A Dual-Channel Microwave Radiometer for Measurement of Precipitable Water Vapor and Liquid
- 1 October 1979
- journal article
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience Electronics
- Vol. 17 (4) , 129-136
- https://doi.org/10.1109/tge.1979.294639
Abstract
The design and performance of a two-channel ground-based microwave radiometer (20.6 and 31.6 GHz) for measurement of total integrated water vapor and cloud liquid in a vertical column are discussed. Unique features of this instrument are a single antenna producing equal beamwidth for the two frequencies, and incorporation of two stable reference loads in a three-way Dicke switching sequence. The latter allows an automatic gain control (AGC) to be applied in a minicomputer. Linear statistical inversion is used to retrieve the precipitable water vapor and liquid quantities which are provided in real time. The instrument has been in reliable operation, continuously and unattended, at the National Weather Service Forecast Office, Denver, CO, for a six-month period. The radiometrically derived precipitable water vapor compares favorably with that obtained from radiosondes.Keywords
This publication has 7 references indexed in Scilit:
- An antenna for dual-wavelength radiometry at 21 and 32 GHzIEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 1979
- Microwave measurements of the absolute values of absorption by water vapour in the atmosphereNature, 1979
- A noise-temperature measurement of spillover in the horn-reflector antennaIEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 1979
- Experimental Evaluation of Ground-Based Microwave Radiometric Sensing of Atmospheric Temperature and Water Vapor ProfilesJournal of Applied Meteorology, 1978
- The accuracy of water vapor and cloud liquid determination by dual‐frequency ground‐based microwave radiometryRadio Science, 1978
- The role of rain in satellite communicationsProceedings of the IEEE, 1975
- Atmospheric Limitations to the Angular Resolution of Aperture Synthesis Radio TelescopesMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1971