Evaluation of Total Precipitable Water Trends From Reprocessed MiRS SNPP ATMS Observations

ESSIC/CISESS scientists Yan Zhou, Chris Grassotti, and Yong-Keun Lee have a new paper in IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (JSTARS) alongside co-authors Quanhua (Mark) Liu (NOAA) and Shuyan Liu (CIRA and NOAA). The study, titled “Evaluation of Total Precipitable Water Trends From Reprocessed MiRS SNPP ATMS Observations, 2012–2021”, focuses on trend analysis using the Total Precipitable Water (TPW) retrieval product from the recently-reprocessed Microwave Integrated Retrieval System (MiRS) Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (SNPP) Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) data, and compared it with ERA5 reanalysis. 

The primary results show that the global TPW trend during 2012-2021 from reprocessed SNPP ATMS is 0.46 mm/decade, in relatively good agreement with the trend from ERA5 of 0.39 mm/decade. Trends for tropical and mid-latitude subregions are also in good agreement, with essentially the same trend of 0.43 mm/decade seen in both datasets in the mid-latitudes. Both datasets show a large positive anomaly associated with the strong El Nino event in 2015-2016, which increased TPW amounts in the tropics. The researchers also found that the TPW trend is not uniformly distributed spatially, with significant regional variations in both sign and amplitude. Nevertheless, the spatial patterns from MiRS SNPP ATMS retrievals and ERA5 analyses are in very good agreement. Both datasets show that positive TPW trends in terms of relative percentage in the polar regions were on par with those seen in lower-latitudes. The results suggest that water vapor observations from a single polar-orbiting microwave instrument with only two local observation times daily may be sufficient to characterize trends in TPW. 

Yan Zhou received the B.S. degree from Zhejiang University, China; the M.S. degree from the University of Georgia, U.S.; and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Maryland, U.S.; all in the major of Atmospheric Science. From 2015 to 2018, she worked for the CICS-MD Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) Project at the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), University of Maryland. Since 2019, she has worked at the ESSIC, in cooperation with NOAA/STAR for the Microwave Integrated Retrieval System (MiRS) project. 

Christopher Grassotti received a B.S. degree in earth and space science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, USA, in 1982, tan M.S. degree in meteorology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA, in 1986, and an M.S. degree in viticulture and enology from AgroMontpellier, Montpellier, France, in 2007. From 1986 to 1991 and again from 1993 to 2005, he was a Research Associate, Senior Research Associate and Staff Scientist with Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc., Lexington, MA, USA. From 1991 to 1993, he was with the Atmospheric Environmental Service, Environment Canada, Dorval, QC, Canada. Since  2008, he has been with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, College Park, MD, USA. He has been a Senior Faculty Specialist with ESSIC/CISESS since 2015.

Yong-Keun Lee received a B.S. degree in atmospheric science from Seoul National University, Seoul Korea, in 1994, and M.S. degree in atmospheric science from the same University in 1996. Between 1996 and 1999, he was with the Republic of Korea Air Force, and between 1999 and 2001, he was a Research Scientist with Korea Meteorological Administration. He received a Ph.D. degree in atmospheric science from Texas A&M University in 2006. Between 2006 and 2018, he was a Research Scientist with SSEC/CIMSS and he has been a Research Scientist with ESSIC/CISESS since 2018.

To access the paper, click here: “Evaluation of Total Precipitable Water Trends From Reprocessed MiRS SNPP ATMS Observations, 2012–2021”.