Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-742
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-742
03 May 2023
 | 03 May 2023

Validation of Aeolus L2B products over the tropical Atlantic using radiosondes

Maurus Borne, Peter Knippertz, Martin Weissmann, Benjamin Witschas, Cyrille Flamant, Rosimar Rios-Berrios, and Peter Veals

Abstract. Since its launch by the European Space Agency in 2018, the Aeolus satellite has been using the first Doppler wind lidar in space to acquire three-dimensional atmospheric wind profiles around the globe. Especially in the tropics, these measurements compensate for the currently limited number of other wind observations, making an assessment of the quality of Aeolus wind products in this region crucial for numerical weather prediction. To evaluate the quality of the Aeolus L2B wind products across the tropical Atlantic Ocean, 20 radiosondes corresponding to Aeolus overpasses were launched from the islands of Sal, Saint Croix and Puerto Rico during August–September 2021 as part of the Joint Aeolus Tropical Atlantic Campaign. During this period, Aeolus sampled winds within a complex environment with a variety of cloud types in the vicinity of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone and aerosol particles from Saharan dust outbreaks. On average, the validation for Aeolus Raleigh-clear revealed a random error of 3.8–4.3 ms−1 between 2–16 km and 4.3–4.8 ms−1 between 16–20 km, with a systematic error of −0.5 ± 0.2 ms−1. For Mie-cloudy, the random error between 2–16 km is 1.1–2.3 ms−1 and the systematic error is -0.9 ± 0.3 ms−1. Below clouds or within dust layers, the quality of Rayleigh-clear measurements can be degraded when the useful signal is reduced. In these conditions, we also noticed an underestimation of the L2B estimated error. Gross outliers which we define with large deviations from the radiosonde but low error estimates account for less than 5 % of the data. These outliers appear at all altitudes and under all environmental conditions; however, their root-cause remains unknown. Finally, we confirm the presence of an orbital-dependent bias of up to 2.5 ms−1 observed with both radiosondes and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model equivalents. The results of this study contribute to a better characterization of the Aeolus wind product in different atmospheric conditions and provide valuable information for further improvement of the wind retrieval algorithm.

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

26 Jan 2024
Validation of Aeolus L2B products over the tropical Atlantic using radiosondes
Maurus Borne, Peter Knippertz, Martin Weissmann, Benjamin Witschas, Cyrille Flamant, Rosimar Rios-Berrios, and Peter Veals
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 561–581, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-561-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-561-2024, 2024
Short summary
Maurus Borne, Peter Knippertz, Martin Weissmann, Benjamin Witschas, Cyrille Flamant, Rosimar Rios-Berrios, and Peter Veals

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-742', Anonymous Referee #1, 02 Jun 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Maurus Borne, 11 Sep 2023
    • AC4: 'Reply on RC1', Maurus Borne, 29 Sep 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-742', Anonymous Referee #2, 07 Aug 2023
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Maurus Borne, 11 Sep 2023
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Maurus Borne, 29 Sep 2023

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-742', Anonymous Referee #1, 02 Jun 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Maurus Borne, 11 Sep 2023
    • AC4: 'Reply on RC1', Maurus Borne, 29 Sep 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-742', Anonymous Referee #2, 07 Aug 2023
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Maurus Borne, 11 Sep 2023
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Maurus Borne, 29 Sep 2023

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
AR by Maurus Borne on behalf of the Authors (29 Sep 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (30 Sep 2023) by Ad Stoffelen
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (06 Oct 2023)
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (24 Oct 2023)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (24 Oct 2023) by Ad Stoffelen
AR by Maurus Borne on behalf of the Authors (10 Nov 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (21 Nov 2023) by Ad Stoffelen
AR by Maurus Borne on behalf of the Authors (28 Nov 2023)

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

26 Jan 2024
Validation of Aeolus L2B products over the tropical Atlantic using radiosondes
Maurus Borne, Peter Knippertz, Martin Weissmann, Benjamin Witschas, Cyrille Flamant, Rosimar Rios-Berrios, and Peter Veals
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 561–581, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-561-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-561-2024, 2024
Short summary
Maurus Borne, Peter Knippertz, Martin Weissmann, Benjamin Witschas, Cyrille Flamant, Rosimar Rios-Berrios, and Peter Veals
Maurus Borne, Peter Knippertz, Martin Weissmann, Benjamin Witschas, Cyrille Flamant, Rosimar Rios-Berrios, and Peter Veals

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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

Short summary
This study assesses the quality of Aeolus wind measurements over the tropical Atlantic. The results identified the accuracy and precision of the Aeolus wind measurements and the potential source of errors. For instance, the study revealed atmospheric conditions that can deteriorate the measurement quality, such as weaker laser signal in cloudy or dusty conditions, and confirmed the presence of an orbital-dependant bias. These results can help to improve the Aeolus wind measurement algorithm.