Two workshops will take place during the first week of March, 1998, at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, a graduate school of the University of Miami which is located on a 16-acre campus on the small island of Virginia Key to the east of Miami. The workshops are focused on the use of radiometric measurements to provide accurate validation of surface temperatures retrieved from spacecraft instruments. The first, a comparison of instruments (radiometers and black-body calibration targets) and measurement techniques, will bring together researchers from around the world.
In conjunction with this instrument workshop a joint RSMAS-CEOS workshop will be held with the intention of laying the foundations for coordinated validation of surface temperatures retrieved from the measurements from the current and anticipated suite of new infrared radiometers.
Participation in the instrument workshop and RSMAS-CEOS validation workshop is anticipated from several groups in the US (some of whom are involved in NASA-funded satellite validation activities), groups from Europe including members of the EC-supported CASOTS (Combined Action to Study the Ocean's Thermal Skin) project, and investigators from Japan and Australia.
The instrument workshop will begin on Monday, March 2 and continue to Wednesday, March 4. The RSMAS-CEOS validation workshop will begin on Thursday March 5 and conclude on Friday March 6. An agenda will be distributed nearer the time. Workshop participants are invited to arrive earlier if they need extra time to set up their instruments, or remain longer if they wish to continue to make measurements.
Please circulate news of these activities to your colleagues who may not yet know about them.
The purpose of this is to provide a framework in which investigators using infrared radiometers, spectrometers and imaging devices can come together to compare instruments, calibration targets, and measurement protocols. This is to ensure consistent and accurate data sets for future use in validating infrared retrievals of surface temperature from current and future satellite measurements. These radiometers and spectroradiometers will have applications in the validation of surface temperatures over land as well as oceans.
An instrument platform has been constructed on the roof of the Marine Science Center at RSMAS to support a range of remote sensing and meteorological instruments. Electrical power will be available at roof level, and a cable channel to interior lab space has been constructed. A boom with a electric winch is available for lifting heavy or bulky instrumentation from ground to the roof level [~16m (50 ft) in elevation]. It will be relatively straightforward to mount instruments on this platform that have been designed for use on ships or in the field.
A Marine-Atmosphere Emitted Radiance Interferometer (M-AERI) will be used on the rooftop platform throughout the period of the Workshops.
An ~15m (47 ft) high meteorological tower is located on the roof next to the instrument platform. This tower supports wind speed and direction sensors at two or more levels, sensors for air temperature and humidity, and hemispheric radiometers for downwelling long- and short- wave radiation. An all-sky camera linked to a time-lapse video recorder will provide a record of the cloud conditions under which the radiometer measurements will be taken. In addition radiosondes can be launched for characterization of the atmospheric structure. A float in the water in front of the building will provide a near-surface in situ surface temperature.
A list of instruments at the workshop and a tentative schedule are now available.
The aim of the validation workshop is to provide a forum in which the various groups involved in the validation of satellite measurements of surface temperature can coordinate activities to maximize the potential of field opportunities and to avoid unnecessary duplications of effort. Many groups have complimentary suites of instruments and would benefit from closer cooperation and others have complimentary deployment areas and would benefit from improved liaison, communication and data exchange. This workshop will offer the opportunity for the presentation of plans, measurement schemes and aspirations for collaboration. The subject matter will encompass both current and planned spacecraft instruments. These include MODIS, AVHRR-2, AVHRR-3, ATSR-2, AATSR and GLI. This meeting will be chaired by Dr. Otis Brown (RSMAS) and Dr. Ian Barton (CSIRO).
Click here for a draft agenda.
If you intend to attend either or both workshops please fill out the registration form. A list of those already registered is available.
A block of 15 rooms has been reserved at the Hampton Inn at the end of Rickenbacker Causeway. This is conveniently located for RSMAS.