ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE
Science and Validation Workshop
13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

EVID17: EarthCARE Cal/Val Using the NASA Micro Pulse Lidar
Network (MPLNET)MPLNET Team: Ellsworth J. Welton (NASA GSFC), Jasper R. Lewis (UMBC) , James R. Campbell (NRL),
Erica K. Dolinar (NRL) , Simone Lolli (CNR-IMAA)
Collaborators: Jason Tackett (NASA LARC), Erica Mc-Grath Spangler (MSU), Michäel Sicard (UR),Rob Koopman (ESA), Stephanie Rusli (ESA)Funding: Five-year proposal (2021 – 2026) through the NASA Participating Investigator
Program (NNH20ZDA001N-EUSPI) to validate EarthCARE using MPLNET
Task 1: Validate aerosol,
cloud, and planetary
boundary layer heights
using L3 MPLNET products• L3-EC products will be
provided to theEarthCARE validation datacenter• Same statistical analysis
used for L3 products,
which will be housed on
MPLNET website

Task 2: Compare drizzle
occurrence and properties• Automated precipitation

detection has been
incorporated into MPLNET
processing(developmental-level)• Will be used to identify
potential case studies fordrizzle from CPR products(C-TC, C-CLD)
Simone Lolli – upcoming talk

ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Task 3: Evaluate EarthCAREbased cirrus datasets for TOA
CRE (top-of-atmosphere cirrus
cloud radiative effect)• Fu-Liou-Gu model used tosolve cirrus cloud radiative
properties of single-layered
cirrus clouds• Results from EarthCARE will becompared to similar TOA CREfrom MPLNET and historical
CALIPSO dataset
Erica Dolinar – earlier talk/poster
EVID17: EarthCARE-MPLNET Cal/Val

Update: Preliminary testing performed using CALIOP observations and EarthCARE simulated data
Cloud Occurrence
GSFC (2016 – 2021)

Planetary Boundary Layer Height

Santa Cruz Tenerife (2018 – 2021)

GSFC (2016 – 2021)

1.00

15

0.45

100.3050.15

CALIOP (0.119)

4Elevated
Saharan
Dust

1.06

L3
L3-CALCALIOP

2.5
PBL depth (km)

61.5

38.50

Altitude (km)0.60

MPLNET (L3-CAL, 100 km)

8

CALIOP (0.196)

3.0

2.0

2.0
1.5
1.00.538.50

200.00

L3L3-CALMPLNET L35-CAL (0.083)
CALIOP

39082.5

MPLNET L35 (0.144)

MPLNET L35 (0.230)

0.50

0.25

L3L3-CALMPLNET L35-CAL (0.321)
CALIOP

10-76

39.50

10Winter
Night-77

39.50

105

Altitude (km)SummerNight

0.75

Cloud fraction

Altitude (km)

15-78

39

CALIOP (100 km)

Altitude (km)20

Aerosol Profiles

0.5

0.0

4
0.0-78-77

DJF

-76

MAM

JJA

SON

Season22Simulated Halifax Aerosol Scene

EarthCARE 355 nm Total Attenuated Backscatter (km -1 sr-1) UTC: 6:56.4 to 7:00.1
10-2

60.30Difference
Altitude (km)150.15100.005-0.150-0.30JFMAM

JJASON

D

00.00

0.05
0.10
Extinction (km-1)

00.15 0.00

0.05
0.10
Extinction (km-1)

L2 A-ALD
L1 A-NOM

0.15*Due to the difference in MPLNET/ATLID
wavelengths, we will not attempt tovalidate extinction profiles. However, wewill evaluate aerosol layer heights

ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Altitude (km)0.00CALIOP - MPLNET

020410-3
20Lat
35.78
Lon -65.72

33.47-66.2931.16-66.8328.85-67.3626.54-67.8724.22-68.3721.90-68.86

EVID17: EarthCARE-MPLNET Cal/Val10-4

Preparation for EarthCARE Launch• The L3 product development will be finalized soon
and ready to begin operational processing by launch• Manuscripts describing the L3 processing andCALIOP comparisons as well as Tasks 2 and 3 arecurrently in preparation.
• Simulated ATLID datasets have been used to modify
the code to ingest EarthCARE data
https://mplnet.gsfc.nasa.gov• Initial conversion of correlative data to GEOMS format has begun and will be finalized basedon recommendations from the breakout session at the EarthCARE Cal/Val workshop• MPLNET site planning:• New sites in Western North America, closer to fires for plume monitoring• Additional sites in Arctic, others worldwide that were delayed from COVID• Judd Welton will discuss MPLNET activities with other GALION networks later
ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

EVID17: EarthCARE-MPLNET Cal/Val