Variability of radiosonde-observed precipitable water in the Baltic region*

Abstract

The total mass of columnar water vapour (precipitable water, W) is an important parameter of atmospheric thermodynamic and radiative models. In this work more than 60 000 radiosonde observations from 17 aerological stations in the Baltic region over 14 years, 1989–2002, were used to examine the variability of precipitable water. A table of monthly and annual means of W for the stations is given. Seasonal means of W are expressed as linear functions of the geographical latitude degree. A linear formula is also derived for parametrisation of precipitable water as a function of two parameters – geographical latitude and surface water vapour pressure.