Progress and Achievements of Fengyun Meteorological Satellite Program since 2022

Fengyun meteorological satellites have undergone a series of significant developments over the past 50 years.Two generations,four types,and 21 Fengyun satellites have been developed and launched,with 9 currently operational in orbit.The data obtained from Fengyun satellites is employed in a multitude of applications,including weather forecasting,meteorological disaster prevention and reduction,climate change,global environmental monitoring,and space weather.These data products and services are made available to the global community,resulting in tangible social and economic benefits.In 2023,two Fengyun meteorological satellites were successfully launched.This report presents an overview of the two recently launched Fengyun satellites and currently in orbit Fengyun satellites,including an evaluation of their remote sensing instruments since 2022.Additionally,it addresses the subject of Fengyun satellite data archiving,data services,application services,international cooperation,and supporting activities.Furthermore,the development prospects have been outlined.

Update on Fengyun Meteorological Satellite Program and Development

China began to develop its meteorological satellite program since 1969.With 50-years’growing,there are 17 Fengyun(FY)meteorological satellites launched successfully.At present,seven of them are in orbit to provide the operational service,including three polar orbiting meteorological satellites and four geostationary meteorological satellites.Since last COSPAR report,no new Fengyun satellite has been launched.The information of the on-orbit FY-2 series,FY-3 series,and FY-4 series has been updated.FY-3D and FY-2H satellites accomplished the commission test and transitioned into operation in 2018.FY-2E satellite completed its service to decommission in 2019.The web-based users and Direct Broadcasting(DB)users keep growing worldwide to require the Fengyun satellite data and products.A new Mobile Application Service has been launched to Fengyun users based on the cloud technology in 2018.In this report,the international and regional co-operations to facilitate the Fengyun user community have been addressed especially.To strengthen the data service in the Belt and Road countries,the Emergency Support Mechanism of Fengyun satellite(FY_ESM)has been established since 2018.Meanwhile,a Recalibrating 30-years’archived Fengyun satellite data project has been founded since 2018.This project targets to generate the Fundamental Climate Data Record(FCDR)as a space agency response to the Global Climate Observation System(GCOS).At last,the future Fengyun program up to 2025 has been introduced as well.

Fengyun Meteorological Satellite Products for Earth System Science Applications

Following the progress of satellite data assimilation in the 1990s, the combination of meteorological satellites and numerical models has changed the way scientists understand the earth. With the evolution of numerical weather prediction models and earth system models, meteorological satellites will play a more important role in earth sciences in the future. As part of the space-based infrastructure, the Fengyun (FY) meteorological satellites have contributed to earth science sustainability studies through an open data policy and stable data quality since the first launch of the FY-1A satellite in 1988. The capability of earth system monitoring was greatly enhanced after the second-generation polar orbiting FY-3 satellites and geostationary orbiting FY-4 satellites were developed. Meanwhile, the quality of the products generated from the FY-3 and FY-4 satellites is comparable to the well-known MODIS products. FY satellite data has been utilized broadly in weather forecasting, climate and climate change investigations, environmental disaster monitoring, etc. This article reviews the instruments mounted on the FY satellites. Sensor-dependent level 1 products (radiance data) and inversion algorithm-dependent level 2 products (geophysical parameters) are introduced. As an example, some typical geophysical parameters, such as wildfires, lightning, vegetation indices, aerosol products, soil moisture, and precipitation estimation have been demonstrated and validated by in-situ observations and other well-known satellite products. To help users access the FY products, a set of data sharing systems has been developed and operated. The newly developed data sharing system based on cloud technology has been illustrated to improve the efficiency of data delivery.

Progress of Fengyun Meteorological Satellites Since 2020

China’s efforts to develop Fengyun meteorological satellites have made major strides over the past 50 years,with the polar and geostationary meteorological satellite series achieving continuously stable operation to persistently provide data and product services globally.By the end of 2021,19 Chinese self-developed Fengyun meteorological satellites have been launched successfully.Seven of them are in operation at present,the data and products are widely applied to weather analysis,numerical weather forecasting and climate prediction,as well as environment and disaster monitoring.Since the last COSPAR report,FY-4B,the first new-generation operational geostationary satellite,and FY-3E,the first early-morning orbit satellite in China’s polar-orbiting meteorological satellite family have been launched in 2021.The characteristics of the two latest satellites and the instruments onboard are addressed in this report.The status of current Fengyun Satellites,product and data service and international cooperation and supporting activities has been introduced as well.

Ground validation of Fengyun-4A and Global Precipitation Measurement satellite observations over an alpine and canyon basin of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Satellite-based precipitation observations with high spatiotemporal resolution are essential for studying rainfall-induced natural hazards,especially in alpine and canyon areas of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau,which are prone to such hazards yet sparsely gauged.Here,we evaluated precipitation estimated from the Chinese Fengyun-4A meteorological satellite(FY-4A AGRI)versus the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM(IMERG),by using rain gauge data collected in the Parlung Zangbo Basin from May through September in both 2018 and 2019.Our results showed that(1)FY-4A AGRI generated smaller values of RMSE(root mean square error)on hourly to daily scales,and larger correlation coefficients(R-values)and smaller RMSE values for both moderate and heavy rain,indicating its greater accuracy at rainfall estimation,which is most likely due to the denser rain gauge network at a finer temporal scale used when calibrating FY-4A AGRI;(2)Both satellite products underestimated the volume of moderate and heavy rain,with the larger degree of underestimation by FY-4A AGRI,which could lower their performance in flood monitoring and forecasting;(3)Worse performance and greater inconsistency between the two products were observed in high-elevation areas,perhaps because of orographic cloud effects in these mountainous areas;and(4)Both products revealed that the Gangrigabu Range blocked incoming water vapor from the southwest monsoon,with a better representation of the spatial pattern and spatial variability produced by IMERG.To improve precipitation estimation,the effects of complex terrain should be explicitly incorporated into the retrieval algorithms,with more gauged observations in a denser network and at a finer temporal scale needed to robustly calibrate the satellite-based estimates.

Algorithm for the Sea Surface Wind Imaging Products of Fengyun-3C Meteorological Satellite MWRI

This paper analyzes the sea surface backward thermal radiation data in the China Sea observed by the mmwave channel of FY3 MWRI, explains the reason for which the analysis method combined with multiple mmwave channels is conducive to wind inversion, uses the complex model of the two-scale randomly rough surface with foam scattering layer to calculate the backward heat emission, analyzes the different response characteristics of the thermal radiation characteristics of each channel with the change of the sea surface wind speed, and establishes the wind speed inversion model applying to the microwave radiometer, achieving better results than in previous studies. The sea surface medium-low wind speed precision standard deviation of new model reaches 1.2 m/s (0 - 15 m/s);the inversion strong wind data are consistent with the island fixed buoys data, and the global sea surface wind speed image schematic diagram is given.

Recent Progress of Fengyun Meteorology Satellites

After nearly 50 years of development, Fengyun(FY) satellite ushered in its best moment. China has become one of the three countries or units in the world(China, USA, and EU) that maintain both polar orbit and geostationary orbit satellites operationally. Up to now, there are 17 Fengyun(FY) satellites that have been launched successfully since 1988. There are two FY polar orbital satellites and four FY geostationary orbit satellites operate in the space to provide a huge amount of the earth observation data to the user communities. The FY satellite data has been applied not only in the meteorological but also in agriculture,hydraulic engineering, environmental, education, scientific research and other fields. More recently, three meteorological satellites have been launched within the past two years. They are FY-4 A on 11 December2016, FY-3 D on 15 November 2017 and FY-2 H on 5 June 2018. This paper introduces the current status of FY meteorological satellites and data service. The updates of the latest three satellites have been addressed.The characteristics of their payloads on-boarding have been specified in details and the benefit fields have been anticipated separately.

A cloud optical and microphysical property product for the advanced geosynchronous radiation imager onboard China's Fengyun-4 satellites: The first version

风云四号作为中国新一代静止气象卫星,提供了高时空分辨率的监测产品。本文介绍风云四号搭载的先进地球同步轨道辐射成像仪AGRI的云光学和微物理特性产品.该产品包含了基于双光谱通道反演的云光学厚度和云粒子有效半径产品,以及基于机器学习的云识别和云相态产品。与时空匹配的主动卫星观测结果对比显示,该产品的云识别和云相态的准确率分别在95%和85%;该产品提供的云光学厚度和云有效粒径与经典的MODIS产品的相关系数达到0.76和0.63.团队将持续优化和更新该云光学和微物理特性定量产品,服务风云四号卫星定量应用。

Fengyun-3D MERSI True Color Imagery Developed for Environmental Applications

Many techniques were developed for creating true color images from satellite solar reflective bands, and the so-derived images have been widely used for environmental monitoring. For the newly launched Fengyun-3 D(FY-3 D)satellite, the same capability is required for its Medium Resolution Spectrum Imager-II(MERSI-II). In processing the MERSI-II true color image, a more comprehensive processing technique is developed, including the atmospheric correction, nonlinear enhancement, and image splicing. The effect of atmospheric molecular scattering on the total reflectance is corrected by using a parameterized radiative transfer model. A nonlinear stretching of the solar band reflectance is applied for increasing the image contrast. The discontinuity in composing images from multiple orbits and different granules is eliminated through the distance weighted pixel blending(DWPB) method. Through these processing steps, the MERSI-II true color imagery can vividly detect many natural events such as sand and dust storms, snow, algal bloom, fire, and typhoon. Through a comprehensive analysis of the true color imagery, the specific natural disaster events and their magnitudes can be quantified much easily, compared to using the individual channel data.

Capability of Fengyun-3D Satellite in Earth System Observation

From the viewpoint of earth system science,this paper discusses the observation capability of the second-generation of Chinese polar-orbiting,sun-synchronous operational meteorological satellite observation systems,Fengyun-3(FY-3),based on the function and performance test results from the FY-3 D satellite observation system in orbit.The FY-3 series of satellites have numerous remote sensing instruments and a wide range of imaging and sounding electromagnetic spectrometers onboard.These instruments can obtain reflectivity data for land surface,soil,vegetation,water body,snow cover,ocean color,and sea ice on earth’s surface over a wide spectral range,as well as information on the absorption and scattering radiative transfer of molecules and particles(clouds and aerosols)in earth’s atmosphere.All of these data can be used to retrieve physical and chemical information about the land,ocean,and atmosphere of the earth system.Comprehensive observation of the earth system by the FY-3 meteorological satellites is preliminarily realized.

Verification of Fengyun-3D MWTS and MWHS Calibration Accuracy Using GPS Radio Occultation Data

The newly launched Fengyun-3D(FY-3D)satellite carries microwave temperature sounder(MWTS)and microwave humidity sounder(MWHS),providing the global atmospheric temperature and humidity measurements.It is important to assess the in orbit performance of MWTS and MWHS and understand their calibration accuracy before using them in numerical weather prediction and many other applications such as hurricane monitoring.This study aims at quantifying the biases of MWTS and MWHS observations relative to the simulations from the collocated Global Positioning System(GPS)radio occultation(RO)data.Using the collocated FY-3C Global Navigation Satellite System Occultation Sounder(GNOS)RO data under clear-sky conditions as inputs to Community Radiative Transfer Model(CRTM),brightness temperatures and viewing angles are simulated for the upper level sounding channels of MWTS and MWHS.In order to obtain O–B statistics under clear sky conditions,a cloud detection algorithm is developed by using the two MWTS channels with frequencies at 50.3 and 51.76 GHz and the two MWHS channels with frequencies centered at 89 and 150 GHz.The analysis shows that for the upper air sounding channels,the mean biases of the MWTS observations relative to the GPS RO simulations are negative for channels 5–9,with absolute values<1 K,and positive for channels 4 and 10,with values<0.5 K.For the MWHS observations,the mean biases in brightness temperature are negative for channels 2–6,with absolute values<2.6 K and relatively small standard deviations.The mean biases are also negative for channels 11–13,with absolute values<1.3 K,but with relatively large standard deviations.The biases of both MWTS and MWHS show scan-angle dependence and are asymmetrical across the scan line.The biases for the upper air MWTS and MWHS sounding channels are larger than those previously derived for the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder.

Liquid Water Path Retrieval Using the Lowest Frequency Channels of Fengyun-3C Microwave Radiation Imager(MWRI)

The Microwave Radiation Imager （MWRI） on board Chinese Fengyun-3 （FY-3） satellites provides measurements at 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, and 89.0 GHz with both horizontal and vertical polarization channels. Brightness temperature measurements of those channels with their central frequencies higher than 19 GHz from satellite-based microwave imager radiometers had traditionally been used to retrieve cloud liquid water path （LWP） over ocean. The results show that the lowest frequency channels are the most appropriate for retrieving LWP when its values are large. Therefore, a modified LWP retrieval algorithm is developed for retrieving LWP of different magnitudes involving not only the high frequency channels but also the lowest frequency channels of FY-3 MWRI. The theoretical estimates of the LWP retrieval errors are between 0.11 and 0.06 mm for 10.65- and 18.7-GHz channels and between 0.02 and 0.04 mm for 36.5- and 89.0-GHz channels. It is also shown that the brightness temperature observations at 10.65 GHz can be utilized to better retrieve the LWP greater than 3 mm in the eyewall region of Super Typhoon Neoguri （2014）. The spiral structure of clouds within and around Typhoon Neoguri can be well captured by combining the LWP retrievals from different frequency channels.

Vegetation Products Derived from Fengyun-3D Medium Resolution Spectral Imager-Ⅱ

The surface vegetation condition has been operationally monitored from space for many years by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer(AVHRR) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) instruments. As these instruments are close to the end of their design life, the surface vegetation products are required by many users from the new satellite missions. The MEdium Resolution Spectral Imager-Ⅱ(MERSI-Ⅱ) onboard the Fengyun(FY) satellite(FY-3 series;FY-3 D) is used to retrieve surface vegetation parameters. First, MERSI-Ⅱ solar channel measurements at the red and near-infrared(NIR) bands at the top of atmosphere(TOA) are corrected to the surface reflectances at the top of canopy(TOC) by removing the contributions of scattering and absorption of molecules and aerosols. The normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) at both the TOA and TOC is then produced by using the same algorithms as the MODIS and AVHRR. The MERSI-Ⅱ enhanced VI(EVI) at the TOC is also developed. The MODIS technique of compositing the NDVI at various timescales is applied to MERSI-Ⅱ to generate the gridded products at different resolutions. The MERSI-Ⅱ VI products are consistent with the MODIS data without systematic biases. Compared to the current MERSI-Ⅱ EVI generated from the ground operational system, the MERSI-Ⅱ EVI from this study has a much better agreement with MODIS after atmospheric correction.

Assimilation of Chinese Fengyun-3B Microwave Temperature Sounder radiances into the Global GRAPES system with an improved cloud detection threshold

Fengyun-3B （FY-3B） is the second polar- orbiting satellite in the new Fengyun-three series. This paper describes the assimilation of the FY-3B Microwave Temperature Sounder （MWTS） radiances in the Chinese Numerical Weather prediction system - the Global and Regional Assimilation and PrEdiction System （GRAPES）. A quality control procedure for the assimilation of the FY- 3B MWTS radiance was proposed. Extensive monitoring before assimilation shows that the observations of channel 4 are notably contaminated. Channels 2 and 3 are used in this research. A cloud detection algorithm with an improved cloud-detection threshold is determined and incorporated into the impact experiments. The clear field- of-view （FOV） percentage increased from 42% to 57% with the new threshold. In addition, the newly added FOVs are located in the clear region, as demonstrated by the cloud liquid water path data from NOAA-18. The impact of the MWTS radiances on the prediction of GRAPES was researched. The observation biases ofFY-3B MWTS O-B （differences between satellite observations and model simulations） significantly decreased after an empirical bias correction procedure. After assimilation, the residual biases are small. The assimilation of the FY-3B MWTS radiances shows a positive impact in the Northern Hemisphere and a neutral impact in the Southern Hemisphere.

An accurate and efficient radiative transfer model for simulating all-sky images from Fengyun satellite radiometers

Forward radiative transfer models(RTM)are an indispensable tool for quantitative applications of satellite radiometers,e.g.,for data calibration,instrument development,retrieval,and so on.In this study,we develop an accurate and efficient RTM for radiometers onboard Fengyun satellites,namely FYRTM(RTM for Fengyun Radiometers).Correlated k-distribution models are developed to improve the computational efficiency for gas absorption,and the effects of cloud and aerosol multiple scattering and emission are accelerated with pre-computed look-up tables.FYRTM is evaluated with a rigorous simulation based on discrete ordinate radiative transfer model(DISORT)as well as a popular fast forward model,i.e.,the Community Radiative Transfer Model(CRTM).Results indicate that FYRTM-based simulations are two to three orders of magnitudes faster than the DISORT-based simulations.Compared to the rigorous model,FYRTM relative errors are within 2%at solar channels,and brightness temperatures(BT)differences are within 1 K at infrared channels.Compared with CRTM,FYRTM is computationally similar at solar channels,but three times faster at infrared channels.Furthermore,simulated reflectances/BTs using FYRTM are in a good agreement with the satellite observations.Overall,FYRTM is capable to simulate satellite observations under different atmospheric conditions,and can be extended to other radiometers onboard the Fengyun satellites(both geostationary and polarorbiting satellites).It is expected to play important roles in future applications with Fengyun observations.

Advances in Ecological Applications of Fengyun Satellite Data

In recent years,the remote sensing based on meteorological satellite observations has become an important tool for assessing global ecological conditions.Since the early 2000,Fengyun(FY)satellite data have been widely used to derive the key parameters of ecological environment in China.An integrated earth-observation system has been developed in China through using FY satellite data,including retrievals the key ecological parameters as well as to constructions of long-term data records of vegetation index,land surface temperature,net primary production,vegetation health index,and so on.Considerable progress has thus been made in the application and service for prevention of air pollution,management and control of ecological redline,ecological monitoring for the Belt and Road Initiative,and assessment of ecological environment for human settlement.In order to monitor the ecological parameters in real time and with a full dynamic coverage,it is necessary to improve the technology in application of ecological remote sensing from meteorological satellites,and further enhance the ecological meteorological service.

玛湖凹陷风云1井陆相深层页岩气勘探突破及其油气地质意义

二叠系风城组是玛湖凹陷主力烃源岩和勘探层系,落实深层—超深层页岩油气潜力对玛湖凹陷勘探具有重要指导意义。基于风云1井风城组页岩气发现及前风城组油气勘探成果,系统分析该井的岩性发育特征、烃源岩成烃条件和储层条件,明确玛湖凹陷风城组页岩油气系统中页岩油、气分布序列特征及油气地质意义。研究表明,风云1井风城组岩性主要为盐岩、页岩与粉—细砂岩等;风城组烃源岩有机质丰度总体较低,其中风一段烃源岩最为发育,平均有机碳含量达1.06%;储层整体致密,孔隙度平均为4.65%,其中云质页岩和灰质砂岩储集性能较好。此外,随深度增大玛湖凹陷风城组具有完整的由页岩油、页岩油气到页岩气的演化规律。前风城组油气来源于超深层的另一油气系统,应是下一步勘探的重要领域之一。

风云三号C星微波湿度计资料全天候同化对台风玛莉亚预报的影响

随着风云三号系列卫星的成功发射,越来越多的卫星微波直接观测资料应用于数值天气预报的资料同化系统。并且由于卫星微波全天候同化技术可以充分利用晴天及云雨区微波观测资料,在增加同化使用的观测数据的基础上,有效提高数值天气预报准确率,该技术在卫星资料同化领域也颇受瞩目。本研究选取2018年7月的台风玛莉亚,利用WRF(Weather Research and Forecasting)模式及其同化系统WRFDA(WRF Data Assimilation)中三维变分方法,探讨风云三号C星微波湿度计观测资料的全天候同化技术在区域模式中的适用性,以及其在不同模式驱动场中的预报表现。通过对比仅同化晴空区域卫星资料的试验和全天候同化的试验结果发现,全天候条件下更多的云雨区域观测资料被有效利用,能够更好地模拟出台风玛莉亚核心区域的暖心和对称风速结构,有效改善湿度场的预报,对台风路径的预报误差平均降低了大约34%~62%,且这种正面影响均能在不同模式驱动场中得到体现。

卫星遥感北大西洋风暴“尤尼斯”生成和发展特征

2022年2月中旬,北大西洋冬季风暴“尤尼斯”(Eunice)给欧洲中、西部带来严重自然灾害。以卫星观测数据为主,研究了“尤尼斯”发生的环境场、卫星水汽图像干侵入特征、对流层中高层位涡强迫对爆发性发展的影响等。结果表明:“尤尼斯”活动期间,北半球高纬度西半球偏冷、东半球偏暖,极涡偏向北美大陆,北美极区附近平均气温偏低。“尤尼斯”的生成和北美极区附近极涡分裂南下的冷空气沿着西风带东传有关。爆发性发展期间,海平面气压下降率约40 hPa/(24 h),远超爆发性发展指标(24 hPa/(24 h)),且出现在海温正距平区。格陵兰岛南部气旋提供的极区冷空气对爆发性发展尤为重要,该冷空气在北大西洋洋面形成强西北风转偏西风,表现为排列整齐的大范围细胞状积云一直延伸至风暴中心附近,卫星水汽图像上表现为快速增强的干侵入特征,并伴有高位涡异常。发展至最强阶段,高位涡向下伸展,400 hPa最强高位涡区位于风暴中心的正上方,500 hPa以下高位涡向东南方向倾斜,并伴随着对流层中、下层强下沉运动,下沉运动为低空风速增强提供了一定的高空能量来源,高位涡侵入的下方也有利于低层气旋式环流发展。

风云卫星数据应用以及在云物理中的研究综述

风云四号卫星作为中国新一代地球同步轨道气象卫星,自2016年发射以来,在气象观测和预报、自然灾害监测以及气候变化研究等方面发挥了重要作用。为探究风云四号卫星数据在未来航空气象以及探讨研究云滴尺度廓线上的重要性,综述了风云气象卫星数据在气象监测的运用。同时也结合了云物理的相关研究,为未来卫星数据反演云滴尺度廓线提供新的思路,通过深入分析卫星数据与云物理参数之间的关系,卫星数据的广泛运用以及云微物理的研究提供全面的理论基础和实践指导。同时,也为未来的气象卫星应用和云物理研究提供了新的视角和方法。