Earth System Data Records (ESDR) and Climate Data Records (CDR) Dave Siegel Crystal Schaaf Norm Nelson

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Earth System Data Records (ESDR) and Climate
Data Records (CDR)Dave SiegelCrystal
SchaafNorm Nelson
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ESDR/CDR

• NASA Earth System Data Records (ESDR)
• Defined as a unified and coherent set of
  observations of a given parameter of the Earth
  system, which is optimized to meet specific
  requirements in addressing science questions
• NRC/NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR)
• Defined as a time series of measurements of
  sufficient length, consistency, and continuity to
  determine climate variability and change (Climate
  Data Records from Environmental Satellites, 2004)
• Fundamental CDRs (FCDRs),
• calibrated and quality-controlled sensor data
  that have been improved over time
• Thematic CDRs (TCDRs),
• geophysical variables derived from the FCDRs.

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GCOS/GTOS Essential Climate Variables (ECVs)
Domain Essential Climate Variables Essential Climate Variables
Atmospheric (over land, sea and ice) Surface Air temperature, Precipitation, Air pressure, Surface radiation budget, Wind speed and direction, Water vapour.
Atmospheric (over land, sea and ice) Upper-air Earth radiation budget (including solar irradiance), Upper-air temperature, Wind speed and direction, Water vapour, Cloud properties.
Atmospheric (over land, sea and ice) Composition Carbon dioxide, Methane, Ozone, Other long-lived greenhouse gases, Aerosol properties.
Oceanic Surface Sea-surface temperature, Sea-surface salinity, Sea level, Sea state, Sea Ice, Current, Ocean colour (for biological activity), Carbon dioxide partial pressure.
Oceanic Sub-surface Temperature, Salinity, Current, Nutrients, Carbon, Ocean tracers, Phytoplankton.
Terrestrial River discharge, Water use, Ground water, Lake levels, Snow cover, Glaciers and ice caps, Permafrost and seasonally-frozen ground, Albedo, Land cover (including vegetation type), Fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR), Leaf area index (LAI), Biomass, Fire disturbance, Soil moisture. River discharge, Water use, Ground water, Lake levels, Snow cover, Glaciers and ice caps, Permafrost and seasonally-frozen ground, Albedo, Land cover (including vegetation type), Fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR), Leaf area index (LAI), Biomass, Fire disturbance, Soil moisture.
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GCOS Principles for Monitoring Climate Variables
from Satellites (GCOS, 2004)

• Constant sampling within the diurnal cycle
  (minimizing the effects of orbital decay and
  orbit drift) should be maintained.
• A suitable period of overlap for new and old
  satellite systems should be ensured for a period
  adequate to determine intersatellite biases and
  maintain the homogeneity and consistency of
  time-series observations.
• Continuity of satellite measurements (i.e.,
  elimination of gaps in the long-term record)
  through appropriate launch and orbital strategies
  should be ensured.
• Rigorous prelaunch instrument characterization
  and calibration, including radiance confirmation
  against an international radiance scale provided
  by a national metrology institute, should be
  ensured.
• On-board calibration adequate for climate system
  observations should be ensured and associated
  instrument characteristics monitored.
• Operational production of priority climate
  products should be sustained and peer-reviewed
  new products should be introduced as appropriate.
• Data systems needed to facilitate user access to
  climate products, metadata, and raw data,
  including key data for delayed-mode analysis,
  should be established and maintained.
• Use of functioning baseline instruments that meet
  the calibration and stability requirements stated
  above should be maintained for as long as
  possible, even when these exist on decommissioned
  satellites.
• Complementary in situ baseline observations for
  satellite measurements should be maintained
  through appropriate activities and cooperation.
• Random errors and time-dependent biases in
  satellite observations and derived products
  should be identified.

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Land Measurements Team Earth System Data Records
(ESDR) White Papers

• http//lcluc.umd.edu/Documents/land-esdr.asp
• Albedo and Anisotropy
• Fire
• GPP and NPP
• LAI and fPAR
• Land Cover and Change
• PAR and Incident Solar Radiation
• Phenology
• Sea Ice
• Snow Cover
• Surface Hydrology
• Surface Reflectance
• Temperature and Emissivity
• Vegetation Indices

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AVHRR NDVI (1981-2000)
Vegetation index (NDVI) monthly anomaly time
series (Jul 1981- Dec 2000). Original Pathfinder
Land (V1) and successive corrections (V2, V3)
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Long Term Data Record (AVHRR-MODIS-VIIRS)
Production of the Version 2 Data Set (Oct 2007)

• Algorithms
• Vicarious calibration (Vermote/Kaufman)
• Cloud screening CLAVR
• Partial Atmospheric Correction
• Rayleigh (NCEP)
• Ozone (TOMS)
• Water Vapor (NCEP)
• Products
• Daily NDVI (AVH13C1)
• Daily surface reflectance (AVH09C1)
• Format
• Linear Lat/Lon projection
• Spatial resolution 0.05 Deg
• HDF-EOS
• Time Period
• 1981 2000 completed
• Distribution
• ftp and web
• http//ltdr.nascom.nasa.gov/ltdr/ltdr.html

NOAA-11 - 1992193 (7/11/1992) Ch1, Ch2 and NDVI
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AVHRR BRDF/Albedo ProductBroadband Black-Sky
Albedo (July 1999)
VERY Preliminary Albedo Evaluation AVHRR 1999
MODIS 2000
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Key Points for Land CDRs for CCE

• Maintenance of heritage variables and sensor
  measurements over time
• calibration, continuity, and overlap over
  multiple missions
• Production and maintenance of quality/confidence
  fields with these records
• key for assimilation, gap-filling, and model
  assessments
• On-going validation and assessment efforts
• CEOS/WGCV/LPV (Land Product Validation)
• Long term commitment to reprocessing the CDRs
• as new calibration information, algorithm
  improvements and data sources become available

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Ocean Color CDRs

• Multiple missions from 1978 to present
• Quality issues early in record ( into the
  future)
• Fundamental Thematic CDR Products (NRC 2004)
• Water-leaving radiance
• Chlorophyll a concentration, Net primary
  production, etc.
• Validation
• Many 1000s obs available (SeaBASS)
• Ocean Color CDR Generation
• Projects to maximize coverage (ReaSoN,
  GlobColour)
• Little progress on cross-mission CDRs (CIOSS
  2005)
• SeaWiFSs continuing success has slowed progress

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Obviously, quality matters
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Stats for Overlap Normalized Bias WiFS-Aqua
13 WiFS-MERIS 5 Aqua-MERIS
14 Normalized RMS WiFS-Aqua 13 WiFS-MERIS
46 Aqua-MERIS 30
Comparison with Field Observations (Global -
GlobColour 11/07) Normalized Bias Normalized
RMS WiFS-Field 0 WiFS-Field 25
Aqua-Field 4 Aqua-Field 44 MERIS-Field
22 MERIS-Field 34
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What do we want CDRs to do?

• Answer climate science questions
• Quantify trends on climate-relevant time scales
• CDRs are likely question specific
• How to build them?
• Decide on question work out the method for
  quantifying answer
• Need to link multiple missions (but multiple
  sensors!!)
• Need to be realistic
• Hoping (i.e., averaging) will not work
• We may not be able to do everything

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CCE Workshop Questions

• What does the carbon cycle and ecosystems
  community expect of this effort?
• What are our biggest challenges in this area, and
  how do we address them?
• Is our list of identified data records complete,
  or is something missing?
• Does the carbon cycle and ecosystems community
  need to establish priorities for these and other
  activities, and, if so, how should they be
  established?

Session II