Validation of Cloud Properties Derived from GOES-9 Over the ARM TWP Region

Satellite data are essential for monitoring clouds and radiative fluxes where ground-based instruments are unavailable. On April 24, 2003, the ninth geostationary operational environmental satellite (GOES-9) began operational coverage of the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP), replacing the failing fifth geostationary meteorological satellite (GMS-5). The GOES-9 imager provides the opportunity for enhanced monitoring of clouds and radiation over the TWP because it has better spatial resolution and spectral coverage than GMS-5. Real-time processing of hourly GOES-9 images in the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) TWP region began operationally in October 2003 and continues. To begin validating this new satellite-derived cloud property dataset, the derived cloud amounts, heights, and broadband shortwave fluxes are compared with similar quantities derived from both ground-based instrumentation and other satellite-derived cloud property retrievals. The GOES-9 results are also compared with Layered Bispectral Threshold Method (LBTM) results from GMS-5 and Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) like broadband fluxes. The results will provide guidance for estimating uncertainties in the GOES-9 products and to develop improvements in the retrieval methodologies and input.