资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Severe storms are often associated with high temporal and spatial variations in atmospheric moisture deviation. Satellite based hyperspectral IR sounders are widely used for weather forecasting and data assimilation in NWP. Current IR sounders have spatial resolutions ranging from 12 – 16 km, with future sounders improved to 4 – 8 km. It is important to understand if measurements from the current and future IR sounders can capture small scale atmospheric moisture variations, especially during mesoscale weather events. Using measurements from three AHI moisture absorption bands, different sounder resolutions are simulated for sub-footprint moisture variation analysis. Current sounders are limited when attempting to capture small scale moisture variations, especially over land and in the pre-convection environment. In contrast, future sounders such as the IRS with 4 km resolution can better capture such small-scale variations. In addition, the higher spatial resolution IR sounders provide more clear sky observations for applications.