Evaluation of total column water vapour products from satellite observations and reanalyses within the GEWEX Water Vapor Assessment

Abstract. Since 2011, the Global Energy and Water cycle Exchanges (GEWEX) Water Vapor Assessment (G-VAP) has provided performance analyses for state-of-the-art reanalysis and satellite water vapour products to the GEWEX Data and Analysis Panel (GDAP) and the user community in general. A significant component of the work undertaken by G-VAP is to characterise the quality and uncertainty of these water vapour records to (i) ensure full exploitation and (ii) avoid incorrect use or interpretation of results. This study presents results from the second phase of G-VAP, where we have extended and expanded our analysis of total column water vapour (TCWV) from phase 1, in conjunction with updating the G-VAP archive. For version 2 of the archive, we consider 28 freely available and mature satellite and reanalysis data products, remapped to a regular longitude–latitude grid of 2° × 2° and on monthly time steps between January 1979 and December 2019. We first analysed all records for a “common” short period of 5 years (2005–2009), focusing on variability (spatial and seasonal) and deviation from the ensemble mean. We observed that clear-sky daytime-only satellite products were generally drier than the ensemble mean, and seasonal variability/disparity in several regions up to 12 kg m−2 related to original spatial resolution and temporal sampling. For 11 of the 28 data records, further analysis was undertaken between 1988–2014. Within this “long period”, key results show (i) trends between −1.18 ± 0.68 to 3.82 ± 3.94 kg m−2 per decade and −0.39 ± 0.27 to 1.24 ± 0.85 kg m−2 per decade were found over ice-free global oceans and land surfaces, respectively, and (ii) regression coefficients of TCWV against surface temperatures of 6.17 ± 0.24 to 27.02 ± 0.51 % K−1 over oceans (using sea surface temperature) and 3.00 ± 0.17 to 7.77 ± 0.16 % K−1 over land (using surface air temperature). It is important to note that trends estimated within G-VAP are used to identify issues in the data records rather than analyse climate change. Additionally, breakpoints have been identified and characterised for both land and ocean surfaces within this period. Finally, we present a spatial analysis of correlations to six climate indices within the long period, highlighting regional areas of significant positive and negative correlation and the level of agreement among records.

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Journal
Atmospheric chemistry and physics
Published
2024-08-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9667-2024
Citations
6
Primary Topic
Atmospheric Ozone and Climate
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.26

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article

Evaluation of total column water vapour products from satellite observations and reanalyses within the GEWEX Water Vapor Assessment

Tim Trent, Diego Loyola, Wesley Ebisuzaki, Ulrike Falk et al.
6 citations
Atmospheric chemistry and physics
Atmospheric Ozone and Climate
2.26
article

Evaluation of total column water vapour products from satellite observations and reanalyses within the GEWEX Water Vapor Assessment

Tim Trent, Diego Loyola, Wesley Ebisuzaki, Ulrike Falk, Frank Fell, Christian Borger, Enzo Papandrea, Éva Borbás, Anthony Reale, Laura Slivinski, Xavier Calbet, Laurence Picon, René Preusker, Ralf Bennartz, Hélène Brogniez, Hans Hersbach, Gilbert P. Compo, Elisa Castelli, Johannes K. Nielsen, Misako Kachi, Lei Shi, Thomas H. Vonder Haar, Shu‐peng Ho, J. Teixeira, Steffen Beirle, Marc Schröder, Shinya Kobayashi, J. M. Forsythe, Zhengzao Luo, Thomas Wagner, R. Kursinski
article en
6 citations

Abstract

Abstract. Since 2011, the Global Energy and Water cycle Exchanges (GEWEX) Water Vapor Assessment (G-VAP) has provided performance analyses for state-of-the-art reanalysis and satellite water vapour products to the GEWEX Data and Analysis Panel (GDAP) and the user community in general. A significant component of the work undertaken by G-VAP is to characterise the quality and uncertainty of these water vapour records to (i) ensure full exploitation and (ii) avoid incorrect use or interpretation of results. This study presents results from the second phase of G-VAP, where we have extended and expanded our analysis of total column water vapour (TCWV) from phase 1, in conjunction with updating the G-VAP archive. For version 2 of the archive, we consider 28 freely available and mature satellite and reanalysis data products, remapped to a regular longitude–latitude grid of 2° × 2° and on monthly time steps between January 1979 and December 2019. We first analysed all records for a “common” short period of 5 years (2005–2009), focusing on variability (spatial and seasonal) and deviation from the ensemble mean. We observed that clear-sky daytime-only satellite products were generally drier than the ensemble mean, and seasonal variability/disparity in several regions up to 12 kg m−2 related to original spatial resolution and temporal sampling. For 11 of the 28 data records, further analysis was undertaken between 1988–2014. Within this “long period”, key results show (i) trends between −1.18 ± 0.68 to 3.82 ± 3.94 kg m−2 per decade and −0.39 ± 0.27 to 1.24 ± 0.85 kg m−2 per decade were found over ice-free global oceans and land surfaces, respectively, and (ii) regression coefficients of TCWV against surface temperatures of 6.17 ± 0.24 to 27.02 ± 0.51 % K−1 over oceans (using sea surface temperature) and 3.00 ± 0.17 to 7.77 ± 0.16 % K−1 over land (using surface air temperature). It is important to note that trends estimated within G-VAP are used to identify issues in the data records rather than analyse climate change. Additionally, breakpoints have been identified and characterised for both land and ocean surfaces within this period. Finally, we present a spatial analysis of correlations to six climate indices within the long period, highlighting regional areas of significant positive and negative correlation and the level of agreement among records.

Atmospheric chemistry and physicsVol. 24(16)
City College of New York (US), Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (ES), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US), University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), University of Leicester (GB), European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (GB), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (US), Deutscher Wetterdienst (DE), City University of New York (US), University of Colorado Boulder (US), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR), Vanderbilt University (US), Université Paris Cité (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JP), Japan Meteorological Agency (JP), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) (DE), Robert Schumann University of Music and Media (DE), Danish Meteorological Institute (DK), Sorbonne Université (FR), NOAA National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (US), City College (US), Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (IT), Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (DE), Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (FR), University Research Co (United States) (US), Inform (Germany) (DE), National Centre for Earth Observation (GB), NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory (US), NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research (US), Golden West College (US), National Research Council (IT), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (US), Freie Universität Berlin (DE), Colorado State University (US)
European Space Agency, Natural Environment Research Council
Clean water and sanitation
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
Atmospheric Ozone and Climate
2.26
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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