapor and cloud liquid water over oceans from its optimal estimation retrieval in non-raining scenes. While these parameters are used by the precipitation scheme, they have never been validated as stand-alone parameters except in a very cursory fashion. A second focus of this proposal will therefore be the validation for total precipitable water and cloud liquid water contents against in-situ measurements.

  ** No Progress Report **