Evaluation data for the Microwave Radiometer Retrievals version 2 (MWRRETv2) value-added product (VAP) have been processed for the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) atmospheric observatory.
This VAP is an updated version of mwrret1liljclou—documented in Turner et al. 2007—that extends the physical optimal estimation retrieval of liquid water path (LWP) and precipitable water vapor to microwave radiometers beyond ARM’s original standard 2-channel systems at 23 and 31 GHz.
MWRRETv2 developers applied the Turner et al. (2007) optimal estimation retrieval of LWP and precipitable water vapor to the ENA’s 3-channel microwave radiometer from June 1, 2014, through April 24, 2018. The VAP also includes uncertainty estimates.
The 89 GHz channel in the new 3-channel microwave radiometers has approximately three times the sensitivity to liquid water compared with the 31 GHz channel, thus improving LWP accuracy when LWP is less than 100 g/m2. MWRRETv2 developers applied bias corrections to the brightness temperature data on a monthly basis, using clear-sky sonde measurements as a reference.
Feedback on data formats and quality of these data is requested and can be sent to Laura Riihimaki, the translator for this VAP.
To access the data set, please browse the ARM Data Center. (Go here to create an account to download the data.)
To cite the MWRRETv2 data, please use doi:10.5439/1285691.
Reference: Turner DD, SA Clough, JC Liljegren, EE Clothiaux, K Cady-Pereira, and KL Gaustad. 2007. “Retrieving Liquid Water Path and Precipitable Water Vapor From the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Microwave Radiometers.” IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 45(11): 3680-3690, doi:10.1109/tgrs.2007.903703.
# # #ARM is a DOE Office of Science user facility operated by nine DOE national laboratories.