Profiling of atmospheric water vapor from the SSM/T-2 radiometric measurements

An advantage of using the millimeter-wave measurements for water vapor profiling is the ability to probe beyond a moderate cloud cover. J. R. Wang et al. (1997) demonstrated such a capability from an airborne MIR (Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer) flight over the Pacific Ocean during an intense observation period of TOGA/COARE (Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere/Couple Ocean Atmospheric Response Experiment) in early 1993. A Cloud Lidar System (CLS) and MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) were on board the same aircraft to identify the presence of clouds and cloud type. The retrieval algorithm not only provides output of a water vapor profile, but also the cloud liquid water and approximate cloud altitude required to satisfy convergence of the retrieval. The validity of these cloud parameters has not been verified previously. In this article these cloud parameters are compared with those derived from concurrent measurements from the CLS and AMPR (Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer).