High resolution depiction of atmospheric moisture, stability and surface temperature from combined MAMS and VAS radiances

In order to elucidate mesoscale variability of the earth-atmosphere system, aircraft-borne Multi-spectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor (MAMS), 100-meter-resolution radiometric data, and geostationary-borne VISSR Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) 8-km-resolution radiometric data are used together in a physical retrieval method to produce 100-m-resolution depictions of atmospheric moisture, stability, and skin temperature. The VAS, with its IR-sounding capability, provides the vertical information to the retrieval while the MAMS, with its 100-m resolution, provides the horizontal information. The retrievals show mesoscale features, including a moist tongue intrusion and an urban heat island. Mesogamma-scale gradients are found to exceed mesobeta-scale gradients, and significant mesogamma-scale variability is not captured in current geostationary sounding data. It is suggested that improvements to the spatial resolution of operating sounding data will yield improved information on atmospheric and surface gradients, especially at the mesogamma scale.