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The measurement of the Earth’s surface temperature is a critical product for meteorology and an essential parameter/indicator for climate monitoring. Satellites have been monitoring global surface temperature for some time, and have established sufficient consistency and accuracy between in-flight sensors to claim that it is of “climate quality”. However, it is essential that such measurements are fully anchored to SI units and that there is a direct regular correlation with “true” surface/in-situ based measurements. The most accurate of these surface-based measurements (used for validation) are derived from field deployed IR radiometers. These are in principle calibrated traceably to SI units, generally through a reference radiance blackbody. Such instrumentation is of varying design, and is operated by different teams in different parts of the globe. It is essential for the integrity of their use, to provide validation data for satellites both in-flight and to provide the link to future sensors, that any differences in the results obtained between them are understood. This knowledge will allow any potential biases to be removed and not transferred to satellite sensors. This knowledge can only be determined through formal comparison of the instrumentation, both in terms of its measurement capabilities in relation to primary “lab based” calibration facilities, and its use in the field. The provision of a fully traceable link to SI as part of this process ensures that the data are evidentially robust and can claim its status as a “climate data record”. The “satellite IR Cal/Val community” is well versed in the need and value of such comparisons having held highly successful exercises in Miami in 2001, and at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in 2009 and in 2016 all carried out under the auspices of Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Working Group for Calibration and Validation (WGCV). In June 2022, six years after the last comparison, it was decided to repeat/update the process. The 2022 comparison includes: • Laboratory comparisons of the radiometers and reference radiance blackbodies of the participants. • Field comparisons of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) at Boscombe pier on the south coast of England. This presentation describes the 2022 comparison activities undertaken at NPL and at the seaside pier.
Topic : Theme 1: Oceans and Hydrology.
Reference : T1-B15
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