Optimum retrieval of precipitable water fields from VAS and surface data

The use of VAS radiances and conventional surface data to determine the optimum resolution and accuracy of low-level precipitable water fields retrieved from geosynchronous satellite observations is examined. VAS retrievals of precipitated water (PW) are compared with various channel selections in the regression algorithm and with the split window algorithm. The split window algorithm and the linear regression algorithm are described. Consideration is given to the sounding-field-of-view (SFOV) resolution; the data reveal that the optimum resolution for the split window algorithm is at 15-60 km resolution, and 30-60 km SFOV resolution is optimal for the regression method. Statistics and images from PW retrieval experiments conducted on July 13, 1981 are presented and utilized to determine optimum channel selection. A fast contouring method for VAS sounding images is proposed.