Figure CSA-1 4.7

• Main Author: CIMR Project
• Format: Still Image
• Language: unknown
• Published: figshare 2019
• Subjects: 90108 Satellite, Space Vehicle and Missile Design and Testing; FOS Mechanical engineering; Instrumentation, Techniques, and Astronomical Observations; Sea ice; ice covered areas
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.9816389.v1; https://figshare.com/articles/Figure_CSA-1_4_7/9816389/1

This figure comes from CIMR Deliverable 40 (CSA-1) entitled "Retrieval of Surface and Atmospheric Parameters from Multi-Frequency Microwave Radiometers: AMSR2 Compared With the CIMR Candidate Mission". This figure shows information content analysis for one AMSR2 equivalent 89 GHz retrieval and one CIMR 18.7+36.5 GHz retrieval over validated 100% sea ice concetration (SIC1) and areas of sea ice with nearby open water (SIC0) respectively. Maximum information content is retrieved from the CIMR 6.9 -> 36.5 channel combination at around 7.5 bits for both SIC0 and SIC1 scenes. This version offers sensitivity to all surface as well as all atmospheric parameters over SIC0 with the highest information content about SST out of all four tested versions. This analysis shows that the 18.7 -> 36.5 combination is largely complementary with the 89 GHz scheme. The 89 GHz version offers significant information content on LWP, which is especially important over sea ice covered areas where atmospheric measurements are difficult. However, if the requirements are for the best possible surface retrieval in both high and low SIC areas, the CIMR equivalent combination of 18.7 and 36.5 GHz offers higher retrieval performance with lower atmospheric contribution at the same high spatial resolution as the AMSR2 scheme. For a more complete retrieval with the maximum information content on both SIC, ice types, surface temperature and the relevant atmospheric parameters a combination of the CIMR 18.7 and 36.5 GHz channels as well as a prospective AMSR3 (for the same resolution) or MWI (at a lower resolution) 89 GHz pair of channels would work.