Departure statistics (i.e. brightness temperature differences between observation and modelled background) will be produced through the offline monitoring suite. Standard products will be provided to ESA on a regular basis. ECMWF has a long history of monitoring satellite observations. The current operational system provides information on the coverage and performance of a number of instruments, including AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder), SSM/I, AMSR-E, AMSU (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit), and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer). The monitoring results (e.g. coverage map, departure statistics) will be accessible online. Monitoring is a mandatory step towards the operational usage of a new observation type in the data assimilation system and forms the basis for developing the bias correction scheme.

More information concerning The SMOS monitoring cal-val

SMOS cal-val over West Africa

The SMOS cal-val over West Africa is organised around three methodological components:

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Validation of SMOS soil moisture (SM) products
comparing SMOS soil moisture products with both simulated and observed soil moisture at different scales.

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Validation of retrieval algorithms
forward modelling of brightness temperature from both observed and simulated SM from local scale to meso-scale

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Assimilation in Land Surface Models (LSMs)
retrieve the root zone soil moisture. Multi-model approach.

More information concerning The SMOS cal-val in West Africa

Preliminary studies relevant for the SMOS cal-val activities:

Comparison between ERA-40 based L-band brightness temperatures with Skylab Observations

The AMMA Land Surface Model Intercomparison Project - Microwave Emission Model (ALMIP-MEM)

Last update: February 2012

02.02.2012