Comparison of precipitable water vapor observations by spaceborne radar interferometry and Meteosat 6.7-micron radiometry

Satellite radar interferometry (InSAR) can be applied to study vertically integrated atmospheric refractivity variations with a spatial resolution of 20 m and an accuracy of 2 mm, irrespective of cloud cover or solar illumination. In this study, the technique of InSAR-integrated refractivity mapping...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of atmospheric and oceanic technology 2001-01, Vol.18 (5), p.756-764
Main Authors: Hanssen, R F, Feijt, A J, Klees, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Satellite radar interferometry (InSAR) can be applied to study vertically integrated atmospheric refractivity variations with a spatial resolution of 20 m and an accuracy of 2 mm, irrespective of cloud cover or solar illumination. In this study, the technique of InSAR-integrated refractivity mapping is discussed and validated for a specific atmospheric situation where brightness temperature variations in Meteosat 6.7-micron radiometer data could be mapped to precipitable water vapor to validate the InSAR data. The parameterization of the radiometer data is obtained by using a series of 27 hourly GPS signal delay observations at a fixed location and corresponding Meteosat observations at the location of the GPS receiver. Although this methodology for validating the InSAR results is not generally applicable, the results for this specific situation show that the precipitable water vapor observations in both datasets agree to an accuracy of 1.23 kg/sq m, supporting the interpretation of the InSAR data in terms of water vapor distribution. (Author)
ISSN:0739-0572