Simulation Atmospheres

OMPS-CALIPSO Curtain

This scene combines data from the CALIPSO and OMPS observing systems and ERA 5 reanalysis. CALIPSO provides cloud information up to the tropopause region and OMPS provides information on fine aerosol above the tropopause from the tomographic retrieval [Zawada et al., 2018]. The chosen dataset combined observations from September 01, 2019, when both instruments performed nearly coincident observations. This provides a realistic and detailed picture of cloud, aerosol and water interactions. The scene is ideal for examining the synergy between all three HAWC instruments.

EarthCARE

The EarthCare frame was generated using the GEM model to support ESA’s EarthCARE mission. It measures 6,200 x 200 km and provides coverage from 0 – 15 km in altitude. The dataset includes 3D distributions of many atmospheric variables, including cloud (ice and liquid), aerosols and humidity. The combined HAWC observing system will retrieve many atmospheric parameters from this scene. This includes water vapour profiles, aerosol extinction profiles, aerosol effective radius profiles, angstrom exponent profiles, cloud discrimination and vertical extent, cloud fraction, cloud phase, cloud top altitude, cloud optical depth, ice crystal effective diameter, and broadband radiances.

GEM-MACH

The GEM-MACH scene is a 3D scene containing realistic profile states of water vapour, ice, and water clouds with 200 m to 500 m vertical resolution (~250 m in the UTLS) and ~1 km horizontal resolution in a convectively impacted environment. The GEM-MACH atmosphere implements 1D tropical and extra-tropical profiles with hydrated and dehydrated conditions. As no aerosol included in the GEM-MACH scene GloSSAC is used.