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surface_properties

Surface Properties

Product Description

AIRS Standard Surface Properties Product

The initial surface emissivity over ocean follows the shape of the Masuda model as updated by Wu and Smith (1997) as recomputed at higher spectral resolution by van Delst and Wu. The initial surface emissivity over all other surface classes (e.g. land and ice), has been set by a regression. The subsequent regression retrieval determines a spectral shape that is then used as an updated state for the final retrieval. The regression with shortwave variability has been greatly improved in V5. The final retrieval then adjusts the spectral shape, over land or ocean, with four degrees of freedom. Although algorithm improvements include better treatment of land surface heterogeneity and training over land, the AIRS surface emissivity product over land and ice is still being refined.



Data Source

Available in L2 and L3 data product sets.



Image Examples

Surface Multimedia web page



More Information

For more detail about AIRS geophysical products, refer to the AIRS Version 5 Release Level 2 Standard Product QuickStart Guide.

Additional information is also found on the AIRS Documentation Page on the data distribution web site at the Goddard DAAC.