Development of the SURface Fast Emissivity Model for Ocean (SURFEM‐Ocean) Based on the PARMIO Radiative Transfer Model

Abstract

AbstractA Passive and Active Reference Microwave to Infrared Ocean (PARMIO) physical radiative transfer model has been selected by an international team of experts to be used as a community ocean surface emissivity model. A fast version of this physical community model is developed within the framework of European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Numerical Weather Prediction Satellite Application Facilities visiting scientist programme: the SURface Fast Emissivity Model for Ocean (SURFEM‐Ocean), for implementation in the Radiative Transfer code for TOVS (RTTOV) as an alternative/replacement of the well‐known FAST microwave Emissivity Model (FASTEM). First, the configuration of the PARMIO model is adapted to microwave frequencies from 500 MHz to 700 GHz, and issues observed in the preliminary studies with cold sea surface temperatures (SST) and high ocean wind speeds (OWS) are corrected. Second, an artificial neural network method is used to reproduce the results of the PARMIO model much faster. The computation of the analytical Jacobians is also implemented. Finally, SURFEM‐Ocean results are compared with satellite observations and other ocean emissivity models. SURFEM‐Ocean extends the capability of FASTEM. It computes emissivities from 500 MHz to 700 GHz, for all incidence angles, for the fourth Stokes polarizations, for OWS from 0 to 50 m/s, SST from −2 to 30°C, sea surface salinity from 0 to 40 psu, and for all wind directions.