Improved Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM CRTM for Ultra-Violet (UV) and Passive Microwave Hydrometeor Simulation

Abstract

In support of CRTM, it is important to develop robust graupel and snowflake optical property models, which will achieve spectral consistency (i.e., the data will be spectrally consistent across from ultraviolet to microwave spectral regimes). In far-infrared to microwave regimes, the ice refractive index has dependence on temperature and is critical to remote sensing applications and radiative flux estimations. The goal of this work is to use a synergy of a suit of light-scattering modeling capabilities (specifically, the invariant-imbedding T-matrix model (II-TM) and the improved geometric optics model (IGOM)] to compute the single-scattering properties of realistic graupel and snowflake particles, and to develop the bulk single-scattering properties of these hydrometeors with various particle size distributions. We will leverage particle geometry of graupel and snowflakes with considering various ice density and hollow structures inside these hydrometeors. The proposed research effort will be directed towards answering the question: “how do realistic graupel and snowflake models improve forward radiative transfer simulations based on CRTM for remote sensing and data assimilation applications?” To address the question, requested efforts will be focused on the followings.