Observation of Water Vapor Greenhouse Absorption over the Gulf of Mexico Using Aircraft and Satellite Data

Marsden, D.; Valero, Francisco

doi:10.1175/1520-0469(2004)061<0745:oowvga>2.0.co;2

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Water vapor is a critical component of the atmosphere, plays a key role in the Earth's radiative balance and it is the most important atmospheric greenhouse gas because of its intense absorption of both shortwave and longwave radiation [e.g., Raval and Ramanathan , 1989; Held and Soden , 2000; Marsden and Valero , 2004]. Accurate measurements of the atmospheric water distribution are therefore essential to adequately model Earth's radiation budget, with the column amount of water vapor (precipitable water vapor, or PWV) being one of the most important input parameters for atmospheric models [e.g., Clough et al , 1992].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurements of low amounts of precipitable water vapor by millimeter wave spectroscopy: An intercomparison with radiosonde, Raman lidar, and Fourier transform infrared data

Fiorucci¹,

Muscari²,

Bianchi³

et al. 2008

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] Observations of very low amounts of precipitable water vapor (PWV) by means of the Ground-Based Millimeter wave Spectrometer (GBMS) are discussed. Low amounts of column water vapor (between 0.5 and 4 mm) are typical of high mountain sites and polar regions, especially during winter, and are difficult to measure accurately because of the lack of sensitivity of conventional instruments to such low PWV contents. The technique used involves the measurement of atmospheric opacity in the range between 230 and 280 GHz with a spectral resolution of 4 GHz, followed by the conversion to precipitable water vapor using a linear relationship. We present the intercomparison of this data set with simultaneous PWV observations obtained with Vaisala RS92k radiosondes, a Raman lidar, and an IR Fourier transform spectrometer. These sets of measurements were carried out during the primary field campaign of the Earth Cooling by Water vapor Radiation (ECOWAR) project which took place at Breuil-Cervinia (45.9°N, 7.6°E, elevation 1990 m) and Plateau Rosa (45.9°N, 7.7°E, elevation 3490 m), Italy, from 3 to 16 March 2007. GBMS PWV measurements show a good agreement with the other three data sets exhibiting a mean difference between observations of '9%. The considerable number of data points available for the GBMS versus lidar PWV correlation allows an additional analysis which indicates negligible systematic differences between the two data sets.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurements of low amounts of precipitable water vapor by millimeter wave spectroscopy: An intercomparison with radiosonde, Raman lidar, and Fourier transform infrared data

Fiorucci¹,

Muscari²,

Bianchi³

et al. 2008

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…The above findings indicate the importance of carrying out more extensive measurements of the moisture, temperature and pressure parameters of the atmosphere above Dome C, employing new radiosounding measurements throughout the whole year, to provide more exhaustive and complete data defining the atmospheric transparency conditions, not only for astrophysical and astronomical applications but also for climate studies. In fact, atmospheric water vapor is known to be the most dominant greenhouse gas in the Earth's atmosphere [ Marsden and Valero , 2004], exerting a strong influence on the radiation balance of the surface‐atmosphere system, due to its intense absorption of short‐wave (solar) and long‐wave (terrestrial) radiation [ Yamanouchi and Charlok , 1995]. The former process is caused by the numerous absorption bands distributed throughout the 0.6 ÷ 3.7 μm wavelength range of the solar spectrum [ Kondratyev , 1969; Leckner , 1978], whereas the latter takes place substantially through two distinct absorption mechanisms: (1) selective absorption, mainly produced by the vibrorotational band centered at 6.25 μ m wavelength and the rotational bands beyond 16 μ m [ Goody , 1964], and (2) continuum absorption, induced by both foreign and self‐broadening mechanisms of the lines belonging to the absorption bands of water vapor and its dimer molecules in the middle and far infrared [ Bignell , 1970; Clough et al , 1989].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of the atmospheric temperature and moisture conditions above Dome C (Antarctica) during austral summer and fall months

et al. 2006

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[1] Two sets of radiosounding measurements were taken at Dome C (Antarctica) in December 2003 and January 2003, using RS80-A, RS80-H, and RS90 Vaisala radiosondes, and from March to May 2005, employing the RS92 model. They were examined following accurate correction procedures to remove the main relative humidity dry bias and the temperature and humidity lag errors. The results showed that a strong cooling usually characterizes the thermal conditions of the whole troposphere from December/January to April/May, with an average temperature decrease from 245 to 220 K at the ground, of around 10 K at upper tropospheric levels, and of more than 15 K in the lower stratosphere. The relative humidity data were found to be affected by dry bias of 5-10%, on average, for the RS80-A and RS80-H Humicap sensors and by smaller percentages for the other sensors. The mean monthly vertical profiles of absolute humidity were found to decrease sharply throughout the troposphere, especially within the first 3 km, and to diminish considerably passing from December/January to March/April/ May, with average values of precipitable water decreasing from 0.75 to 0.28 mm, median values from 0.69 to 0.25 mm, and first and third quartiles from 0.60 to 0.22 mm and from 0.87 to 0.34 mm, respectively. The results demonstrate that Dome C (where a permanent scientific station has been open for winter operations since austral winter 2005) is a site of comparable quality to the South Pole for both validation of satellite radiance measurements and astronomic observations in the infrared, submillimetric, and millimetric wavelength range, performed with large telescopes that cannot be carried on satellites.Citation: Tomasi, C., et al. (2006), Characterization of the atmospheric temperature and moisture conditions above Dome C (Antarctica) during austral summer and fall months,

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“…The NFOV consisted of two separate cryogenic radiometers sensitive to upwelling nadir‐viewing radiances in the 4–50 μ m and 10–11 μ m infrared bands. A more detailed description of the NFOV is also given by Marsden and Valero [2004]. In the scenes studied, clouds are identified and eliminated from the analysis by examining both the magnitude and the variance (with respect to time) of the radiance measurements.…”

Section: Instrumentation and Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Its presence and abundance in the atmosphere is a dominant source of the energy budget of the Earth in its entirety. Water vapor is one of the most important atmospheric greenhouse gases due to its ubiquity and its molecular absorption bands in the infrared [ Marsden and Valero , 2004]. There is a strong radiative coupling between atmospheric water vapor and infrared emissions from the Earth's land and sea surface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clear‐sky column water vapor retrievals using the Airborne Imaging Microwave Radiometer (AIMR)

2007

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[1] The brightness temperature measurements from the Airborne Imaging Microwave Radiometer (AIMR) microwave radiometer 37 GHz and 90 GHz channels are used to determine the column water vapor amount under clear-sky conditions during the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) campaign in 1999. The retrieval algorithm is based on the integrated relative humidity profiles measured by numerous dropsondes released from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) C-130 aircraft that operated during the 2 month Intensive Field Phase (IFP) of INDOEX. The highest correlations of the linear relationship between the AIMR brightness temperature measurements and the dropsonde column water vapor values are for the nadir brightness temperatures of the 37 GHz and 90 GHz AIMR channels. The column water vapor, w, given with units of kg m À2 , may be expressed in terms of the 90 GHz nadir brightness temperature, T B , via the expression, w = À209.4 + 1.025 T B , whereas in terms of the 37 GHz AIMR nadir brightness temperature, w = À277.8 + 1.835 T B . These expressions are valid when AIMR brightness temperature measurements about the NCAR C-130 are made at high altitudes (above 5 km) and when the atmospheric column is cloud-free below the aircraft. Other relationships between the polarized components of the AIMR brightness temperature measurements as well as various combinations (differences) of these polarized components with the column water vapor did not identify any parameterizations to the algorithm better than that seen with the mean of the raw brightness temperature components.

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Observation of Water Vapor Greenhouse Absorption over the Gulf of Mexico Using Aircraft and Satellite Data

Cited by 13 publications

References 30 publications

Measurements of low amounts of precipitable water vapor by millimeter wave spectroscopy: An intercomparison with radiosonde, Raman lidar, and Fourier transform infrared data

Measurements of low amounts of precipitable water vapor by millimeter wave spectroscopy: An intercomparison with radiosonde, Raman lidar, and Fourier transform infrared data

Characterization of the atmospheric temperature and moisture conditions above Dome C (Antarctica) during austral summer and fall months

Clear‐sky column water vapor retrievals using the Airborne Imaging Microwave Radiometer (AIMR)

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