Forward Model Studies of Water Vapor Using Scanning Microwave Radiometers, Global Positioning System, and Radiosondes during the Cloudiness Intercomparison Experiment

Journal Article · Sun May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2005 · IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2004.839926· OSTI ID:15020577

Mattioli, Vinia; Westwater, Ed R; Gutman, S; Morris, Victor R

Brightness temperatures computed from five absorption models and radiosonde observations were analyzed by comparing them with measurements from three microwave radiometers at 23.8 and 31.4 GHz. Data were obtained during the Cloudiness Inter-Comparison experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's (ARM) site in North-Central Oklahoma in 2003. The radiometers were calibrated using two procedures, the so-called instantaneous ?tipcal? method and an automatic self-calibration algorithm. Measurements from the radiometers were in agreement, with less than a 0.4-K difference during clear skies, when the instantaneous method was applied. Brightness temperatures from the radiometer and the radiosonde showed an agreement of less than 0.55 K when the most recent absorption models were considered. Precipitable water vapor (PWV) computed from the radiometers were also compared to the PWV derived from a Global Positioning System station that operates at the ARM site. The instruments agree to within 0.1 cm in PWV retrieval.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 15020577
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-42591; 830403000
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 43
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BRIGHTNESS
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM
GPS
microwave radiometry
microwave propagation
radiometric accuracy
water vapor
LINEAR ABSORPTION MODELS
OKLAHOMA
RADIATIONS
RADIOMETERS
WATER VAPOR