![]() ![]() ![]() A comprehensive list of Level-2a (L2a) (single-instrument) and Level-2b (L2b) (synergistic) data products has been designed and implemented to achieve the EarthCARE mission scientific objectives. As a result, the EarthCARE CPR (hereafter EC-CPR) exhibits higher sensitivity (a minimum detectable radar-reflectivity factor of −36 dBZ versus −29 dBZ for CloudSat), and it is the first atmospheric radar in space with Doppler velocity measurement capability ( Kollias et al., 2018, 2022). The EarthCARE CPR uses a larger antenna (2.5 m compared to 1.6 m diameter for CloudSat) and operates at a lower altitude (400 km versus 710 km for CloudSat) than the CloudSat profiling radar. The EarthCARE CPR is the second 94 GHz radar in space after NASA's CloudSat radar. One of these three instruments on board the EarthCARE satellite is a high-sensitivity 94 GHz cloud-profiling radar (CPR) with Doppler capability ( Kollias et al., 2014 b). The EarthCARE mission was designed with three instruments on the same platform in order to maximise the benefit that may be realised by combining the different sensors. ![]() The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) A-Train constellation of satellites first demonstrates the synergy and effectiveness of using such kinds of measurements, in particular, measurements from three satellites: CloudSat (with its 94 GHz cloud-profiling radar, Stephens et al., 2002), CALIPSO (with its Cloud and Aerosols Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization, Winker et al., 2007) and Aqua (with both narrow-band and broad-band passive radiometers, Schoeberl et al., 2006).įollowing this heritage, the Earth Clouds, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) mission developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is scheduled for launch in 2024 ( Illingworth et al., 2015). Spaceborne active and passive instruments are key to obtaining a holistic global picture of cloud and aerosol vertical properties. In addition, the best estimate of the particle sedimentation velocity is estimated using a novel technique. ![]() Finally, the C-CD product provides the quality-controlled, bias-corrected mean Doppler velocity estimates (Doppler measurements corrected for antenna mispointing, non-uniform beam filling and velocity folding). In addition, C-FMR provides best estimates of the path-integrated attenuation (PIA) and flags identifying the presence of multiple scattering in the CPR observations. The C-FMR product provides the feature mask based on only-reflectivity CPR measurements and quality-controlled radar-reflectivity profiles corrected for gaseous attenuation at 94 GHz. The C-APC algorithm uses natural targets to introduce any corrections needed to the CPR raw Doppler velocities due to the CPR antenna pointing. These algorithms apply quality control and corrections to the CPR primary measurements and derive important geophysical variables, such as hydrometeor locations, and best estimates of particle sedimentation fall velocities. The raw CPR observations and auxiliary information are used as input to three Level-2 (L2) algorithms: (1) C-APC: Antenna Pointing Characterization (2) C-FMR: CPR feature mask and reflectivity (3) C-CD: Corrected CPR Doppler Measurements. The EarthCARE mission features the first spaceborne 94 GHz cloud-profiling radar (CPR) with Doppler capability. The Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation (EarthCARE) satellite mission is a joint effort by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). ![]()
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