Science Talk: Giulia Roccetti

Giulia Roccetti is a PhD student at the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munch and the European South Observatory. Her presentation at the Science Hub will address one of the topics of her PhD.

https://giulia-roccetti.github.io

Probing cloud and surface properties in disk-integrated Earth’s observations

Abstract: 

Earthshine, which is the sunlight reflected by the Earth onto the Moon, allows for the acquisition of disk-integrated properties of the illuminated side of the Earth in a single snapshot. To simulate these observations, we perform realistic 3D radiative transfer simulations with MYSTIC, incorporating the full complexity and variability of the planet. To this end, we developed the first hyperspectral albedo maps dataset for Earth (HAMSTER), which includes the spatial and temporal variability of surface features as a function of wavelength. Additionally, we developed a 3D cloud generator approach to accurately represent patchy clouds based on the ERA5 reanalysis product. Only by including detailed cloud and surface modeling were we able to match the observations, suggesting that the radiative response of clouds and an accurate surface albedo representation are crucial for a comprehensive interpretation of Earth’s observations. This treatment of cloud and surface properties may have many applications in Earth’s remote sensing and Earth System Models.