Seminar
Effects of Ancillary Data on Cloud and Radiation Products in the ISCCP and SRB Projects
Ehrhard Raschke
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 10:00 AM
CIRA Director's Conference Room
Ancillary data, describing the radiative transfer characteristics of the earth’s surface and the atmosphere, are required to derive from satellite radiances information on cloud field characteristics. They are also needed to compute radiative fluxes within the atmosphere and at the surface.  

We investigated time series (1985 to 2004) of ancillary data used in the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) and compared them with time series of various cloud and radiation products of ISCCP and Surface Radiation Budget (SRB). We found that artifacts and uncertainties in the ancillary information are logically progressing into the final products, reducing their accuracy. In particular, such products cannot be used yet for studies of low frequency climate variations.

Based on these and other studies we recommend that ISCCP and SRB should reanalyze all of their data after they have removed uncertainties from the ancillary data.
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