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Global Warming Estimation From Microwave Sounding UnitMicrowave Sounding Unit (MSU) Ch 2 data sets, collected from sequential, polar-orbiting, Sun-synchronous National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operational satellites, contain systematic calibration errors that are coupled to the diurnal temperature cycle over the globe. Since these coupled errors in MSU data differ between successive satellites, it is necessary to make compensatory adjustments to these multisatellite data sets in order to determine long-term global temperature change. With the aid of the observations during overlapping periods of successive satellites, we can determine such adjustments and use them to account for the coupled errors in the long-term time series of MSU Ch 2 global temperature. In turn, these adjusted MSU Ch 2 data sets can be used to yield global temperature trend. In a pioneering study, Spencer and Christy (SC) (1990) developed a procedure to derive the global temperature trend from MSU Ch 2 data. Such a procedure can leave unaccounted residual errors in the time series of the temperature anomalies deduced by SC, which could lead to a spurious long-term temperature trend derived from their analysis. In the present study, we have developed a method that avoids the shortcomings of the SC procedure, the magnitude of the coupled errors is not determined explicitly. Furthermore, based on some assumptions, these coupled errors are eliminated in three separate steps. Such a procedure can leave unaccounted residual errors in the time series of the temperature anomalies deduced by SC, which could lead to a spurious long-term temperature trend derived from their analysis. In the present study, we have developed a method that avoids the shortcomings of the SC procedures. Based on our analysis, we find there is a global warming of 0.23+/-0.12 K between 1980 and 1991. Also, in this study, the time series of global temperature anomalies constructed by removing the global mean annual temperature cycle compares favorably with a similar time series obtained from conventional observations of temperature.
Document ID
19980037619
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Technical Memorandum (TM)
Authors
Prabhakara, C.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Iacovazzi, R., Jr.
(Raytheon STX Corp. Greenbelt, MD United States)
Yoo, J.-M.
(Ewha Woman's Univ. Seoul, Korea, Republic of)
Dalu, G.
(Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Cagliari, Italy)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
February 1, 1998
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
NAS 1.15:206646
Rept-98A00404
NASA/TM-1998-206646
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 913-00-00
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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