Measuring Total Column Water Vapor by Pointing an Infrared Thermometer at the Sky

2011 ◽  
Vol 92 (10) ◽  
pp. 1311-1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Forrest M. Mims ◽  
Lin Hartung Chambers ◽  
David R. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Infrared Thermometer ◽  
Coefficient Of Correlation ◽  
Mauna Loa ◽  
South Central ◽  
Central Texas ◽  
Solar Noon ◽  
Sun Photometer ◽  
Total Column

A 2-yr study affirms that the temperature indicated by an inexpensive ($20–$60) IR thermometer pointed at the cloud-free zenith sky (Tz) is a proxy for total column water vapor [precipitable water (PW)]. From 8 September 2008 to 18 October 2010 Tz was measured either at or near solar noon, and occasionally at night, at a field in south-central Texas. PW was measured by a MICROTOPS II sun photometer. The coefficient of correlation (r2) of PW and Tz was 0.90, and the rms difference was 3.2 mm. A comparison of Tz with PW from a GPS site 31 km northnortheast yielded an r2 of 0.79 and an rms difference of 5.8 mm. An expanded study compared Tz from eight IR thermometers with PW at various times during the day and night from 17 May to 18 October 2010, mainly at the Texas site, with an additional 10 days at Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory. The best results were provided by two IR thermometers that yielded an r2 of 0.96 and an rms difference with PW of 2.7 mm. The results of both the ongoing 2-yr study and the 5-month comparison show that IR thermometers can measure PW with an accuracy (rms difference/mean PW) approaching 10%, which is the accuracy typically ascribed to sun photometers. The simpler IR method, which works during both day and night, can be easily mastered by students, amateur scientists, and cooperative weather observers.

scholarly journals Inexpensive Near-IR Sun Photometer for Measuring Total Column Water Vapor

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 1268-1276 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Brooks ◽  
Forrest M. Mims ◽  
Richard Roettger
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Light Emitting Diode ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Global Learning ◽  
Water Vapor Absorption ◽  
Near Ir ◽  
Sun Photometer ◽  
Physically Identical ◽  
Total Column

Abstract An inexpensive two-channel near-IR sun photometer for measuring total atmospheric column water vapor (precipitable water) has been developed for use by the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) environmental science and education program and other nonspecialists. This instrument detects sunlight in the 940-nm water vapor absorption band with a filtered photodiode and at 825 nm with a near-IR light-emitting diode (LED). The ratio of outputs of these two detectors is related to total column water vapor in the atmosphere. Reference instruments can be calibrated against column atmospheric water vapor data derived from delays in radio signals received at global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver sites and other independent sources. For additional instruments that are optically and physically identical to reference instruments, a single-parameter calibration can be determined by making simultaneous measurements with a reference instrument and forcing the derived precipitable water values to agree. Although the concept of near-IR detection of precipitable water is not new, this paper describes a first attempt at developing a protocol for calibrating large numbers of inexpensive instruments suitable for use by teachers, students, and other nonspecialists.

scholarly journals Observed and Modeled Growing-Season Diurnal Precipitable Water Vapor in South-Central Canada

2010 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 2301-2314 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Hanesiak ◽  
Mark Melsness ◽  
Richard Raddatz
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Precipitable Water Vapor ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Forecast Period ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
South Central ◽  
Mean Square Errors

Abstract High-temporal-resolution total-column precipitable water vapor (PWV) was measured using a Radiometrics Corporation WVR-1100 Atmospheric Microwave Radiometer (AMR). The AMR was deployed at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, during the 2003 and 2006 growing seasons (mid-May–end of August). PWV data were examined 1) to document the diurnal cycle of PWV and to provide insight into the various processes controlling this cycle and 2) to assess the accuracy of the Canadian regional Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) model analysis and forecasts (out to 36 h) of PWV. The mean daily PWV was 22.6 mm in 2003 and 23.8 mm in 2006, with distinct diurnal amplitudes of 1.5 and 1.8 mm, respectively. It was determined that the diurnal cycle of PWV about the daily mean value was controlled by evapotranspiration (ET) and the occurrence/timing of deep convection. The PWV in both years reached its hourly maximum later in the afternoon as opposed to at solar noon. This suggested that the surface and atmosphere were well coupled, with ET primarily being controlled by the vapor pressure deficit between the vegetation/surface and atmosphere. The decrease in PWV during the evening and overnight periods of both years was likely the result of deep convection, with or without precipitation, which drew water vapor out of the atmosphere, as well as the nocturnal decline in ET. The results did not change for days on which low-level winds were light (i.e., maximum winds from the surface to 850 hPa were below 20 km h−1), which supports the notion that the diurnal PWV pattern was associated with the daily cycles of local ET and convection/precipitation and was not due to advection. Comparison of AMR PWV with the Canadian GEM model for the growing seasons of 2003 and 2006 indicated that the model error was 3 mm (13%) or more even in the first 12 h, with mean absolute errors ranging from 2 to 3.5 mm and root-mean-square errors from 3 to 4.5 mm over the full 36-h forecast period. It was also found that the 3–9-h forecast period of GEM had better error scores in 2006 than in 2003.

A Comparison of GOES Moisture-Derived Product and GPS-IPW Data during IHOP-2002

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1838-1845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Birkenheuer ◽  
Seth Gutman
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Signal Delay ◽  
Total Precipitable Water ◽  
Limited Degree ◽  
Total Column

Abstract Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) sounder–derived total column water vapor is compared with other data sources obtained during the 2002 International H2O Project (IHOP-2002) field experiment. Specifically, GPS-derived total integrated precipitable water (GPS-IPW) and radiosonde observations (raob) data are used to assess GOES bias and standard deviation. GPS integrated water calculated from signal delay closely matches raob data, both from special sondes launched for the IHOP-2002 exercise and routine National Weather Service (NWS) soundings. After examining the average differences between GPS and GOES product total precipitable water over the full diurnal cycle between 26 May and 15 June 2002, it was discovered that only 0000 UTC time differences were comparable to published comparisons. Differences at other times were larger and varied by a factor of 6, increasing from 0000 to 1800 UTC, and decreasing thereafter. Reasons for this behavior are explored to a limited degree but with no clear answers to explain the observations. It is concluded that a component of the GOES total precipitable water error (between sonde launches) might be missed when solely assessing the data against synoptic raobs.

scholarly journals Calibration of Raman lidar water vapor profiles by means of AERONET photometer observations and GDAS meteorological data

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2735-2748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangyao Dai ◽  
Dietrich Althausen ◽  
Julian Hofer ◽  
Ronny Engelmann ◽  
Patric Seifert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Precipitable Water Vapor ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Mixing Ratio ◽  
Raman Lidar ◽  
Pressure Profiles ◽  
Sun Photometer ◽  
Water Vapor Mixing Ratio ◽  
Lidar Observations

Abstract. We present a practical method to continuously calibrate Raman lidar observations of water vapor mixing ratio profiles. The water vapor profile measured with the multiwavelength polarization Raman lidar PollyXT is calibrated by means of co-located AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) sun photometer observations and Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) temperature and pressure profiles. This method is applied to lidar observations conducted during the Cyprus Cloud Aerosol and Rain Experiment (CyCARE) in Limassol, Cyprus. We use the GDAS temperature and pressure profiles to retrieve the water vapor density. In the next step, the precipitable water vapor from the lidar observations is used for the calibration of the lidar measurements with the sun photometer measurements. The retrieved calibrated water vapor mixing ratio from the lidar measurements has a relative uncertainty of 11 % in which the error is mainly caused by the error of the sun photometer measurements. During CyCARE, nine measurement cases with cloud-free and stable meteorological conditions are selected to calculate the precipitable water vapor from the lidar and the sun photometer observations. The ratio of these two precipitable water vapor values yields the water vapor calibration constant. The calibration constant for the PollyXT Raman lidar is 6.56 g kg−1 ± 0.72 g kg−1 (with a statistical uncertainty of 0.08 g kg−1 and an instrumental uncertainty of 0.72 g kg−1). To check the quality of the water vapor calibration, the water vapor mixing ratio profiles from the simultaneous nighttime observations with Raman lidar and Vaisala radiosonde sounding are compared. The correlation of the water vapor mixing ratios from these two instruments is determined by using all of the 19 simultaneous nighttime measurements during CyCARE. Excellent agreement with the slope of 1.01 and the R2 of 0.99 is found. One example is presented to demonstrate the full potential of a well-calibrated Raman lidar. The relative humidity profiles from lidar, GDAS (simulation) and radiosonde are compared, too. It is found that the combination of water vapor mixing ratio and GDAS temperature profiles allow us to derive relative humidity profiles with the relative uncertainty of 10–20 %.

First validation results of the new TROPOMI/S5P Total Column Water Vapor product using AERONET ground-based measurements

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katerina Garane ◽  
Ka Lok Chan ◽  
Maria Elissavet Koukouli ◽  
Diego Loyola ◽  
Dimitris Balis
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
New Product ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Blue Wavelength ◽  
Mass Factor ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Total Column

<p>The very important role of water vapor on the greenhouse effect makes it a species that needs to be continuously and globally monitored, as well as thoroughly studied. The TROPOMI/S5P Total Column Water Vapor (TCWV) is a new product retrieved from the blue wavelength band (435 –455nm), using an algorithm that was originally developed for GOME-2. The algorithm is based on the DOAS technic and is separately presented in this session*.</p><p>The TROPOMI/S5P TCWV product is available for the time period May 2018 to August 2020, almost 2.5 years. For the validation purposes of this work, the co-located precipitable water Level 2.0 (quality-assured) measurements from the NASA AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) were used. The network uses CIMEL sunphotometers located at about 1300 stations globally to monitor precipitable water, among other products. The two datasets, satellite and ground-based, were co-located and the percentage differences of the comparisons were calculated and statistically analyzed. The correlation coefficient of the two products is found to be 0.9 and the mean bias of the relative percentage differences is of the order of 2% for the mid-latitudes and the tropics but increases close to the poles. The effect of various influence quantities, such as air mass factor, solar zenith angle, clouds and albedo are also studied.</p><p>*see the respective abstract by Ka Lok Chan (EGU21-2673)</p>

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