Applications of Geostationary Hyperspectral Infrared Sounder Observations: Progress, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Abstract

A hyperspectral infrared (IR) sounder from geostationary orbit provides nearly continuous measurements of atmospheric thermodynamic and dynamic information within a weather cube, specifically the atmospheric temperature, moisture, and wind information at different pressure levels that are critical for improving high impact weather (HIW) nowcasting and numerical weather prediction (NWP). Geostationary hyperspectral IR sounders (GeoHIS) have been onboard China’s Fengyun-4 series since 2016 and will be onboard Europe’s Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) series in the 2024 time frame; the U.S. and other countries are also planning to include GeoHIS instruments on their next generation of geostationary weather satellites. Although availability of on-orbit GeoHIS data are limited currently, studies have been conducted and progress has been made on developing the applications of high temporal resolution GeoHIS observations. These include but are not limited to deriving three-dimensional wind fields for nowcasting and NWP applications, trending atmospheric instability for warning in pre-convective environments, conducting impact studies with data from the experimental Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS) onboard Fengyun-4A, preparing observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs), and monitoring diurnal variation of atmospheric composition. This paper provides an overview of the current applications of GeoHIS, discusses the data processing challenges, and provides perspectives on future development. The purpose is to provide direction on utilization of the current and assist preparation for the upcoming GeoHIS observations for nowcasting, NWP and other applications.

Retrieval of Atmospheric Water Vapor Content in the Environment from AHI/H8 Using Both Physical and Random Forest Methods—A Case Study for Typhoon Maria (201808)

“…Compared with the 1DVAR algorithm, when the same input data are used, the advantages of the machine learning approach for atmospheric profile retrieval include high computational efficiency, stable retrieval (e.g., less scene dependence), not relying on the radiative transfer model, less sensitive to the calibration bias of observations, etc. It is very useful for near real-time applications of high resolution (spatial, temporal, and spectral) satellite measurements such as geostationary imager and sounder measurements [51] with large data volume, those near real-time applications can be realized through training the model offline while applying the model online. In addition, multiple sources of data can be easily used together with machine learning techniques in the retrieval process, if they are temporally and spatially matched.…”

Enhancing Clear Radiance Generation for Geostationary Hyperspectral Infrared Sounder Using High Temporal Resolution Information

“…Measurements from the geostationary (GEO) hyperspectral IR sounder (GeoHIS) (J. Li, Menzel, et al., 2022) provide continuous three‐dimensional (3D) weather data cubes which are crucial for monitoring and predicting rapidly changing weather events, such as severe local storms and TCs. The second generation of Chinese Fengyun geostationary satellites carry a hyperspectral IR sounder known as the Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS).…”

Added Value of Three‐Dimensional Horizontal Winds From Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder for Typhoon Forecast in a Regional NWP Model

“…Continuous monitoring of the atmosphere in a geostationary orbit is extremely important for enhancing the prediction accuracy of HIW events. Geostationary hyperspectral infrared sounders (GeoHIS) boast superior temporal resolutions (Li, Paul Menzel, et al, 2022), enabling the observation of both thermodynamic and dynamical information (Di et al, 2018;Ma et al, 2021;Yan et al, 2023;Yin et al, 2020), specifically the atmospheric temperature, moisture, and wind information at different pressure levels. Carrying a GeoHIS called Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS), China's FY-4A represents the first attempt at a new generation in geostationary meteorological satellite technology (Yang et al, 2017).…”