Jan Fokke Meirink

Jan Fokke Meirink
Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut | KNMI · Department of Climate Observations

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About

159
Publications
18,191
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Introduction
My research focuses on the retrieval and validation of cloud properties from satellite instruments, mainly passive imagers such as SEVIRI on Meteosat and AVHRR on NOAA and Metop satellites. Apart from cloud properties like optical thickness and liquid/ice water path, we derive precipitation and surface incoming radiation. The work is mainly performed in EUMETSAT's CM-SAF project, but I'm also involved in Cloud_CCI (ESA), EURO4M (EU).
Additional affiliations
January 2006 - December 2007
Utrecht University
Position
  • PostDoc Position
Description
  • Inverse modelling of atmospheric methane
November 2001 - December 2005
Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut
Position
  • PostDoc Position
Description
  • (Inverse) modelling of atmospheric methane Validation of satellite retrievals
September 1997 - October 2001
Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut
Position
  • PhD
Description
  • Modelling wind-wave interaction

Publications

Publications (159)
Article
Full-text available
Accurate and detailed retrieval of global horizontal irradiance (GHI) has many benefits, for instance, in support of the energy transition towards an energy supply with a high share of renewable energy sources and for validating high-resolution weather and climate models. In this study, we apply a downscaling algorithm that combines the high-resolu...
Preprint
Full-text available
This study investigates the impact of ship emissions on clouds over a shipping corridor in the southeastern Atlantic. Using CLAAS-3, the 20-year (2004–2023) CLoud property dAtA set using SEVIRI, (the geostationary Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager), the diurnal, seasonal and long-term corridor effects on clouds are examined. Results sho...
Technical Report
Full-text available
The Annual Product Quality Assessment Report is a CM SAF document that is produced each calendar year for the Operational Review. The document complements the Operations Report providing comprehensive information on the accuracy of the CM SAF operational monitoring products. The compliance of the results is assessed with respect to the service spec...
Preprint
Full-text available
Efficient transitioning to renewable energy requires fundamental understanding of the past and future climate change. This is particularly true in the case of solar energy since the surface incoming solar radiation (SIS) is regulated heavily by atmospheric essential climate variables (ECVs) such as aerosols and clouds, and by their long-term trends...
Article
A new pan-European climatological dataset was recently released that has a much higher spatiotemporal resolution than existing pan-European interpolated rain gauge datasets. This radar dataset of hourly precipitation accumulations, EURADCLIM (Overeem et al. 2023), covers most of continental Europe with a resolution of 2 km × 2 km, and is adjusted e...
Preprint
Full-text available
Accurate and detailed retrieval of global horizontal irradiance (GHI) has many benefits, for instance, in support of the energy transition towards an energy supply with a high share of renewable energy sources and for validating high-resolution weather and climate models. In this study, we apply a downscaling algorithm that combines the High-Resolu...
Article
Full-text available
The Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) on board the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) will provide horizontal information about aerosols and clouds. These measurements are needed to extend vertical cloud and aerosol property information, which is obtained from EarthCARE's active sensors, in order to obtain a full three-dimensional vi...
Article
Full-text available
Clouds affected by solar eclipses could influence the reflection of sunlight back into space and might change local precipitation patterns. Satellite cloud retrievals have so far not taken into account the lunar shadow, hindering a reliable spaceborne assessment of the eclipse-induced cloud evolution. Here we use satellite cloud measurements during...
Article
Full-text available
The Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) is the first mission that will provide measurements from active profiling, passive imaging and a broadband radiometer from a single satellite platform. The passive multi-spectral imager (MSI) features four solar and three thermal infrared channels, and has a swath of 150 km and a spatial p...
Preprint
Full-text available
ESA’s Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer EarthCARE is the first mission which will provide measurements from active profiling, passive imaging and a broad-band radiometer from a single satellite platform. The passive multi-spectral imager (MSI) features four solar and three thermal infrared channels, and has a swath of 150 km and a spatial pixel...
Article
Full-text available
Given the important role of clouds in our planet’s climate system, it is crucial to further improve our understanding of their governing processes as well as the resulting spatio-temporal variability of their properties. This co-variability of different cloud optical properties is adequately represented through the well-established concept of cloud...
Preprint
Full-text available
The European climatological high-resolution gauge-adjusted radar precipitation dataset, EURADCLIM, addresses the need for an accurate (sub-)daily precipitation product covering 78 % of Europe at high spatial resolution. A climatological dataset of 1-h and 24-h precipitation accumulations on a 2-km grid is derived for the period 2013 through 2020. T...
Article
Full-text available
The parameterised description of subgrid-scale processes in the clear and cloudy boundary layer has a strong impact on the performance skill in any numerical weather prediction (NWP) or climate model and is still a prime source of uncertainty. Yet, improvement of this parameterised description is hard because operational models are highly optimised...
Preprint
Full-text available
The parameterised description of subgrid-scale processes in the clear and cloudy boundary layer has a strong impact on the performance skill in any Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) or climate model and is still a prime source of uncertainty. Yet, improvement of this parameterised description is hard because operational models are highly optimised...
Article
Full-text available
The modification of an existing cloud property retrieval scheme for the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) instrument on board the geostationary Meteosat satellites is described to utilize its high-resolution visible (HRV) channel for increasing the spatial resolution of its physical outputs. This results in products with a nadi...
Chapter
This paper aims to improve short-term forecasting of clouds to accelerate the usability of solar energy. It compares the Convolutional Gated Recurrent Unit (ConvGRU) model to an optical flow baseline and the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. The models are evaluated over 75 days in the summer of 2019 for...
Preprint
Full-text available
The modification of an existing cloud property retrieval scheme for the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) instrument onboard the geostationary METEOSAT satellites is described to utilize its high-resolution visible (HRV) channel for increasing the spatial resolution of its physical outputs. This results in products with a nadir...
Article
Full-text available
Aerosol and cloud properties over southern China during the 10-year period 2006–2015 are analysed based on observations from passive and active satellite sensors and emission data. The results show a strong decrease in aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the study area, accompanied by an increase in liquid cloud cover and cloud liquid water path (LWP)...
Poster
The Heliosat-4 method estimates the surface downwelling shortwave radiation (DSSR) received at ground level in all sky conditions. It is composed of two parts: the McClear model calculating the irradiance under cloud-free conditions and the McCloud model calculating the extinction of irradiance due to clouds. The main inputs to McClear are aerosol...
Article
Full-text available
Retrievals of cloud properties from geostationary satellite sensors offer extensive spatial and temporal coverage and resolution. The high temporal resolution allows the observation of diurnally resolved cloud properties. However, retrievals are sensitive to varying illumination and viewing geometries, including cloud glory and cloud bow conditions...
Article
Full-text available
The Cloud Climate Change Initiative (Cloud_cci) satellite simulator has been developed to enable comparisons between the Cloud_cci climate data record (CDR) and climate models. The Cloud_cci simulator is applied here to the EC-Earth global climate model as well as the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO) regional climate model. We demonstrate...
Article
Full-text available
Clouds are of high importance for the climate system but they still remain one of its principal uncertainties. Remote sensing techniques applied to satellite observations have assisted tremendously in the creation of long-term and homogeneous data records; however, satellite data sets need to be validated and compared with other data records, espec...
Article
Full-text available
Retrievals of cloud properties from geostationary satellite sensors offer extensive spatial and temporal coverage and resolution. The high temporal resolution allows the detection of diurnally resolved cloud properties. However, retrievals are sensitive to varying illumination and viewing geometries, including cloud glory and cloud bow conditions,...
Article
Full-text available
A surface solar radiation forecast algorithm is developed using cloud physical properties from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) on board of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) geostationary satellite. The novelty of the algorithm is the derivation of cloud motion vectors using cloud physical properties. The solar radiatio...
Article
Full-text available
An evaluation of the ERA-Interim clouds using satellite observations is presented. To facilitate such an evaluation in a proper way, a simplified satellite simulator has been developed and applied to 6-hourly ERA-Interim reanalysis data covering the period of 1982 to 2014. The simulator converts modelled cloud fields, for example those of the ERA-I...
Article
Full-text available
The Cloud_cci satellite simulator has been developed to enable comparisons between the Cloud_cci Climate Data Record (CDR) and climate models. The Cloud_cci simulator is applied here to the EC-Earth Global Climate Model as well as the RACMO Regional Climate Model. We demonstrate the importance of using a satellite simulator tha...
Article
Full-text available
Aerosol and cloud properties over southern China during the 10-year period 2006–2015 are analysed based on observations from passive and active satellite sensors and emission data. The results show a decrease in aerosol optical depth over the study area by about 20% on average, accompanied by an increase in liquid cloud cover and cloud liquid water...
Article
Full-text available
Marine stratocumulus (Sc) clouds play an essential role in the earth radiation budget. Here, we compare liquid water path (LWP), cloud optical thickness (τ), and cloud droplet effective radius (re) retrievals from 2 years of collocated Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and...
Article
Full-text available
An evaluation of the ERA-Interim clouds using satellite observations is presented. To facilitate such an evaluation in a proper way, a simplified satellite simulator has been developed and applied to six-hourly ERA-Interim reanalysis data covering the period 1982 to 2014. The simulator converts modelled cloud fields, for example those of the ERA-In...
Article
Full-text available
Marine stratocumulus (Sc) clouds play an essential role in the earth radiation budget. Here, we compare liquid water path (LWP), optical thickness (COT), and effective radius (CER) retrievals from two years of collocated Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI), MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Tropical Rainf...
Article
Full-text available
New cloud property datasets based on measurements from the passive imaging satellite sensors AVHRR, MODIS, ATSR2, AATSR and MERIS are presented. Two retrieval systems were developed that include components for cloud detection and cloud typing followed by cloud property retrievals based on the optimal estimation (OE) technique. The OE-based retrieva...
Article
Full-text available
Measurements from geostationary satellites allow the retrieval of surface solar irradiance homogeneously over large areas, thereby providing essential information for the solar energy sector. Here, the SICCS solar irradiance data record derived from 12 years of MSG satellite measurements is analysed with a focus on the Netherlands. Daily SICCS data...
Article
Full-text available
High-resolution inputs of rainfall are important in hydrological sciences, especially for urban hydrology. This is mainly because heavy rainfall-induced events such as flash floods can have a tremendous impact on society given their destructive nature and the short time scales in which they develop. With the development of technologies such as rada...
Article
Full-text available
Clouds play a central role in the Earth's atmosphere, and satellite observations are crucial for monitoring clouds and understanding their impact on the energy budget and water cycle. Within the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF), a new clo...
Article
Full-text available
In this paper, we evaluate the performance of two global horizontal solar irradiance (GHI) estimates, one derived from Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) and another from the 1-day forecast of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) mesoscale model. The horizontal resolution of the MSG-GHI is 3×5 km2 over Italy, which is the focus area of thi...
Preprint
Full-text available
New cloud property datasets based on measurements from the passive imaging satellite sensors AVHRR, MODIS, ATSR2, AATSR and MERIS are presented. Two retrieval systems were developed that include components for cloud detection and cloud typing followed by cloud property retrievals based on the optimal estimation (OE) technique. The OE-based retrieva...
Article
Commercial cellular telecommunication networks can be used for rainfall estimation by measuring the attenuation of electromagnetic signals transmitted between antennas from microwave links. However, as the received link signal may also decrease during dry periods, a method to separate wet and dry periods is required. Methods utilizing ground-based...
Article
Full-text available
The second edition of the satellite-derived climate data record CLARA (“The CM SAF Cloud, Albedo And Surface Radiation dataset from AVHRR data” – second edition denoted as CLARA-A2) is described. The data record covers the 34-year period from 1982 until 2015 and consists of cloud, surface albedo and surface radiation budget products derived from th...
Article
Full-text available
We present an evaluation of the ability of passive broadband geostationary satellite measurements to detect high ice water content (IWC > 1 g m-3) as part of the European High Altitude Ice Crystals (HAIC) project for detection of upper-atmospheric high IWC, which can be a hazard for aviation. We developed a high IWC mask based on measurements of cl...
Article
Full-text available
Accurate determination of radiative energy fluxes over the Arctic is of crucial importance for understanding atmosphere-surface interactions, melt and refreezing cycles of the snow and ice cover, and the role of the Arctic in the global energy budget. Satellite-based estimates can provide comprehensive spatiotemporal coverage, but the accuracy and...
Article
Full-text available
Clouds play a central role in the Earth's atmosphere, and satellite observations are crucial to monitor clouds and understand their impact on the energy budget and water cycle. Within the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF) a new cloud prope...
Article
Full-text available
In this paper, we evaluate the performance of two Global Horizontal solar Irradiance (GHI) estimates, one derived from Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) and another from one-day forecast of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) mesoscale model. The horizontal resolution of the MSG-GHI is 3*5 km² over Italy, which is the focus area of this...
Article
Full-text available
Forests impact regional hydrology and climate directly by regulating water and heat fluxes. Indirect effects through cloud formation and precipitation can be important in facilitating continental-scale moisture recycling but are poorly understood at regional scales. In particular, the impact of temperate forest on clouds is largely unknown. Here we...
Data
Cloud cover development on 9 July 2013 over Landes based on MSG high-resolution visible (HRV) imagery.
Data
Cloud cover development on 17 July 2006 over Landes based on MSG high-resolution visible (HRV) imagery.
Data
Cloud cover development on 14 July 2008 over Landes based on MSG high-resolution visible (HRV) imagery.
Data
Cloud cover development on 1 May 2012 over Sologne based on MSG high-resolution visible (HRV) imagery.
Article
Full-text available
The second edition of the satellite-derived climate data record CLARA ("The CM SAF cLoud, Albedo and surface RAdiation dataset from AVHRR data" – second edition denoted CLARA-A2) is described. The data record covers the 34-year period from 1982 until 2015 and consists of cloud, surface albedo and surface radiation budget products derived from the A...
Article
Full-text available
We present a newly developed high ice water content mask (High IWC) based on measurements of the cloud physical properties (CPP) algorithm applied to the geostationary Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI). The mask was developed within the European High Altitude Ice Crystals (HAIC) project for dete...
Article
Full-text available
A thermodynamically based model is presented to estimate daily actual evapotranspiration (ET) of a grass site closely resembling reference grass as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under nonadvective conditions, from Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) imagery. The model presented here is derived from the th...
Article
The High Altitude Ice Crystals (HAIC) Sub-Project 3 (SP3) focuses on the detection of cloud regions with high ice water content (IWC) from current available remote sensing observations of space-based geostationary and low-orbit missions. The SP3 activities are aimed at supporting operationally the two up-coming HAIC flight campaigns (the first one...
Article
Full-text available
The Fourth Cloud Retrieval Evaluation Workshop (CREW-4) was held in Germany in March 2014. The workshop was attended by about 70 participants from various universities, research institutes, and satellite agencies in Asia, Europe, and the United States. The session 'Cloud parameter retrieval methods' reported on updates made to existing operational...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The International Clouds Working Group (ICWG) investigates strengths and weaknesses of state-of-the-art cloud retrievals from passive and active sensors. Therefore, a common retrieval data base was established. Hamann et al. (2014) inter-compared eleven state-of-art cloud top height SEVIRI datasets and validated them against CALIOP and CPR measurem...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Accurate measurements of global distributions of cloud parameters and their diurnal, seasonal, and inter-annual variations are needed to improve the understanding of the role of clouds in the weather and climate system, and to monitor their time-space variations. Cloud parameters retrieved from satellite observations, such as cloud vertical placeme...
Article
Full-text available
The role of clouds remains the largest uncertainty in climate projections. They influence solar and thermal radiative transfer and the earth's water cycle. Therefore, there is an urgent need for accurate cloud observations to validate climate models and to monitor climate change. Passive satellite imagers measuring radiation at visible to thermal i...
Article
Full-text available
The role of clouds remains the largest uncertainty in climate projections. They influence solar and thermal radiative transfer and the earth's water cycle. Therefore, there is an urgent need for accurate cloud observations to validate climate models and to monitor climate change. Passive satellite imagers measuring radiation at visible to thermal i...