The Research Unit VolImpact: Revisiting the volcanic impact on atmosphere and climate – preparations for the next big volcanic eruption

This paper provides an overview of the scientific background and the research objectives of the Research Unit “VolImpact” (Revisiting the volcanic impact on atmosphere and climate – preparations for the next big volcanic eruption, FOR 2820). VolImpact was recently funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and started in spring 2019. The main goal of the research unit is to improve our understanding of how the climate system responds to volcanic eruptions. Such an ambitious program is well beyond the capabilities of a single research group, as it requires expertise from complementary disciplines including aerosol microphysical modelling, cloud physics, climate modelling, global observations of trace gas species, clouds and stratospheric aerosols. The research goals will be achieved by building on important recent advances in modelling and measurement capabilities. Examples of the advances in the observations include the now daily near-global observations of multi-spectral aerosol extinction from the limb-scatter instruments OSIRIS, SCIAMACHY and OMPS-LP. In addition, the recently launched SAGE III/ISS and upcoming satellite missions EarthCARE and ALTIUS will provide high resolution observations of aerosols and clouds. Recent improvements in modeling capabilities within the framework of the ICON model family now enable simulations at spatial resolutions fine enough to investigate details of the evolution and dynamics of the volcanic eruptive plume using the large-eddy resolving version, up to volcanic impacts on larger-scale circulation systems in the general circulation model version. When combined with state-of-the-art aerosol and cloud microphysical models, these approaches offer the opportunity to link eruptions directly to their climate forcing. These advances will be exploited in VolImpact to study the effects of volcanic eruptions consistently over the full range of spatial and temporal scales involved, addressing the initial development of explosive eruption plumes (project VolPlume), the variation of stratospheric aerosol particle size and radiative forcing caused by volcanic eruptions (VolARC), the response of clouds (VolCloud), the effects of volcanic eruptions on atmospheric dynamics (VolDyn), as well as their climate impact (VolClim)

Seasonal and interannual ice velocity changes of Polar Record Glacier, East Antarctica

We present a study of seasonal and interannual ice velocity changes at Polar Record Glacier, East Antarctica, using ERS-1/2, Envisat and PALSAR data with D-InSAR and intensity tracking. Ice flow showed seasonal variations at the front of the glacier tongue. Velocities in winter were 19% less than velocities during summer. No significant interannual changes were detected. Ice velocities in the grounding zone and grounded glacier did not show clear seasonal or interannual changes. The distributio of the seasonal variations suggests that the cause for the changes should be localized. Possible causes are seasonal sea-ice changes and iceberg blocking. Satellite images show that the sea ice surrounding Polar Record Glacier undergoes seasonal changes. Frozen sea ice in winter slowed the huge iceberg, and provided increased resistance to the glacier flow. The interaction between the glacier tongue, ice berg and sea ice significantly influences their flow pattern

On the Detection and Monitoring of the Transport of an Asian Dust Storm Using Multi-Sensor Satellite Remote Sensing

Dynamical and physical features of a long range transported dust event originating in China affecting Korea early March 2008 are examined using an integrative multi-sensor and multi-algorithm approach. Aerosol loadings and their size mode were analyzed over both ocean and land surfaces using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depth (AOD), employing standard dark target (DT) and deep blue (DB) algorithms, and the Ångström exponent (AE). Anthropogenic absorbing aerosols and smoke were found to be significant over the Indochina Peninsula, the Philippines and southern China, while a mixture of dust and pollution were predominant over central to northern China, as identified by the AE analysis and the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) spherecitiy and plume height. Remarkable aerosol absorptions in both the near ultraviolet (UV) and the visible were spread over central, central western and northern China, probably due to aerosol mixtures including desert dust and industrial pollution as well as smoke from biomass burning as evidenced from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). Long range transport is validated as dust storm reached up to 4–5 km vertically and a mixed cloud layer was identified over the Yellow Sea as disclosed by the vertical structure of dust aerosols as well as observed aerosols subtypes from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO). The real time detection and monitoring of the dust outbreak and its subsequent evolution are available through the infrared optical depth index (IODI), developed from the MTSAT-1R geostationary satellite imager

Methods to Retrieve the Cloud-Top Height in the Frame of the JEM-EUSO Mission

The Japanese Experiment Module-Extreme Universe Space Observatory (JEM-EUSO) telescope will measure ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray properties by detecting the UV fluorescence light generated in the interaction between cosmic rays and the atmosphere. Therefore, information on the state of clouds in the atmosphere is crucial for a proper interpretation of the data. For a real-time observation of the clouds in the telescope field of view, the JEM-EUSO will use an atmospheric monitoring system composed of a light detection and ranging and an infrared (IR) camera. In this paper, the focus is on the IR camera data. To retrieve the cloud-top height (CTH) from IR images, three different methods are considered here. The first one is based on bispectral stereo vision algorithms and requires two different views of the same scene in different spectral bands. For the second one, brightness temperatures provided by the IR camera are converted to effective cloud-top temperatures, from which the CTH is estimated using the vertical temperature profiles. A third method that uses the primary numerical weather prediction model output parameters, such as the cloud fraction, has also been considered to retrieve the CTH. This paper presents a first analysis, in which the heights retrieved by these three methodologies are compared with the heights given by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer sensor installed on the polar satellite Terra. Since all these methods are suitable for the JEM-EUSO mission, they could be used in the future in a complementary way to improve the accuracy of the CTH retrieval

Remote Sensing of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay: Modelling and Algorithm Formation

The incidence and severity of harmful algal blooms have increased in recent decades, as have the economic effects of their occurrence./The diatom Pseudo-nitzschia spp. caused fisheries closures in Mobile Bay during 2005 due to elevated levels of domoic acid. In the previous 4 years Karenia brevis counts of \u3e5,000 cells L 1 have occurred in Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound. Population levels of this magnitude had previously been recorded only in 1996. Increases in human populations, urban sprawl, development of shoreline properties, sewage effluent and resultant changes in NP ratios of discharge waters, and decline in forest and marsh lands, will potentially increase future harmful algal bloom occurrences in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Due to this trend in occurrence of harmful algal populations, there has been an increasing awareness of the need for development of monitoring systems in this region. Traditional methods of sampling have proven costly in terms of time and resources, and increasing attention has been turned toward use of satellite data in phytoplankton monitoring and prediction. This study shows that remote sensing does have utility in monitoring and predicting locations of phytoplankton blooms in this region. It has described the composition and spatial and temporal relationships of these populations, inferring salinity, total nitrogen and total phosphorous as the primary variables driving phytoplankton populations in Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound. Diatoms, chlorophytes, cryptophytes, and dinoflagellates were most abundant in collections. Correlations between SeaWiFS, MODIS and in situ data have shown relationships between Rrs reflectance and phytoplankton populations. These data were used in formation of a decision tree model predicting environmental conditions conducive to the formation of phytoplankton blooms that is driven completely by satellite data. Empirical algorithms were developed for prediction of salinity, based on Rrs ratios of 510 nm/ 555 nm, creating a new data product for use in harmful algal bloom prediction. The capacity of satellite data for rapid, synoptic coverage shows great promise in supplementing future efforts to monitor and predict harmful algal bloom events in the increasingly eutrophic waters of Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound

HIRIS (High-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer: Science opportunities for the 1990s. Earth observing system. Volume 2C: Instrument panel report

The high-resolution imaging spectrometer (HIRIS) is an Earth Observing System (EOS) sensor developed for high spatial and spectral resolution. It can acquire more information in the 0.4 to 2.5 micrometer spectral region than any other sensor yet envisioned. Its capability for critical sampling at high spatial resolution makes it an ideal complement to the MODIS (moderate-resolution imaging spectrometer) and HMMR (high-resolution multifrequency microwave radiometer), lower resolution sensors designed for repetitive coverage. With HIRIS it is possible to observe transient processes in a multistage remote sensing strategy for Earth observations on a global scale. The objectives, science requirements, and current sensor design of the HIRIS are discussed along with the synergism of the sensor with other EOS instruments and data handling and processing requirements

Community Review of Southern Ocean Satellite Data Needs

This review represents the Southern Ocean community’s satellite data needs for the coming decade. Developed through widespread engagement, and incorporating perspectives from a range of stakeholders (both research and operational), it is designed as an important community-driven strategy paper that provides the rationale and information required for future planning and investment. The Southern Ocean is vast but globally connected, and the communities that require satellite-derived data in the region are diverse. This review includes many observable variables, including sea-ice properties, sea-surface temperature, sea-surface height, atmospheric parameters, marine biology (both micro and macro) and related activities, terrestrial cryospheric connections, sea-surface salinity, and a discussion of coincident and in situ data collection. Recommendations include commitment to data continuity, increase in particular capabilities (sensor types, spatial, temporal), improvements in dissemination of data/products/uncertainties, and innovation in calibration/validation capabilities. Full recommendations are detailed by variable as well as summarized. This review provides a starting point for scientists to understand more about Southern Ocean processes and their global roles, for funders to understand the desires of the community, for commercial operators to safely conduct their activities in the Southern Ocean, and for space agencies to gain greater impact from Southern Ocean-related acquisitions and missions.The authors acknowledge the Climate at the Cryosphere program and the Southern Ocean Observing System for initiating this community effort, WCRP, SCAR, and SCOR for endorsing the effort, and CliC, SOOS, and SCAR for supporting authors’ travel for collaboration on the review. Jamie Shutler’s time on this review was funded by the European Space Agency project OceanFlux Greenhouse Gases Evolution (Contract number 4000112091/14/I-LG)

Optical Remote Sensing Of Snow On Sea Ice: Ground Measurements, Satellite Data Analysis, And Radiative Transfer Modeling

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2002The successful launch of the Terra satellite on December 18, 1999 opened a new era of earth observation from space. This thesis is motivated by the need for validation and promotion of the use of snow and sea ice products derived from MODIS, one of the main sensors aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. Three cruises were made in the Southern Ocean, in the Ross, Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas. Measurements of all-wave albedo, spectral albedo, BRDF, snow surface temperature, snow grain size, and snow stratification etc. were carried out on pack ice floes and landfast ice. In situ measurements were also carried out concurrently with MODIS. The effect of snow physical parameters on the radiative quantities such as all-wave albedo, spectral albedo and bidirectional reflectance are studied using statistical techniques and radiative transfer modeling, including single scattering and multiple scattering. The whole thesis consists of six major parts. The first part (chapter 1) is a review of the present research work on the optical remote sensing of snow. The second part (chapter 2) describes the instrumentation and data-collection of ground measurements of all-wave albedo, spectral albedo and bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of snow and sea ice in the visible-near-infrared (VNIR) domain in Western Antarctica. The third part (chapter 3) contains a detailed multivariate correlation and regression analysis of the measured radiative quantities with snow physical parameters such as snow density, surface temperature, single and composite grain size and number density. The fourth part (chapter 4) describes the validation of MODIS satellite data acquired concurrently with the ground measurements. The radiances collected by the MODIS sensor are converted to ground snow surface reflectances by removing the atmospheric effect using a radiative transfer algorithm (6S). Ground measured reflectance is corrected for ice concentration at the subpixel level so that the in situ and space-borne measured reflectance data are comparable. The fifth part (chapter 5) investigates the single scattering properties (extinction optical depth, single albedo, and the phase function or asymmetry factor) of snow grains (single or composite), which were calculated using the geometrical optical method. A computer code, GOMsnow, is developed and is tested against benchmark results obtained from an exact Mie scattering code (MIE0) and a Monte Carlo code. The sixth part (chapter 6) describes radiative transfer modeling of spectral albedo using a multi-layer snow model with a multiple scattering algorithm (DISORT). The effect of snow stratification on the spectral albedo is explored. The vertical heterogeneity of the snow grain-size and snow mass density is investigated. It is found that optical remote sensing of snow physical parameters from satellite measurements should take the vertical variation of snow physical parameters into account. The albedo of near-infrared bands is more sensitive to the grain-size at the very top snow layer (<5cm), while the albedo of the visible bands is sensitive to the grain-size of a much thicker snow layer. Snow parameters (grain-size, for instance) retrieved with near-infrared channels only represent the very top snow layer (most probably 1--3 cm). Multi-band measurements from visible to near-infrared have the potential to retrieve the vertical profile of snow parameters up to a snow depth limited by the maximum penetration depth of blue light

Increased ice flow in Western Palmer Land linked to ocean melting

A decrease in the mass and volume of Western Palmer Land has raised the prospect that ice speed has increased in this marine-based sector of Antarctica. To assess this possibility, we measure ice velocity over 25 years using satellite imagery and an optimized modeling approach. More than 30 unnamed outlet glaciers drain the 800 km coastline of Western Palmer Land at speeds ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 m/d, interspersed with near-stagnant ice. Between 1992 and 2015, most of the outlet glaciers sped up by 0.2 to 0.3 m/d, leading to a 13% increase in ice flow and a 15 km3/yr increase in ice discharge across the sector as a whole. Speedup is greatest where glaciers are grounded more than 300 m below sea level, consistent with a loss of buttressing caused by ice shelf thinning in a region of shoaling warm circumpolar water

The Research Unit VolImpact: Revisiting the volcanic impact on atmosphere and climate – preparations for the next big volcanic eruption

This paper provides an overview of the scientific background and the research objectives of the Research Unit “VolImpact” (Revisiting the volcanic impact on atmosphere and climate – preparations for the next big volcanic eruption, FOR 2820). VolImpact was recently funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and started in spring 2019. The main goal of the research unit is to improve our understanding of how the climate system responds to volcanic eruptions. Such an ambitious program is well beyond the capabilities of a single research group, as it requires expertise from complementary disciplines including aerosol microphysical modelling, cloud physics, climate modelling, global observations of trace gas species, clouds and stratospheric aerosols. The research goals will be achieved by building on important recent advances in modelling and measurement capabilities. Examples of the advances in the observations include the now daily near-global observations of multi-spectral aerosol extinction from the limb-scatter instruments OSIRIS, SCIAMACHY and OMPS-LP. In addition, the recently launched SAGE III/ISS and upcoming satellite missions EarthCARE and ALTIUS will provide high resolution observations of aerosols and clouds. Recent improvements in modeling capabilities within the framework of the ICON model family now enable simulations at spatial resolutions fine enough to investigate details of the evolution and dynamics of the volcanic eruptive plume using the large-eddy resolving version, up to volcanic impacts on larger-scale circulation systems in the general circulation model version. When combined with state-of-the-art aerosol and cloud microphysical models, these approaches offer the opportunity to link eruptions directly to their climate forcing. These advances will be exploited in VolImpact to study the effects of volcanic eruptions consistently over the full range of spatial and temporal scales involved, addressing the initial development of explosive eruption plumes (project VolPlume), the variation of stratospheric aerosol particle size and radiative forcing caused by volcanic eruptions (VolARC), the response of clouds (VolCloud), the effects of volcanic eruptions on atmospheric dynamics (VolDyn), as well as their climate impact (VolClim)