Preliminary Evaluation of FY-3E Microwave Temperature Sounder Performance Based on Observation Minus Simulation

Abstract

The FY-3E satellite was successfully launched on 5 July 2021 and carries on board the Microwave Temperature Sounder-III (MWTS-III). In this study, the biases of MWTS-III data with respect to simulations are analyzed according to the instrument field of view and location latitude over the Pacific region. The cloud liquid water path (CLWP) over oceans is retrieved from two new window channels at 23.8 and 31.4 GHz and is used for detecting the clouds-affected microwave sounding data. The absolute bias between the observed and simulated brightness temperature (O–B) under the clear sky point is, in general, less than 2.0 K, depending on the MWTS-III channel. The standard deviations of O-B in most channels are less 1.0 K, but they are 1–1.5 K in channels 1–4 and 17. The average and the standard deviation of O−B from the channels 1–10 shows an obvious symmetrical variation with FOV. The evaluation results all indicate good prospects for the assimilation application of FY-3E microwave sounding data.