Under the Japanese Cross Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), studies are conducted to perform
very short-term predictions of local torrential rains based on a new multi-parameter phased-array weather radar
(MP-PAWR) and deep neural networks (DNNs). The association of the two methods is expected to overcome
the limitations of the conventional rains observation systems and numerical models that are not well suited to
handle the rapid non-linear processes inherent in heavy convective rains. The unique spatio-temporal resolution
of the observations allows us to train supervised DNNs to extrapolate the fast evolution of 3D convective cells.
We compared two DNNs (CLM3D and CGRU3D) designed to fully exploit the information in the vertical
dimension. Both methods use new techniques involving spatial convolutions in temporal recurrent iterations
such as Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) or Gated Recurrent Units (GRU) ones. The core of CLM3D is a
stack of convLTSM2D layers, each of which is applied to a single altitude. CGRU3D uses a multilayer encoderdecoder with convGRU3D layers, each layer is associated with a size of 3D spatial features. Forecasts with a
lead-time of 10 min at an altitude of 600 m with a horizontal resolution of about 500 m are compared. The
models are tested with different types of heavy precipitation: localized short-lived rains on July 24, 2018 and
wide-spread ones on the 29 of the same month. The models are evaluated with respect to a 3D linear advection
nowcast model (OF3D) and a persistent one. We found that the DNN and OF3D models perform better on
July 24 with similar scores that are significantly higher than those of the persistent model. Considering all rain
events, critical success indexes (CSI) of 0.62, 0.53, 0.55 are found for CGRU3D, CLM3D and OF3D, respectively,
and 0.43 for the persistent model. Regarding only heavy precipitation, the CSIs show a great variability between
0 and 0.4 on the predictions made that day. These results clearly illustrate the great challenge of nowcasting
heavy precipitation. On July 29, none of the models have significantly higher scores than those obtained with
the persistent nowcast. The interesting result of this study is that the two DNNs show similar nowcasting
skills whatever the intensity and the type of rain, and this despite their architectures and training strategies
being different. This may indicate that optimizing the tunning of the hyperpameters and the training dataset
could not bring significant improvements and, the key, could be by feeding the models with more comprehensive
information on the atmospheric state.
This study is about the development of a deep neural network to make very short-term predictions of torrential rains at the urban scale (meso-γ). The new polarimetric Phased Array Weather Radar (MP-PAWR) operating at Saitama (Japan) since 2018 is used. Thanks to the unique spatio-temporal resolution of the measurements, the precursors of torrential rains are detected aloft more than 20 minutes before the rain occurs. With this information, we aim at the prediction of surface precipitation with a lead time of 20 min, a horizontal resolution better than 500 m within a radius of 25 km around the instrument. Two supervised neural networks are considered to extrapolate radar reflectivity (ZH) at the altitude of 600 m. The first model (model-1) is based on a technique developed for mesoscale predictions from observations at a single altitude. It uses horizontal (2D) convolutions in gated recurrent time iterations and a multilayer encoder-decoder (EC/DC) architecture. The technique is adapted to consider 3 radar parameters and 11 altitudes up to 10 km, in the same way as RBG channels in video analysis. The second model (model-2) uses similar architecture but with 3D spatial convolutions to properly describe the vertical motions between adjacent layers. The input to the models consist in 20 min long time series of ZH, Doppler velocity and differential reflectivity observations (30 sec sampling). The models are trained using all the rain events observed between August and October 2018, and are assessed using local heavy rains observed over a period of 1-hour on July, 24, 2018. The beginning of the rain is first predicted with a lead time of about 5 min, and its evolution is fairly well reproduced to lead times up to about 10 min. Results quickly degrades for longer lead times. We found that a deeper network with 4 layers EC/DC gives better 20 min predictions than a model with 3 layers, but final results were not yet obtained at the time of writing. Regarding lead-times of 10 min, model-2 gives critical success indexes (CSIs) of 0.60 and 0.40 for pixels with ZH> 10 dBZ and 37 dBZ, which is comparable or better than results presented in other studies. For lead-times of 20 min, CSIs dropped to 0.28 and 0.10, respectively, and no other studies was found for comparison. Model-1 clearly shows poorer performance, especially for high ZH. However, this approach demands much less calculations and the training lasts only 2 weeks long, namely half of the time spent for model-2. Therefore, it is worth further studying both approaches and potential improvements are discussed.
Sensitivity studies of temperature and chemical species (Observed by ISS/JEM/SMILES: O3, HCl, ClO, HO2, BrO, HNO3, CH3CN, and Not observed by SMILES: Temperature, H2O, N2O, NO2, NO, CH3Cl, CO, H2CO, OH and O-atom) was carried out for the SMILES-2 proposal, a sub-mm and THz observation of limb emission from space over the spectral region from 400 GHz to 2.5 THz. Tentative but optimal candidate of frequency bands to cover these species was selected with 3 SIS (Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor) mixers; SIS-1 (485-489 GHz + 523-527 GHz), SIS-2 (623-627 GHz + 648-652 GHz), SIS-3 (557 GHz + 576.3 GHz) and 2 HEB (Hot Electron Bolometer); HEB-1 (1.8 THz OH) and HEB-2 (2.06 THz O-atom). Temperature can be retrieved with 1 K precision and 1 km vertical resolution from 15 to 120 km. Other chemical species also showed very high single scan precision (random error) comparable to statistical standard error of previous satellite measurements.
Satellite missions for measuring winds in the troposphere and thermosphere will be launched in a near future. There is no plan to observe winds in the altitude range between 30-90 km, though middle atmospheric winds are recognized as an essential parameter in various atmospheric research areas. Sub-millimetre limb sounders have the capability to fill this altitude gap. In this paper, we summarize the wind retrievals obtained from the Japanese Superconducting Submillimeter Wave Limb Emission Sounder (SMILES) which operated from the International Space Station between September 2009 and April 2010. The results illustrate the potential of such instruments to measure winds. They also show the need of improving the wind representation in the models in the Tropics, and globally in the mesosphere. A wind measurement sensitivity study has been conducted for its successor, SMILES-2, which is being studied in Japan. If it is realized, sub-millimeter and terahertz molecular lines suitable to determine line-of-sight winds will be measured. It is shown that with the current instrument definition, line-of-sight winds can be observed from 20 km up to more than 160 km. Winds can be retrieved with a precision better than 5 ms-1 and a vertical resolution of 2-3 km between 35-90 km. Above 90 km, the precision is better than 10 ms-1 with a vertical resolution of 3-5 km. Measurements can be performed day and night with a similar sensitivity. Requirements on observation parameters such as the antenna size, the satellite altitude are discussed. An alternative setting for the spectral bands is examined. The new setting is compatible with the general scientific objectives of the mission and the instrument design. It allows to improve the wind measurement sensitivity between 35 to 90 km by a factor 2. It is also shown that retrievals can be performed with a vertical resolution of 1 km and a precision of 5-10 ms-1 between 50 and 90 km.
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has made efforts in order to develop a 2-μm coherent lidar for measuring CO2 concentration and line-of-sight (LOS) wind speed. Experimental horizontal CO2 measurements were made to examine the detection sensitivity of the 2-μm coherent lidar in April and May, 2008, and October, 2009. Experimental vertical CO2 measurements were made for the Greenhouse gas Observing SATellite (GOSAT) data products validation in February 2010 and in January and February 2011. Bias and random error in the LOS wind speed measurements were also investigated in order to evaluate of the 2-μm coherent lidar for wind measurements in 2010. In the paper, we present an overview of our 2-μm coherent lidar developed at the NICT and also of the experimental results.
In the last decade the precision of coherent Doppler differential absorption lidar (DIAL) has been greatly improved in near and middle infra-red domains for measuring greenhouse gases such as CO2, CH4 and winds. The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, Japan) has developed and is operating a CO2 and wind measuring ground-based coherent DIAL at 2.05 μm (4878 cm-1). The application of this technology from space is now considered. In this analysis we study the use of the NICT DIAL for profiling tropospheric water vapour from space. We present the methodology to select the spectral lines and summarized the results of the selected lines between 4000 and 7000 cm-1. The choice of the frequency offset, the pulse energy and repetition frequency are discussed. Retrieval simulations from the line at 4580 cm-1 (2.18 μm) suitable for the boundary layer and the stronger one at 5621 cm-1 (1.78 μm) for sounding the boundary layer and the middle troposphere, are shown.
Wind profile is fundamental in many atmospheric phenomena. Radiosonde, windprofiler, and Doppler lidar, have been
developed for the wind measurement. Radiosonde and windprofiler are used to obtain wind profiles. About 1,300
weather stations launch radiosondes to obtain profiles of pressure, wind, temperature, and humidity. Most of the
weather stations are on land, while the stations on the sea are very sparse. Spaceborne visible and infrared imagers and
microwave scatterometers can obtain wind data only at a specific altitude. Current wind observations are not enough
and their reliability in the global climate model and weather prediction must be improved. Many scientific groups
anticipate the realization of a global observation system for three-dimensional wind measurements. The spaceborne
Doppler lidar is regarded as one of the candidate sensors for the global wind measurements. The working group on
Japanese spaceborne Doppler Lidar has been established to realize for wind measurements from space. In this paper,
we describe the activities and goals of this working group.
We developed a coherent 2-μm differential absorption and wind lidar to measure CO2 concentration and line-of-sight
wind speed. The wavelength of on-line laser was set at the R30 absorption line center of CO2 and the atmospheric
transmission for the on-line backscattered signal caused by CO2 is large. Measurable range of CO2 measurement was
limited. A laser frequency offset locking system was installed into the laser system to improved measurable range of
CO2 measurement. Two single-frequency continuous wave lasers are used for the laser frequency offset locking. One
laser (center, λCenter) of the two continuous lasers is directly locked to the R30 absorption line center of CO2 and the other
(on-line, λOn) is frequency-shifted to λCenter laser. Although long-range CO2 measurement depends on the laser frequency offset, the installation of the laser frequency offset realized vertical CO2 measurement in a range of up to the
upper troposphere.
A new generation of sub-millimeter-wave receivers employing sensitive SIS (Superconductor-Insulator-
Superconductor) detector technology will provide new opportunities for precise passive remote sensing observation of
minor constituents in atmosphere. Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) was
designed to be onbord the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on the International Space Station (ISS) as a
collaboration project of National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA). SMILES scheduled to be launch in September 11, 2009 by the H-II Transfer Vehicle
(HTV). Mission Objectives are: i) Space demonstration of superconductive mixer and 4-K mechanical cooler for the
submillimeter limb emission sounding, and ii) global observations of atmospheric minor constituents. JEM/SMILES will
allow to observe the atmospheric species such as O3, H35Cl, H37 Cl, ClO, BrO, HOCl, HO2, and HNO3, CH3CN, and
Ozone isotope species with the precisions in a few to several tens percents from upper troposphere to the mesosphere.
We have estimated the observation capabilities of JEM/SMILES. This new technology may allow us to open new issues
in atmospheric science.
The Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) provides a unique opportunity of monitoring tropospheric pollutants on the
regional scale. Thermal InfraRed (TIR) observations (from about 620-2300 cm-1) have two advantages over other
spectral domains: firstly, day/night observations are possible; secondly, numerous molecular species can be observed
simultaneously. However, the sensitivity of TIR observations may be a critical point for the geostationary orbit geometry.
In this study, we present a feasibility study for TIR pollution observations in GEO conditions. The capabilities of
measuring the tropospheric abundance of ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) are investigated. Limitations of the
sensor sensitivity are also discussed.
This work presents clear-sky simulations to study water vapor (H2O) retrieval from a nadir sounder operating in
the TeraHertz (THz) and Far-Infrared (FIR) spectral domains (100-500 cm-1). The THz/FIR retrieval is compared
with retrieval from the mid-InfraRed (IR) 7μm H2O band (1200-2000 cm-1). The THz/FIR observations
are more sensitive in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere than the IR measurements. On the other
hand, the IR sounder has better performance in the lower troposphere. The retrieval error due to uncertainties
on the temperature profile are of the same order of magnitude in the THz/FIR and IR bands. No significant
retrieval errors from contaminating species have been found. The calculations for several atmospheric scenarios
show that retrieval performances are not only dependent on the H2O abundance but also on the temperature
gradient. Hence, sensitivity in the UT/LS layer, with a low temperature gradient, is poor. The combination of
FIR and IR merges the advantages of both bands, and allows to slightly decorrelate temperature and H2O VMR.
With wavelengths in the order of the size of typical ice cloud particles and therefore being sensitive to ice clouds,
the Terahertz (THz) region is expected to bear a high potential concerning measuring ice cloud properties, in
particular microphysical parameters. In this paper we give an introduction to the characteristics of atmospheric
THz radiation between 0-5THz (wavelengths >60 μm and wavenumber<170 cm-1 respectively) as well as ice
cloud optical properties and cloud effects in the THz region. Using radiative transfer model simulations we
analyze the sensitivity of THz spectra to ice content and particle size. For tropical cases cloud effects in the
order of 0.1 K/(g/m2) are found. Assuming instrumental sensitivities of typically around 1K these effects allow
for detection of clouds with columnar ice content of 10 g/m2. It is demonstrated that submillimeter (SMM)
instruments are sensitive to particles with sizes larger than 100 μm, while THz observations potentially can
measure particles as small as 10 μm.
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