Radiation Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) exercise: Results from the second phase

doi:doi:10.1029/2003JD004252

Abstract

Cited By (25)

Abstract

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 109, D06210, 19 PP., 2004
doi:10.1029/2003JD004252

Radiation Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) exercise: Results from the second phase

B. Pinty

Global Vegetation Monitoring Unit, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, EC Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy

J.-L. Widlowski

Global Vegetation Monitoring Unit, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, EC Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy

M. Taberner

Global Vegetation Monitoring Unit, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, EC Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy

N. Gobron

Global Vegetation Monitoring Unit, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, EC Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy

M. M. Verstraete

Global Vegetation Monitoring Unit, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, EC Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy

M. Disney

Center for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics, Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK

F. Gascon

Land Surface Unit, European Space Agency, Noordwijk, Netherlands

J.-P. Gastellu

Centre d'Études Spatiales de la Biosphère, Toulouse, France

L. Jiang

Department of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

A. Kuusk

Tartu Observatory, Tõravere, Estonia

P. Lewis

Center for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics, Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK

X. Li

Department of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

W. Ni-Meister

Department of Geography, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, USA

T. Nilson

Tartu Observatory, Tõravere, Estonia

P. North

Climate and Land Surface Systems Interaction Centre, Department of Geography, University of Wales, Swansea, UK

W. Qin

Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

L. Su

Department of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

S. Tang

Department of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

R. Thompson

Alachua Research Institute, Alachua, Florida, USA

W. Verhoef

Remote Sensing Department, National Aerospace Laboratory NLR, Emmeloord, Netherlands

H. Wang

Department of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

J. Wang

Department of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

G. Yan

Department of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

H. Zang

Department of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

The Radiation Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) initiative is a community-driven exercise to benchmark the models of radiation transfer (RT) used to represent the reflectance of terrestrial surfaces. Systematic model intercomparisons started in 1999 as a self-organized, open-access, voluntary activity of the RT modeling community. The results of the first phase were published by Pinty et al. [2001] . The present paper describes the benchmarking protocol and the results achieved during the second phase, which took place during 2002. This second phase included two major components: The first one included a rerun of all direct-mode tests proposed during the first phase, to accommodate the evaluation of models that have been upgraded since, and the participation of new models into the entire exercise. The second component was designed to probe the performance of three-dimensional models in complex heterogeneous environments, which closely mimic the observations of actual space instruments operating at various spatial resolutions over forest canopy systems. Phases 1 and 2 of RAMI both confirm not only that a majority of the radiation transfer models participating in RAMI are in good agreement between themselves for relatively simple radiation transfer problems but also that these models exhibit significant discrepancies when considering more complex but nevertheless realistic geophysical scenarios. Specific recommendations are provided to guide the future of this benchmarking program (Phase 3 and beyond).

Received 16 October 2003; accepted 4 February 2004; published 25 March 2004.

Citation: Pinty, B., et al. (2004), Radiation Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) exercise: Results from the second phase, J. Geophys. Res., 109, D06210, doi:10.1029/2003JD004252.

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