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Latitudinal survey of water vapor in the middle atmosphere using an airborne millimeter wave sensor
Author(s) -
Peter R.,
Künzi K.,
Hartmann G. K.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl015i011p01173
Subject(s) - mesosphere , altitude (triangle) , water vapor , atmospheric sciences , latitude , atmosphere (unit) , mixing ratio , environmental science , middle latitudes , millimeter , extremely high frequency , range (aeronautics) , meteorology , geology , stratosphere , physics , materials science , geodesy , optics , geometry , mathematics , composite material
An airborne millimeter‐wave sensor has been used to determine the vertical H 2 O profile over the altitude range of 20 ‐ 70 km by measuring the thermal emission of the rotational transition at 183.31 GHz. Measurements were made between 45° N and 75° N during several flights in December 1986. At mid‐latitudes they showed water vapor mixing ratios between 3.5 and 5 ppmv with a maximum at 50 km altitude. At high latitudes a decrease to values less than 2.5 ppmv in the lower mesosphere and a maximum at 30 km was found. The characteristic decrease at high latitudes in the lower mesosphere in winter corresponds well with recent model calculations and is assumed to be caused by strong downward directed transport of mesospheric air.