Introduction to EarthCARE synthetic data using a global storm-resolvingsimulation

Pre-launch simulated satellite data are useful to develop retrieval algorithms and to facilitate the rapid release of retrieval products after launch. Here we introduce the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) EarthCARE synthetic data based on simulations using a 3.5 kmhorizontal-mesh global storm-resolving model. Global aerosol transportsimulation results are added for aerosol retrieval developers. Syntheticdata were produced corresponding to the four EarthCARE instrument sensors,namely a 94 GHz cloud-profiling radar (CPR), a 355 nm atmospheric lidar(ATLID), a seven-channel multispectral imager (MSI), and a broadbandradiometer (BBR). JAXA EarthCARE synthetic data include a standard productwith data for two orbits and a research product with shorter frames and moredetailed instrument settings. In the research products, random errors in theCPR are considered based on the observation window, and noise in ATLIDsignals are added using a noise simulator. We consider the spectralmisalignment effect of the visible and near-infrared MSI channels based onresponse functions depending on the angle from the nadir. We introduce plansfor updating the JAXA EarthCARE synthetic data using large eddy simulationmodel data and the implementation of a three-dimensional radiation model.The JAXA EarthCARE synthetic data are available publicly.