Cloud detection over snow and ice with oxygen A- and B-band observations from the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC)

• Published in: Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
• Main Authors: Y. Zhou, Y. Yang, M. Gao, P.-W. Zhai
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2020
• Subjects: Environmental engineering; TA170-171; Earthwork. Foundations; TA715-787; Antarctic; Antarc*; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1575-2020; https://doaj.org/article/1e4c1deda747400f8382ef6b3865feb2

Satellite cloud detection over snow and ice has been difficult for passive remote sensing instruments due to the lack of contrast between clouds and cold/bright surfaces; cloud mask algorithms often heavily rely on shortwave infrared (IR) channels over such surfaces. The Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on board the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) does not have infrared channels, which makes cloud detection over snow and ice surfaces even more challenging. This study investigates the methodology of applying EPIC's two oxygen absorption band pair ratios in the A band (764, 780 nm) and B band (688, 680 nm) for cloud detection over the snow and ice surfaces. We develop a novel elevation and zenith-angle-dependent threshold scheme based on radiative transfer model simulations that achieves significant improvements over the existing algorithm. When compared against a composite cloud mask based on geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) and low Earth orbit (LEO) sensors, the positive detection rate over snow and ice surfaces increased from around 36 % to 65 % while the false detection rate dropped from 50 % to 10 % for observations of January 2016 and 2017. The improvement in July is less substantial due to relatively better performance in the current algorithm. The new algorithm is applicable for all snow and ice surfaces including Antarctic, sea ice, high-latitude snow, and high-altitude glacier regions. This method is less reliable when clouds are optically thin or below 3 km because the sensitivity is low in oxygen band ratios for these cases.