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Continuous Water Vapor Profiles from Operational Ground-Based Active and Passive Remote SensorsThe Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program's Southern Great Plains Cloud and Radiation Testbed site central facility near Lamont, Oklahoma, offers unique operational water vapor profiling capabilities, including active and passive remote sensors as well as traditional in situ radiosonde measurements. Remote sensing technologies include an automated Raman lidar and an automated Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), which are able to retrieve water vapor profiles operationally through the lower troposphere throughout the diurnal cycle. Comparisons of these two water vapor remote sensing methods to each other and to radiosondes over an 8-month period are presented and discussed, highlighting the accuracy and limitations of each method. Additionally, the AERI is able to retrieve profiles of temperature while the Raman lidar is able to retrieve aerosol extinction profiles operationally. These data, coupled with hourly wind profiles from a 915-MHz wind profiler, provide complete specification of the state of the atmosphere in noncloudy skies. Several case studies illustrate the utility of these high temporal resolution measurements in the characterization of mesoscale features within a 3-day time period in which passage of a dryline, warm air advection, and cold front occurred.
Document ID
20000080164
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Turner, D. D.
(Pacific Northwest National Lab. Richland, WA United States)
Feltz, W. F.
(Wisconsin Univ. Madison, WI United States)
Ferrare, R. A.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
June 1, 2000
Publication Information
Publication: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Publisher: American Meteorological Society
Volume: 81
Issue: 6
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: DE-AC06-76RLO-1830
CONTRACT_GRANT: DE-A102-98ER-62638
CONTRACT_GRANT: DE-FG02-93ER-61365
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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