| Paper: | TH-A1.2 |
| Session: | Applications of Radiometry I |
| Time: | Thursday, March 29, 09:00 - 10:20 |
| Presentation: |
Poster
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| Topic: |
Theory, physical principles and electromagnetic models: |
| Title: |
The Microwave Temperature Humidity Profiler Performance on the NASA CPEX and NSF Pre-BBFLUX Campaigns |
| Authors: |
Boon H. Lim; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory | | |
| | Richard Denning; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory | | |
| Abstract: |
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Microwave Temperature Humidity Profiler (MTHP), is a microwave radiometer that scans ahead of the aircraft measuring the 60 GHz Oxygen and 183 GHz Water Vapor bands. This allows for atmospheric retrievals above and below the aircraft, to generate vertical profiles of both temperature and water vapor. Recently the MTHP was reconfigured into a standard DMT canister as part of the NSF Airborne Research Instrumentation Testing Opportunity (ARISTO) and flew on the NCAR G-V in 03/2017. The major difference between the MTHP and the Microwave Temperature Profiler (MTP) is the significantly faster scan rate, allowing for a complete scan to be performed in 1.5 seconds per scan (an order of magnitude increase) and the addition of the 183 GHz receiver.
The MTHP was selected to participate in the NASA Convective Processes Experiment (CPEX) mission in 06/2017 on board the NASA DC-8. A total of 16 research flights were performed with a total duration of just under 100 hours in support of the weather focus area. In 10/2017 the MTHP flew on the University of Wyoming King Air as part of the NSF Pre-BBFLUX flux campaign to ensure science instrument compatibility with the aircraft for the future BBFLUX campaign. Two flights in the vicinity of the Northern California wildfires were made to support the tropospheric composition program.
This paper will discuss the millimeter wave microwave receiver calibration which utilizes a rotating aperture to maintain the signal path and two external calibrators. The performance of the calibration will be compared with external calibration including the reported flight level physical temperatures. Profiles below the aircraft will be compared with the in situ dropsonde measurements to determine the differences in the remote vs in situ measurement. Experimental products will also be discussed, including the integrated water vapor column products above the aircraft, and of vertical profiling of thermal plumes from fires.
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