CLOUDMAP2: Sub-gridscale parameterisation through the validation and data assimilation of cloud properties for weather prediction and climate modelling from fusion of EO and ground-based instruments

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 00.0355-1

Key words (English)

Clouds; satellite sensors; terrestrial camera system; sensor models;
Earth Sciences; Electronics; Microelectronics; Environmental Protection; Meteorology

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: EVG1-2000-00033

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.4a.2 Global change, climate and biodiversity

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
ETH Zürich
Institut für Geodäsie und Photogrammetrie

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: University College London (UK)

Abstract (English)

CLOUDMAP2 aims to produce and exploit value-added satellite remote sensing data products on macroscopic (e.g. cloud-top height) and microscopic (e.g. cloud droplet radius) properties and water vapour distributions tocharacterise sub-grid scale processes within Numerical Weather Prediction Models (NWP) through validation and data assimilation. The results will have a large potential application to Global Climate Models. Current and near-future Earth Observation (EO) data, provided by ESA, EUMETSAT and NASA will be employed to derive geophysical value-added data products for over a decade from the ATSR(2) sensor over Europe and the North Atlantic region as well as through the use of near real-time EO data for this region. Ground-based active and passive thermal Infra-Red remote-sensing instruments will be used to help validate EO derived products as well as be merged to create new fused value-added products. Numerical simulation experiments based on state-of-the-art radiative transfer methods will be used to quantify the effect of broken clouds on the Earth's radiation budget and lead to a better representation of clouds within GCMs.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 00.0355-1