ENVIRONMENTAL ERRORS IN USE OF THE AIRBORNE INFRARED RADIATION THERMOMETER TO MEASURE SEASURFACE TEMPERATURE.

Abstract

An airborne infrared radiation thermometer (IRT) used to measure the sea-surface temperature is described, and the basic radiation principles on which the operation of the instrument depends are discussed. The environmental factors which may tend to introduce errors into the measurement of sea-surface temperature by the IRT are investigated: first by reviewing the works of some other authors; secondly by empirical means using field data supplied by the U. S. Naval Oceanographic Office and the Sandy Hook Marine Laboratory. The empirical results indicate that absorption and emission of infrared energy by atmospheric water vapor are the important physical phenomena which cause IRT error. The results suggest that with increasing values of the combination of sea level mixing ratio and air temperature, IRT error decreases. An attempt is made to explain these results on the basis of radiation principles previously described. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1964
Accession Number
AD0601473

Entities

People

  • Robert W. S. Christenson

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Temperature
  • Airborne
  • Electromagnetic Radiation
  • Infrared Radiation
  • Measurement
  • Radiation
  • Sea Level
  • Sea Surface Temperature
  • Surface Temperature
  • Thermometers
  • Water Vapor

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Remote Sensing.
  • Systems Analysis and Design