Comparison of the refractive index structure constant prediction using radiosonde data to in-situ thermosonde measurements

Abstract

Abstract   Inter-comparisons between in-situ thermosonde measurements of atmospheric scintillations and the estimates of the models based on the radiosonde data are presented here. The thermosondes, which provide in situ measurement of optical turbulence by measuring temperature variance, give very high spatio-temporal resolution of the refractive index structure constant profiles(ࢠ) at about 7.5 m vertical height resolution.Only a few studies have been conducted to compare the scintillation estimates based on the radiosonde data and in-situ measurements using an accurate thermosonde system.

Computation of Optical Refractive Index Structure Parameter From Its Statistical Definition Using Radiosonde Data

“…Even though this approach has a theoretical basis, models of the refractive index gradient M and the outer scale of turbulence L 0 must still be chosen, as for example, in Abahamid et al (2004) and Montoya et al (2017). This is also the approach followed in Bi et al (2020) and Belu and Jumper (2012), where 𝐴𝐴 𝐴𝐴 2 𝑛𝑛 profiles computed with meteorological data from radiosonde measurements are then compared to 𝐴𝐴 𝐴𝐴 2 𝑛𝑛 measurements coming from thermosondes. A similar model is used in Qing et al (2020) but using meteorological quantities coming from NWP simulations instead of radiosonde measurements.…”

“…This is also the approach followed in Bi et al. (2020) and Belu and Jumper (2012), where $${C}_{n}^{2}$$ profiles computed with meteorological data from radiosonde measurements are then compared to $${C}_{n}^{2}$$ measurements coming from thermosondes. A similar model is used in Qing et al.…”