ACP Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ACP 1680-7324 Copernicus GmbH Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/acp-6-4129-2006 The semianalytical cloud retrieval algorithm for SCIAMACHY II. The application to MERIS and SCIAMACHY data Kokhanovsky A. A. 1 von Hoyningen-Huene W. 1 Rozanov V. V. 1 Noël S. 1 Gerilowski K. 1 Bovensmann H. 1 Bramstedt K. 1 Buchwitz M. 1 Burrows J. P. 1 Institute of Remote Sensing, University of Bremen, Germany 18 09 2006 6 12 4129 4136 This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/6/4129/2006/acp-6-4129-2006.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/6/4129/2006/acp-6-4129-2006.pdf

The SemiAnalytical CloUd Retrieval Algorithm (SACURA) is applied to the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) data. In particular, we derive simultaneously cloud optical thickness (COT) and cloud top height (CTH), using SCIAMACHY measurements in the visible (442 nm, COT) and in the oxygen A-band (755–775 nm, CTH). Some of the results obtained are compared with those derived from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS), which has better spatial resolution and observes almost the same scene as SCIAMACHY. The same cloud algorithm is applied to both MERIS and SCIAMACHY data. In addition, we perform the vicarious calibration of SCIAMACHY at the wavelength 442 nm, using MERIS measurements at the same wavelength. Differences in the retrieved COT for the same cloud field obtained using MERIS and SCIAMACHY measurements are discussed.

 References Rozanov, V. V. and Kokhanovsky, A. A.: Semianalytical cloud retrieval algorithm as applied to the cloud top altitude and the cloud geometrical thickness determination from top-of-atmosphere reflectance measurements in the oxygen A band, J. Geophys. Res., 109, D05202, doi:10.1029/2003JD004104, 2004. \bibitem [ Rozanov , V. V., and Kokhanovsky A.A.(2004)] Bovensmann19 von Hoyningen-Huene, W., Kokhanovsky, A. A., Wuttke, M. W., et al.: Validation of SCIAMACHY top-of-atmosphere reflectance for aerosol remote sensing using MERIS L1 data, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 6, 673–699, 2006.