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Emerging Technologies and Synergies for Airborne and Space-Based Measurements of Water Vapor Profiles

Nehrir, Amin and Kiemle, Christoph and Lebsock, Mathew. D. and Kirchengast, Gottfried and Buehler, Stefan A. and Löhnert, Ulrich and Liu, Cong-Liang and Hargrave, Peter C. and Barrera Verdejo, Maria and Winker, David M. (2017) Emerging Technologies and Synergies for Airborne and Space-Based Measurements of Water Vapor Profiles. Surveys in Geophysics, 38, pp. 1445-1482. Springer. doi: 10.1007/s10712-017-9448-9. ISSN 0169-3298.

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Official URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10712-017-9448-9

Abstract

A deeper understanding of how clouds will respond to a warming climate is one of the outstanding challenges in climate science. Uncertainties in the response of clouds, and particularly shallow clouds, have been identified as the dominant source of the discrepancy in model estimates of equilibrium climate sensitivity. As the community gains a deeper understanding of the many processes involved, there is a growing appreciation of the critical role played by fluctuations in water vapor and the coupling of water vapor and atmospheric circulations. Reduction of uncertainties in cloud-climate feedbacks and convection initiation as well as improved understanding of processes governing these effects will result from profiling of water vapor in the lower troposphere with improved accuracy and vertical resolution compared to existing airborne and space-based measurements. This paper highlights new technologies and improved measurement approaches for measuring lower tropospheric water vapor and their expected added value to current observations. Those include differential absorption lidar and radar, microwave occultation between low- Earth orbiters, and hyperspectral microwave remote sensing. Each methodology is briefly explained, and measurement capabilities as well as the current technological readiness for aircraft and satellite implementation are specified. Potential synergies between the technologies are discussed, actual examples hereof are given, and future perspectives are explored. Based on technical maturity and the foreseen near-mid-term development path of the various discussed measurement approaches, we find that improved measurements of water vapor throughout the troposphere would greatly benefit from the combination of differential absorption lidar focusing on the lower troposphere with passive remote sensors constraining the upper-tropospheric humidity.

Item URL in elib:https://elib.dlr.de/116518/
Document Type:Article
Additional Information:referierte Veröffentlichung
Title:Emerging Technologies and Synergies for Airborne and Space-Based Measurements of Water Vapor Profiles
Authors:
AuthorsInstitution or Email of AuthorsAuthor's ORCID iDORCID Put Code
Nehrir, AminNASA Langley, Hampton, USAUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Kiemle, ChristophDLR, IPAhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1231-2813UNSPECIFIED
Lebsock, Mathew. D.JPL, Pasadena, USAUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Kirchengast, GottfriedUniv. Graz, ÖsterreichUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Buehler, Stefan A.Univ. HamburgUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Löhnert, UlrichUniv. KölnUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Liu, Cong-LiangNSSC, Beijing,ChinaUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Hargrave, Peter C.Univ. Cardiff, UKUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Barrera Verdejo, MariaFZ JülichUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Winker, David M.NASA Langley, Hampton, USAUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Date:21 November 2017
Journal or Publication Title:Surveys in Geophysics
Refereed publication:Yes
Open Access:Yes
Gold Open Access:No
In SCOPUS:Yes
In ISI Web of Science:Yes
Volume:38
DOI:10.1007/s10712-017-9448-9
Page Range:pp. 1445-1482
Publisher:Springer
ISSN:0169-3298
Status:Published
Keywords:Remote sensing; Water vapor profiles; Atmospheric science; Lidar Differential absorption lidar; Radar; Differential absorption radar; Microwave occultation; Hyperspectral microwave; Emerging technology
HGF - Research field:Aeronautics, Space and Transport
HGF - Program:Space
HGF - Program Themes:Earth Observation
DLR - Research area:Raumfahrt
DLR - Program:R EO - Earth Observation
DLR - Research theme (Project):R - LIDAR research and development
Location: Oberpfaffenhofen
Institutes and Institutions:Institute of Atmospheric Physics > Lidar
Deposited By: Kiemle, Dr.rer.nat. Christoph
Deposited On:04 Dec 2017 15:03
Last Modified:28 Jun 2023 11:32

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