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VISSAT-research

This repository simulates satellite visible reflectances using AROME-Austria model forecasts and the RTTOV radiative transfer model.

Features

  • Compatible with RTTOV v12.2 and v13.2
  • Simulates the SEVIRI visible (VIS) 0.6 µm channel
  • Complete pipeline: data preprocessing → RTTOV simulation → postprocessing
  • Modular codebase for clarity and easy extension
  • Reproduces all figures and plots of most presented work

Runing simulations

Inside run_rttov/ directory, you find:

  • Quick single simulation + plots:
    Use the Jupyter notebook
    run_rttov/run_rttov_notebook.ipynb

  • Batch simulations over a date range:
    Run
    python3 run_rttov/visir_run_main.py

  • Supporting scripts in run_rttov/, which are used internally by these main interfaces.

  • optional: you can configure the python scripts and set various assumptions for radiative transfer.

Combining multiple time steps

To merge outputs from several time steps into a single NetCDF file:

  1. Change into the data_processing/ directory.
  2. Edit concat_output_data.py as needed (e.g., input folder, which operator you're using).
  3. Run: 
    python3 concat_output_data.py

Reproducing results

The all_sky_results/ and clear_sky_results/ directories contain notebooks that reproduce the results presented in the manuscript.

Installation

1. Compile RTTOV

Download and compile RTTOV from the NWP-SAF website.
Be sure to compile both the core library and the Python interface (pyrttov).

2. Clone this repository

git clone https://github.com/Sandy887/RTTOV_AROME.git
cd RTTOV_AROME

3. Configure paths

Edit the following file to point to your local RTTOV and pyrttov installations: run_rttov/rttov_op_paths.py

Ensure pyrttov is accessible via PYTHONPATH.

4. Set up the environment

It's dependent on your server environment. In my case, the following modules are required on the ECMWF virtual desktop:

gcc/8.5.0, prgenv/gnu, python3/3.8.8-01, hdf5/1.10.6, netcdf4/4.7.4

Use the following commands to configure your environment:

# Reset environment
module purge
unset LD_LIBRARY_PATH

# Load required modules
module load gcc/8.5.0 prgenv/gnu python3/3.8.8-01 hdf5/1.10.6 netcdf4/4.7.4

# Set library paths
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$HDF5_DIR/lib:$NETCDF4_DIR/lib:$PYTHON3_DIR/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

To run the code successfully, make sure:

  • RTTOV is compiled (including pyrttov)
  • PYTHONPATH includes pyrttov (set in rttov_op_paths.py)
  • This repository is cloned and paths configured
  • All required modules are loaded for both RTTOV versions

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Citation

If you use this code or its results in your research, please cite:

@misc{SATVIS-manuscript-2025,
  author    = {Chkeir, Sandy},
  title     = {CloudyVisibleRadiances: RTTOV-AROME Cloudy Radiance Simulations},
  year      = {2025},
  publisher = {GitHub},
  url       = {https://github.com/Sandy887/RTTOV_AROME},
  note      = {Accessed 2025-08-30}
}

Acknowledgements

  • This work would not have been possible without the supervision and valuable discussions with Philipp Griewank, particularly regarding figure production and visualization.
  • Many thanks to Leonhard Scheck (DWD) for his support and insights on visible-channel simulations.
  • Special thanks to Florian Meier (Geosphere Austria) for his guidance on handling AROME model output and related processes.