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| High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder | |
|---|---|
| Name | High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder |
| Acronym | (HRIRS) |
| Manufacturer | NASA / NOAA contractors |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1970s–1980s era heritage |
| Applications | Atmospheric sounding, climate monitoring, weather forecasting |
High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder
The High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder is an advanced spaceborne infrared spectrometer used for atmospheric profiling and remote sensing. Developed in the tradition of instruments deployed by NASA, NOAA, European Space Agency, JAXA, and Roscosmos partners, it provides high-spectral-resolution radiance measurements that support operational forecasting by agencies such as National Weather Service and research by institutions including NOAA/NESDIS, Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and National Center for Atmospheric Research. The sensor lineage traces to programs like TIROS, NOAA-6, MetOp, and research concepts from AIRS and CrIS teams.
The instrument delivers high-spectral-resolution infrared radiance data across thermal infrared bands to derive vertical temperature and moisture profiles, trace gas concentrations, and cloud parameters. Users span World Meteorological Organization, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, UK Met Office, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Bureau of Meteorology (Australia), and climate centers such as IPCC working groups and university groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Design goals reflect operational requirements from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, science priorities from NASA Earth Science Division, and interoperability standards from Committee on Earth Observation Satellites.
Optical and detector subsystems derive from heritage programs at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Raytheon Technologies labs, integrating cryogenic cooling chains similar to those developed by Airbus Defence and Space cryogenics teams. The spectrometer uses a Fourier-transform or grating architecture influenced by designs from AIRS and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer prototypes; focal plane arrays employ quantum well infrared photodetectors developed by Honeywell Aerospace and research groups at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Electronics and signal processing use radiation-hardened components from Lockheed Martin suppliers, with onboard processing algorithms built in collaboration with NOAA/NESDIS and NASA Ames Research Center. Calibration blackbodies and onboard lamps reference standards maintained by National Institute of Standards and Technology and intercomparison campaigns coordinated with European Space Agency laboratories.
Prelaunch calibration protocols follow procedures established by National Institute of Standards and Technology, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, and validation campaigns with ground networks operated by ARM Climate Research Facility, Mauna Loa Observatory, AERONET, and radiosonde arrays run by World Meteorological Organization national services. Vicarious calibration uses cross-comparisons with instruments such as AIRS, CrIS, IASI, and field campaigns led by NOAA and NASA science teams. Validation relies on collaborations with research centers like Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, and observatories including Palomar Observatory and Mount Waliguan Station for absolute radiometric reference.
Data processing pipelines implement radiative transfer inversion algorithms developed at University of Colorado Boulder and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with assimilation interfaces to models run at ECMWF, NCEP, Met Office, and Canadian Meteorological Centre. Standard products include temperature and humidity profile retrievals, cloud and precipitation indicators, and trace gas columns (e.g., CO2, CH4) delivered in formats compatible with GTS, NetCDF, and HDF5 conventions used by NASA Earthdata and NOAA CLASS. Processing centers such as NASA Goddard, NOAA/NESDIS, EUMETSAT and university consortia provide reanalysis-ready datasets for ERA-Interim/ERA5 and other retrospective projects led by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
Operational meteorology applications include numerical weather prediction improvements at ECMWF, NCEP, UK Met Office, and JMA through data assimilation, nowcasting enhancements for National Weather Service forecasts, and aviation support for agencies like FAA. Climate research uses long-term radiance records to detect trends relevant to IPCC assessments, attribution studies by NOAA Climate Program Office, and Earth system modeling at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Additional applications intersect with atmospheric chemistry studies at NOAA ESRL, cryosphere research at NSIDC, and hydrology research by USGS and International Research Institute for Climate and Society.
Variants of the instrument have flown on polar-orbiting satellites in programs such as NOAA Polar Operational Environmental Satellites, MetOp series managed by EUMETSAT, and research platforms funded by NASA Earth Observing System missions. Flight opportunities include integration with platforms developed by Ball Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, and international missions from ISRO, CNES, and JAXA. Ground-based and airborne deployments have been operated from facilities at NASA Langley Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Center, and airborne campaigns like Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere and ARM aerosol studies.
Limitations include reduced sensitivity in highly cloudy scenes, calibration drift risks mitigated by onboard references, and spectral gaps compared with hyperspectral imagers developed in laboratory programs at Caltech. Future developments aim for improved detector materials researched at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, miniaturized cryocoolers by Honeywell, higher spectral resolution leveraging efforts at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and mission concepts coordinated through NASA Decadal Survey recommendations. International coordination with EUMETSAT, JAXA, ISRO, and CNES aims to sustain long-term climate data records and interoperability with upcoming hyperspectral sounders proposed by ESA and national agencies.
Category:Satellite meteorology instruments