Hyperspectral infrared atmospheric sounder IKFS-2 on “Meteor-M” No. 2 – Four years in orbit

• Published in: Journal of quantitative spectroscopy & radiative transfer 2019-11, Vol.238, p.106579, Article 106579
• Main Authors: Timofeyev, Y.M., Uspensky, A.B., Zavelevich, F.S., Polyakov, A.V., Virolainen, Y.A., Rublev, A.N., Kukharsky, A.V., Kiseleva, J.V., Kozlov, D.A., Kozlov, I.A., Nikulin, A.G., Pyatkin, V.P., Rusin, E.V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: FRTM; hyperspectral IR sounder; IKFS-2; level 1C; level 2 product; Meteor-M; meteorological satellites; temperature and humidity sounding; total ozone
• ISSN: 0022-4073; 1879-1352
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2019.106579

•The first Russian hyperspectral infrared atmospheric sounder IKFS-2 was launched in July 2014.•IKFS-2 is a Fourier transform spectrometer covering 5–15 µm spectral range with resolution 0.4 cm−1.•Actual IKFS-2 characteristics are stable and meet the planned requirements.•Software for radiative transfer computations and atmospheric parameters retrieval are described.•The results of atmospheric retrievals are evaluated by comparison with independent measurements. The first Russian advanced infrared (IR) atmospheric sounder IKFS-2 was launched in July 2014 on the “Meteor-M” No. 2 meteorological satellite. It is planned that this instrument and similar devices will continue to operate until 2025 aboard the current and subsequent satellites of “Meteor-M” series. IKFS-2 is a Fourier transform spectrometer covering the spectral domain of 5–15 µm. It belongs to a class of hyperspectral IR sounders, designed to measure the outgoing IR radiance spectra and to provide information on the thermodynamic parameters and the composition of the atmosphere such as vertical temperature and humidity profiles, estimates of the ozone and other trace gases total column amounts. In the paper, the IKFS-2 operation on board “Meteor-M” No. 2 is analyzed, including the assessment of the measurements’ quality (the errors of radiometric and spectral calibration) and their information content. Since launch, the instrument performance has been remained stable, and the actual IKFS-2 characteristics (threshold value of NESR, uncertainty of onboard radiometric and spectral calibrations, spectral resolution) meet the planned requirements. There is a good agreement between IKFS-2 measurements and measurements of independent satellite instruments (SEVIRI, IASI). The paper also provides an overview of the developed scientific basis for simulation and interpretation (“inversion”) of satellite measurements. The examples of output IKFS-2 level 2 products (vertical profiles of temperature and humidity, total ozone content) are given together with the error analysis. The performance of atmospheric (temperature and humidity) profile retrievals and the feasibility of total ozone content estimates are evaluated by comparison with independent ground-based or satellite measurements.