"QMEAERILBLCLOUDS" VAP Process
Instrument Categories: Radiometric
Description: Comparison of Clouds Data from the AERI vs. LBLRTM Model runs
In this VAP, we want to determine whether the atmosphere is clear or not, as the initial research focus on the longwave radiative transfer was centered on clear-sky cases. To this end, data from the various ceilometers, imagers, in-situ measurements, and passive sensors are gathered and then used to determine whether the column of sky directly above the central facility is non-clear. Another goal of this platform is to capture the variability of the atmospheric column, i.e., how fast it is changing over time.
A natural byproduct of this compilation of different data streams all matched to the same time interval is that it can be used to compare similar data streams easily. For instance, one can compare the cloud-base height as measured by the Belfort laser ceilometer, the micropulse lidar, and a simple estimation derived from the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) using nearby radiosonde temperature profiles. One could also compare the integrated water vapor in the column as measured by the microwave radiometer to that of the radiosondes. A third possible comparison one can perform with data from this platform is between the IR thermometer (attached to the microwave radiometer) and the AERI, where the AERI data has been integrated and a filter function applied to match the IRT's spectral response.
For more details, see http://science.arm.gov/vaps/qmealbc.stm.
Value-Added Products (VAPs) Produced
- aerilblclouds - AERI: Line-by-Line comparison model, clouds
Primary Measurements
The following measurements are those considered scientifically relevant. Refer to the datastream (netcdf) file headers for the list of all available measurements, including those recorded for diagnostic or quality assurance purposes.
Sites / Facilities
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