Comparison of polar mesospheric cloud observations by Himawari-8/AHI and Himawari-9/AHI

Abstract We have applied the polar mesospheric cloud (PMC) detection method to the full-disc images obtained by the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) on board the Japanese geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) meteorological satellite Himawari-9, which has been in operation since December 2022. To evaluate the detected Himawari-9/AHI PMC data, we analyzed PMC data from 1 to 13 December 2022, during which simultaneous PMC observations were carried out by Himawari-8/AHI and Himawari-9/AHI. The results showed that 99.8% of the PMC detection results from Himawari-9/AHI agreed with those from Himawari-8/AHI. As for the PMC height data, 99.2% of the data showed agreement within ±1 km. Thus, PMC observation results by Himawari-9/AHI were well consistent with those by Himawari-8/AHI. In the future, the continuous PMC data by a combination of Himawari-8/AHI and Himawari-9/AHI would contribute to investigations on long-term PMC variations. Graphical Abstract