Abstract
Initial data from the Formosa Satellite-7/Constellation Observing System
for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate (FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2, hereafter
C2), a recently launched Equatorial constellation of six satellites
carrying advanced radio occultation receivers, exhibit high
signal-to-noise ratio, precision, and accuracy, and the ability to
provide high-vertical-resolution information on temperature and water
vapor in the challenging tropical atmosphere. After an initial
calibration/validation phase, over 100,000 soundings of bending angles
and refractivity that passed quality control in October 2019 are
compared with independent data, including radiosondes, model forecasts,
and analyses. The comparisons show that C2 data meet expectations of
high accuracy, precision, and capability to detect super-refraction.
When fully operational, the C2 satellites are expected to produce
~5,000 soundings per day, providing freely available
observations that will enable improved forecasts of weather, including
tropical cyclones, and weather, space weather, and climate research.