Ground-based passive microwave profiling during dynamic weather conditions

Short-period (1–5 min) temperature and humidity soundings up to 10-km height are retrieved from ground-based 12-channel microwave radiometer profiler (MWRP) observations. In contrast to radiosondes, the radiometric retrievals provide very high temporal resolution (1 min or less) of thermodynamic profiles, but the vertical resolution, which declines in proportion to the height above ground level, is lower. The high temporal resolution is able to resolve detailed meso-γ-scale thermodynamic and limited microphysical features of various rapidly changing mesoscale and/or hazardous weather phenomena. To illustrate the MWRP capabilities and potential benefits to research and operational activities, the authors present example radiometric retrievals from a variety of dynamic weather phenomena including upslope supercooled fog, snowfall, a complex cold front, a nocturnal bore, and a squall line accompanied by a wake low and other rapid variations in low-level water vapor and temperature.

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Author Knupp, K.
Coleman, T.
Phillips, D.
Ware, R.
Cimini, D.
Vandenberghe, F.
Vivekanandan, J.
Westwater, E.
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2009-06-01T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
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Topic Category geoscientificInformation
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Metadata Date 2023-08-18T18:43:18.934641
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:17167
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Knupp, K., Coleman, T., Phillips, D., Ware, R., Cimini, D., Vandenberghe, F., Vivekanandan, J., Westwater, E.. (2009). Ground-based passive microwave profiling during dynamic weather conditions. UCAR/NCAR - Library. http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7gq7028. Accessed 22 June 2025.

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