scholarly journals High-accuracy measurements of total column water vapor from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (23) ◽  
pp. 12,261-12,269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert R. Nelson ◽  
David Crisp ◽  
Lesley E. Ott ◽  
Christopher W. O'Dell
2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1075-1097
Author(s):  
A. Sarkissian ◽  
J. Slusser

Abstract. Water vapor total column measurements at Observatoire de Haute Provence (5°42' E, +43°55' N), south of France, were obtained using observations of astronomical objects made between July 1994 and December 2004 on the 193-cm telescope with the high-resolution spectrometer Elodie. Spectra of stars, nebulae, and other astronomical objects were taken regularly during 10 years. More than 18 000 spectra from 400 nm to 680 nm are available on-line in the Elodie Archive. This archive, usually explored by astronomers, contains information to study the atmosphere of the Earth. Water vapor absorption lines appear in the visible in delimited bands that astronomers often avoid for their spectral analysis. We used the Elodie Archive with two objectives: firstly, to retrieve seasonal variability and long-term trend of atmospheric water vapor, and secondly, to remove signatures in spectra for further astronomical or geophysical use. The tools presented here are developed following, when possible, formats and standards recommended by the International Virtual Observatory Alliance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Lange Vega ◽  
Andreas Behrendt ◽  
Volker Wulfmeyer

<p>Between 15 July 2020 and 19 September 2021, the Atmospheric Raman Temperature and Humidity Sounder (ARTHUS) collected data at the Lindenberg Observatory of the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), including temperature and water vapor mixing ratio with a high temporal and range resolution.</p> <p>During the operation period, very stable 24/7 operation was achieved, and ARTHUS demonstrated that is capable to observe the atmospheric boundary layer and lower free troposphere during both daytime and nighttime up to the turbulence scale, with high accuracy and precision, and very short latency. During nighttime, the measurement range increases even up to the tropopause and lower stratosphere.</p> <p>ARTHUS measurements resolve the strength of the inversion layer at the planetary boundary layer top, elevated lids in the free troposphere, and turbulent fluctuations in water vapor and temperature, simultaneously (Lange et al., 2019, Wulfmeyer et al., 2015). In addition to thermodynamic variables, ARTHUS provides also independent profiles of the particle backscatter coefficient and the particle extinction coefficient from the rotational Raman signals at 355 nm with much better resolution than a conventional vibrational Raman lidar.</p> <p>At the conference, highlights of the measurements will be presented. Furthermore, the statistics of more than 150 comparisons with local radiosondes will be presented which confirm the high accuracy of the temperature and moisture measurements of ARTHUS.</p> <p><strong><em>Acknowledgements</em></strong></p> <p>The development of ARTHUS was supported by the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers within the project Modular Observation Solutions for Earth Systems (MOSES). The measurements in Lindenberg were funded by DWD.</p> <p><strong><em>References </em></strong></p> <p>Lange, D., Behrendt, A., and Wulfmeyer, V. (2019). Compact operational tropospheric water vapor and temperature Raman lidar with turbulence resolution. <em>Geophysical Research Letters</em>, 46. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085774</p> <p>Wulfmeyer, V., R. M. Hardesty, D. D. Turner, A. Behrendt, M. P. Cadeddu, P. Di Girolamo, P. Schlüssel, J. Van Baelen, and F. Zus (2015), A review of the remote sensing of lower tropospheric thermodynamic profiles and its indispensable role for the understanding and the simulation of water and energy cycles, <em>Rev. Geophys.</em>, 53,819–895, doi:10.1002/2014RG000476</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 231-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yin Zhao ◽  
Tianjun Zhou

Abstract The total column water vapor (TCWV) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is one important indicator of the Asian water tower, and the changes in the TCWV are vital to the climate and ecosystem in downstream regions. However, the observational data is insufficient to understand the changes in the TCWV due to the high elevation of the TP. Satellite and reanalysis data can be used as substitutes, but their quality needs to be evaluated. In this study, based on a homogenized radiosonde data set, a comprehensive evaluation of the TCWV over the TP derived from two satellite data sets (AIRS-only and AIRS/AMSU) and seven existing reanalysis data sets (MERRA, MERRA2, NCEP1, NCEP2, CFSR, ERA-I, JRA55) is performed in the context of the climatology, annual cycle and interannual variability. Both satellite data sets reasonably reproduce the characteristics of the TCWV over the TP. All reanalysis data sets perform well in reproducing the annual mean climatology of the TCWV over the TP (R = 0.99), except for NCEP1 (R = 0.96) and NCEP2 (R = 0.92). ERA-I is more reliable in capturing the spatial pattern of the annual cycle (R = 0.94), while NCEP1 shows the lowest skill (R = 0.72). JRA55 performs best in capturing the features of the interannual coherent variation (EOF1, R = 0.97). The skill-weighted ensemble mean of the reanalysis data performs better than the unweighted ensemble mean and most of the single reanalysis data sets. The evaluation provides essential information on both the strengths and weaknesses of the major satellite and reanalysis data sets in measuring the total column water vapor over the TP.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (17) ◽  
pp. 11379-11393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiqun Wang ◽  
Gonzalo Gonzalez Abad ◽  
Xiong Liu ◽  
Kelly Chance

Abstract. The collection 3 Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Total Column Water Vapor (TCWV) data generated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's (SAO) algorithm version 1.0 and archived at the Aura Validation Data Center (AVDC) are compared with NCAR's ground-based GPS data, AERONET's sun-photometer data, and Remote Sensing System's (RSS) SSMIS data. Results show that the OMI data track the seasonal and interannual variability of TCWV for a wide range of climate regimes. During the period from 2005 to 2009, the mean OMI−GPS over land is −0.3 mm and the mean OMI−AERONET over land is 0 mm. For July 2005, the mean OMI−SSMIS over the ocean is −4.3 mm. The better agreement over land than over the ocean is corroborated by the smaller fitting residuals over land and suggests that liquid water is a key factor for the fitting quality over the ocean in the version 1.0 retrieval algorithm. We find that the influence of liquid water is reduced using a shorter optimized retrieval window of 427.7–465 nm. As a result, the TCWV retrieved with the new algorithm increases significantly over the ocean and only slightly over land. We have also made several updates to the air mass factor (AMF) calculation. The updated version 2.1 retrieval algorithm improves the land/ocean consistency and the overall quality of the OMI TCWV data set. The version 2.1 OMI data largely eliminate the low bias of the version 1.0 OMI data over the ocean and are 1.5 mm higher than RSS's “clear” sky SSMIS data in July 2005. Over the ocean, the mean of version 2.1 OMI−GlobVapour is 1 mm for July 2005 and 0 mm for January 2005. Over land, the version 2.1 OMI data are about 1 mm higher than GlobVapour when TCWV  <  15 mm and about 1 mm lower when TCWV  >  15 mm.


2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 1633-1649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Schröder ◽  
Maarit Lockhoff ◽  
John M. Forsythe ◽  
Heather Q. Cronk ◽  
Thomas H. Vonder Haar ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Global Energy and Water Cycle Exchanges project (GEWEX) water vapor assessment’s (G-VAP) main objective is to analyze and explain strengths and weaknesses of satellite-based data records of water vapor through intercomparisons and comparisons with ground-based data. G-VAP results from the intercomparison of six total column water vapor (TCWV) data records are presented. Prior to the intercomparison, the data records were regridded to a common regular grid of 2° × 2° longitude–latitude. All data records cover a common period from 1988 to 2008. The intercomparison is complemented by an analysis of trend estimates, which was applied as a tool to identify issues in the data records. It was observed that the trends over global ice-free oceans are generally different among the different data records. Most of these differences are statistically significant. Distinct spatial features are evident in maps of differences in trend estimates, which largely coincide with maxima in standard deviations from the ensemble mean. The penalized maximal F test has been applied to global ice-free ocean and selected land regional anomaly time series, revealing differences in trends to be largely caused by breakpoints in the different data records. The time, magnitude, and number of breakpoints typically differ from region to region and between data records. These breakpoints often coincide with changes in observing systems used for the different data records. The TCWV data records have also been compared with data from a radiosonde archive. For example, at Lindenberg, Germany, and at Yichang, China, such breakpoints are not observed, providing further evidence for the regional imprint of changes in the observing system.


2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 674-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Mariani ◽  
Christophe Accadia ◽  
Nazario Tartaglione ◽  
Marco Casaioli ◽  
Marco Gabella ◽  
...  

Abstract This paper presents a study performed within the framework of the European Union’s (EU) VOLTAIRE project (Fifth Framework Programme). Among other tasks, the project aimed at the integration of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data with ground-based observations and at the comparison between water fields (precipitation and total column water vapor) as estimated by multisensor observations and predicted by NWP models. In particular, the VOLTAIRE project had as one of its main objectives the goal of assessing the application of satellite-borne instrument measures to model verification. The island of Cyprus was chosen as the main “test bed,” because it is one of the few European territories covered by the passage of the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) and it has a dense rain gauge network and an operational weather radar. TRMM PR provides, until now, the most reliable space-borne spatial high-resolution precipitation measurements. Attention is focused on the attempt to define a methodology, using state-of-the-art diagnostic methods, for a comprehensive evaluation of water fields as forecast by a limited area model (LAM). An event that occurred on 5 March 2003, associated with a slow cyclone moving eastward over the Mediterranean Sea, is presented as a case study. The atmospheric water fields were forecast over the eastern Mediterranean Sea using the Bologna Limited Area Model (BOLAM). Data from the Cyprus ground-based radar, the Cyprus rain gauge network, the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), and the TRMM PR were used in the comparison. Ground-based radar and rain gauge data were merged together in order to obtain a better representation of the rainfall event over the island. TRMM PR measurements were employed to range-adjust the ground-based radar data using a linear regression algorithm. The observed total column water vapor has been employed to assess the forecast quality of large-scale atmospheric patterns; such an assessment has been performed by means of the Hoffman diagnostic method applied to the entire total column water vapor field. Subsequently, in order to quantify the spatial forecast error at the finer BOLAM scale (0.09°), the object-oriented contiguous rain area (CRA) analysis was chosen as a comparison method for precipitation. An assessment of the main difficulties in employing CRA in an operational framework, especially over such a small verification domain, is also discussed in the paper.


2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 5705-5741
Author(s):  
V. D. Galkin ◽  
F. Immler ◽  
G. A. Alekseeva ◽  
F.-H. Berger ◽  
U. Leiterer ◽  
...  

Abstract. We retrieved the total content of the atmospheric water vapor from extensive sets of photometric data obtained since 1995 at Lindenberg Meteorological Observatory with star and sun photometers. Different methods of determination of the empirical parameters that are necessary for the retrieval are discussed. The instruments were independently calibrated using laboratory measurements made at Pulkovo Observatory with the VKM-100 multi-pass vacuum cell. The empirical parameters were also calculated by the simulation of the atmospheric absorption by water vapor, using the MODRAN-4 program package for different model atmospheres. The results are compared to those presented in the literature, obtained with different instruments and methods of the retrieval. The accuracy of the empirical parameters used for the power approximation that links the water vapor content with the observed absorption is analyzed. Currently, the calibration and measurement errors yield the uncertainty of about 10% in the total column water vapor. We discuss the possibilities for improving the accuracy of calibration to ~1%, which will make it possible to use data obtained by optical photometry as an independent reference for other methods (GPS, lidar, etc).


2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Chen ◽  
J. Winderlich ◽  
C. Gerbig ◽  
A. Hoefer ◽  
C. W. Rella ◽  
...  

Abstract. High-accuracy continuous measurements of greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) during the BARCA (Balanço Atmosférico Regional de Carbono na Amazônia) phase B campaign in Brazil in May 2009 were accomplished using a newly available analyzer based on the cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) technique. This analyzer was flown without a drying system or any in-flight calibration gases. Water vapor corrections associated with dilution and pressure-broadening effects for CO2 and CH4 were derived from laboratory experiments employing measurements of water vapor by the CRDS analyzer. Before the campaign, the stability of the analyzer was assessed by laboratory tests under simulated flight conditions. During the campaign, a comparison of CO2 measurements between the CRDS analyzer and a nondispersive infrared (NDIR) analyzer on board the same aircraft showed a mean difference of 0.22±0.09 ppm for all flights over the Amazon rain forest. At the end of the campaign, CO2 concentrations of the synthetic calibration gases used by the NDIR analyzer were determined by the CRDS analyzer. After correcting for the isotope and the pressure-broadening effects that resulted from changes of the composition of synthetic vs. ambient air, and applying those concentrations as calibrated values of the calibration gases to reprocess the CO2 measurements made by the NDIR, the mean difference between the CRDS and the NDIR during BARCA was reduced to 0.05±0.09 ppm, with the mean standard deviation of 0.23±0.05 ppm. The results clearly show that the CRDS is sufficiently stable to be used in flight without drying the air or calibrating in flight and the water corrections are fully adequate for high-accuracy continuous airborne measurements of CO2 and CH4.


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