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Importance of Wind Measurements Winds, for our
purposes, are important because they serve to transport energy
(latent heat) in the form of moisture from one region to another.
Latent heat is the source of energy for many of the atmosphere’s
storms playing an important role in such phenomena as thunderstorms,
tornadoes, and hurricanes. Therefore, the concentration of this
energy by winds (e.g., by convergence) increases the likelihood
of these phenomena. Furthermore, in the upper troposphere, water
vapor is intercepted by a broad band of infrared (IR) radiation
from the surface and its subsequent emission at lower temperatures
greatly influences the radiative energy balance of the planet.
Indeed water vapor is the principal contributor to the greenhouse
effect and plays a key role in our understanding of the Earth’s
climate and its sensitivity to increasing levels of carbon dioxide.
More recently, the importance of upper tropospheric water vapor
in determining the amount of clear sky IR radiation emitted to
space.
|| Personnel || || Publications || || What's New || || Retrievals Algorithms || || Precipitable Water || || Water Vapor Transport || || Land Surface Temperature || || Aircraft Measurement || || Real Time Data || || GHCC Home || Technical Contact: Dr. Gary J. Jedlovec (gary.jedlovec@msfc.nasa.gov) Responsible Official: Dr. James L. Smoot (James.L.Smoot@nasa.gov) Page Curator: Diane Samuelson (diane.samuelson@msfc.nasa.gov) Last updated on: November 2, 1999 |