Satellite Moisture Retrieval Techniques. Volume 1. Technique Development and Evaluation
Abstract
The water vapor channels of the Special Sensor H-2 (SSH/2) of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) are analyzed, and their ability to retrieve vertical profiles of moisture is studied. The sensitivity in the measured radiance for each channel to changes in water vapor amount made at levels throughout the troposphere is calculated. It is determined that the ability of the SSH/2, and indeed of any infrared sensor, to estimate the water vapor at levels near the surface is severely limited. A statistical retrieval technique that relies on correlations of atmospheric humidity with the observed SSH/2 radiances and estimates of the tropospheric temperatures it used to provide a first guess estimate of the moisture profile. This first guess profile is then corrected using a physical approach that inverts the radiative transfer equation. For a sample set of mid-latitude profiles this statistical-physical technique yields fraction root mean squared errors of about 25% for the region 400-700 mb, with errors of about 35% for regions nearer the surface.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA126245
Entities
People
- A. Rosenberg
- C. K. Bowman
- D. B. Hogan