Atmospheric Temperature Measurements Research Articles

Annual Patterns of Atmospheric Pollutions and Episodes over Cairo Egypt

The Nile Delta major cities, particularly Cairo, experienced stagnant air pollution episodes, known as Black Cloud, every year over the past decade during autumn. Low-elevated thermal inversion layers play a crucial role in intensifying pollution impacts. Carbon monoxide, ozone, atmospheric temperature, water vapor, and methane measurements from the tropospheric emission spectrometer (TES) on board the Aura have been used to assess the dominant component below the inversion layer. In this study, time series analysis, autocorrelations, and cross correlations are performed to gain a better understanding of the connections between those parameters and their local effect. Satellite-based data were obtained for the years 2005–2010. The parameters mentioned were investigated throughout the whole year in order to study the possible episodes that take place in addition to their change from year to year. Ozone and carbon monoxide were the two major indicators to the most basic episodes that occur over Cairo and the Delta region.

A review of geomorphic processes and landforms in the Dry Valleys of southern Victoria Land: implications for evaluating climate change and ice-sheet stability

Abstract The Dry Valleys are subdivided into three microclimate zones on the basis of summertime measurements of atmospheric temperature, soil moisture, relative humidity and wind-speed/ direction. Subtle variations in these climate parameters result in considerable differences in process geomorphology and in the development of unique landforms within each zone. The mapped zones include a coastal thaw zone, an inland mixed zone and a stable upland zone. Landforms within each zone are subdivided into macroscale features (e.g. valleys, slopes and gullies), mesoscale features (e.g. polygons and viscous-flow features) and microscale features (e.g. rock and near-surface soil features, including the effects of salt weathering, wind erosion and pitting). We present a review of landscape development in the Dry Valleys with implications for long-term climate change and ice-sheet stability. Chronological control is afforded by 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating of volcanic ash-fall deposits and cosmogenic nuclide analyses of surface boulders. Collectively, the data call for persistent cold and dry conditions in the stable upland zone for approximately the last 14 Ma, although some level of climatic amelioration and landform modification may have occurred within low-lying regions and in the inland mixed zone.

1DVAR retrieval method for GPS radio occultation measurements of atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles

GPS radio occultation observed refractivity is a function of atmospheric temperature and humidity. One-dimensional variational (1DVAR) analysis can be used to retrieve temperature and humidity profiles simultaneously from refractivity data. Profiles derived from 1DVAR method with COSMIC 2011 data occurred in China area are compared with the collocated radiosondes. The background data are ECMWF profiles and the retrieval results show good agreement with radiosondes. The effect of non-ideal gas compressibility on temperature and humidity retrieval errors is focused on in the 1DVAR analysis. Results compared with different months data show that non-ideal gas compressibility has a systematic effect on radio occultation retrieved atmospheric profiles. Including non-ideal gas effect correction the temperature bias to radiosondes is around 0.1 K, while the specific humidity bias is 0.5%. Because radio occultation data can be assimilated into operational numerical weather prediction system without bias correction, taking into consideration non-ideal gas effect is clearly very important. In addition, including this effect in radio occultation retrieval has important impact on climate applications.

A Neural Network Based Intelligent Predictive Sensor for Cloudiness, Solar Radiation and Air Temperature

Accurate measurements of global solar radiation and atmospheric temperature, as well as the availability of the predictions of their evolution over time, are important for different areas of applications, such as agriculture, renewable energy and energy management, or thermal comfort in buildings. For this reason, an intelligent, light-weight and portable sensor was developed, using artificial neural network models as the time-series predictor mechanisms. These have been identified with the aid of a procedure based on the multi-objective genetic algorithm. As cloudiness is the most significant factor affecting the solar radiation reaching a particular location on the Earth surface, it has great impact on the performance of predictive solar radiation models for that location. This work also represents one step towards the improvement of such models by using ground-to-sky hemispherical colour digital images as a means to estimate cloudiness by the fraction of visible sky corresponding to clouds and to clear sky. The implementation of predictive models in the prototype has been validated and the system is able to function reliably, providing measurements and four-hour forecasts of cloudiness, solar radiation and air temperature.

Large surface meltwater discharge from the Kangerlussuaq sector of the Greenland ice sheet during the record-warm year 2010 explained by detailed energy balance observations

Abstract. This study uses data from six on-ice weather stations, calibrated MODIS-derived albedo and proglacial river gauging measurements to drive and validate an energy balance model. We aim to quantify the record-setting positive temperature anomaly in 2010 and its effect on mass balance and runoff from the Kangerlussuaq sector of the Greenland ice sheet. In 2010, the average temperature was 4.9 °C (2.7 standard deviations) above the 1974–2010 average in Kangerlussuaq. High temperatures were also observed over the ice sheet, with the magnitude of the positive anomaly increasing with altitude, particularly in August. Simultaneously, surface albedo was anomalously low in 2010, predominantly in the upper ablation zone. The low albedo was caused by high ablation, which in turn profited from high temperatures and low winter snowfall. Surface energy balance calculations show that the largest melt excess (∼170%) occurred in the upper ablation zone (above 1000 m), where higher temperatures and lower albedo contributed equally to the melt anomaly. At lower elevations the melt excess can be attributed to high atmospheric temperatures alone. In total, we calculate that 6.6 ± 1.0 km3 of surface meltwater ran off the ice sheet in the Kangerlussuaq catchment in 2010, exceeding the reference year 2009 (based on atmospheric temperature measurements) by ∼150%. During future warm episodes we can expect a melt response of at least the same magnitude, unless a larger wintertime snow accumulation delays and moderates the melt-albedo feedback. Due to the hypsometry of the ice sheet, yielding an increasing surface area with elevation, meltwater runoff will be further amplified by increases in melt forcings such as atmospheric heat.

A method for temperature inversion in middle-upper atmosphere using FPI without laser calibration and its observational data preliminary analysis

In this paper we present a method, by which the temperature inversion is carried our without the calibration of the laser under the FPI observations. On the basis of 630 nm and 557.7 nm observational data are obtained by Wuhan University FPI atmospheric temperature measurement system, using the above method. The results of temperature inversion show that the method doesnot require the calibration of the laser, and can be used for FPI temperature inversion with different wavelengths.

Comparison of ground-based and satellite measurements of atmospheric temperature in the mesopause region in high-latitude eastern Siberia

The mesopause kinetic temperature at an altitude of 87 km measured with a SABER broadband radiometer installed on the TIMED satellite and the hydroxyl molecule rotational temperature measured with a ground-spectrograph installed in high-latitude eastern Siberia (Maimaga optical station; φ = 63°N, λ = 129.5°E) are compared. The data of the observations performed from 2002 to 2006 have been analyzed. The temperatures measured during the satellite passes at distances not larger than 300 km from the intersection of the spectrograph sighting line with the hydroxyl emitting layer (∼87 km) have been compared. An analysis of 130 cases of coincident measurements indicated that the average hydroxyl molecule rotational temperatures are systematically lower than the average kinetic temperature at an altitude of the hydroxyl layer measured with SABER by 4.4 K (with a standard deviation of 11.4 K). A seasonal dependence is observed regarding the difference between the ground-based and satellite measurements. The difference decreases from 10 K in January to zero towards March. However, the time variations in the temperature obtained with the ground-based device and on the satellite are similar. Based on the performed analysis, it has been concluded that a series of hydroxyl rotational temperatures can be used to study temperature variations on different time scales, including long-term trends at the temperature emission altitude (∼87 km).

Distribution of radio refractivity gradient and effective earth radius factor ( k-factor) over Akure, South Western Nigeria

Refractivity gradient and k-factor variations, based on measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature and relative humidity made in Akure North (7.15°N, 5.12°E), South Western Nigeria, is reported. The measurement was made using wireless weather stations (Integrated Sensor Suite, ISS) positioned at five different height levels beginning from the ground surface and at intervals of 50 m to a height of 200 m on a 220 m idled TV tower. The study utilised 2 years of meteorological data measured from January 2007 to December 2008 to calculate refractivity, its gradient and the effective Earth radius factor ( k-factor). From the results, refractivity values were observed to be generally high during the rainy season (April–October) and the values decreased with increasing altitude. The average refractivity gradient was −52.8 N-units/km and the average value of k-factor is 1.51 for the 2 year period of this report.

Retrieval of temperature and pressure using broadband solar occultation: SOFIE approach and results

Abstract. Measurement of atmospheric temperature as a function of pressure, T(P), is key to understanding many atmospheric processes and a prerequisite for retrieving gas mixing ratios and other parameters from solar occultation measurements. This paper gives a brief overview of the solar occultation measurement technique followed by a detailed discussion of the mechanisms that make the measurement sensitive to temperature. Methods for retrieving T(P) using both broadband transmittance and refraction are discussed. Investigations using measurements of broadband transmittance in two CO2 absorption bands (the 4.3 and 2.7 μm bands) and refractive bending are then presented. These investigations include sensitivity studies, simulated retrieval studies, and examples from SOFIE.

基于转动拉曼测温激光雷达数据采集系统的阈值校正和延时补偿技术

基于转动拉曼测温激光雷达数据采集系统的阈值校正和延时补偿技术

Nocturnal temperature changes over tropics during CAWSES-III campaign: Comparison with numerical models and satellite data

In the frame of the third CAWSES tidal campaign in June–August 2007, lidar and satellite data were collected and compared with numerical models. Continuous nocturnal middle atmospheric temperature measurements performed with a Rayleigh lidar located at La Reunion Island (20.8°S–55.5°E) were obtained for three subsequent nights. The results clearly show the presence of tidal components with a downward phase propagation. Comparisons with SABER satellite data show good agreement on tidal amplitude; however, some differences on the structures are reported probably due to the zonal nature of the retrieval provided by the SABER data. The observed tidal components are compared with two different numerical models such as the 2D global scale wave model and the 3D-GCM LMDz-REPROBUS. Both models reveal good agreement with temperature lidar patterns, while simulated tidal amplitudes are smaller by a factor of around 2–2.5 K.

A pure rotational Raman lidar using double-grating monochromator for temperature profile detection

A pure rotational Raman lidar is constructed for measurements of vertical temperature profiles of atmosphere. A fiber-coupled, double-grating monochromator is used as the filter system so that a high spectral resolution of <0.23 nm and an out-of-band rejection rate of 10 7 are achieved. Comparison with in-situ measurements indicates that the accuracy of atmospheric temperature measurements using this lidar system is better than 1.1 K up to an altitude of 10 km. Different effects on signal accuracy resulting from various noise sources are analyzed and uncertainties in temperature due to detection noises are estimated.

Microwave anomalous propagation (AP) measurement over Akure South-Western Nigeria

Anomalous propagation (Anaprop) of microwave radiation is known to be caused by several meteorological conditions. In this study, radio refractive index and modified refractivity gradient were computed using the results of measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature and relative humidity made in Akure (7.15 ° N, 5.12 ° E), South Western Nigeria using Davis 6162 Wireless Vantage Pro2 weather stations (Integrated Sensor Suite, ISS) positioned at five different height levels beginning from the ground surface and at intervals of 50 m from the ground to a height of 200 m on a tower/mast owned by the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) located at Iju in Akure north local government area of Ondo state but which is no longer being used. The study utilized one year of data measured between January and December 2008. From the results, the modified refractivity was calculated and found to increase with increasing altitude. The values were observed to be generally high during the rainy periods and generally low during the dry periods. The study also revealed that for microwave propagation in this geographic zone, the propagation condition is mostly super-refractive.

UV Raman lidar measurements of relative humidity for the characterization of cirrus cloud microphysical properties

Abstract. Raman lidar measurements performed in Potenza by the Raman lidar system BASIL in the presence of cirrus clouds are discussed. Measurements were performed on 6 September 2004 in the frame of the Italian phase of the EAQUATE Experiment. The major feature of BASIL is represented by its capability to perform high-resolution and accurate measurements of atmospheric temperature and water vapour, and consequently relative humidity, both in daytime and night-time, based on the application of the rotational and vibrational Raman lidar techniques in the UV. BASIL is also capable to provide measurements of the particle backscatter and extinction coefficient, and consequently lidar ratio (at the time of these measurements, only at one wavelength), which are fundamental to infer geometrical and microphysical properties of clouds. A case study is discussed in order to assess the capability of Raman lidars to measure humidity in presence of cirrus clouds, both below and inside the cloud. While air inside the cloud layers is observed to be always under-saturated with respect to water, both ice super-saturation and under-saturation conditions are found inside these clouds. Upper tropospheric moistening is observed below the lower cloud layer. The synergic use of the data derived from the ground based Raman Lidar and of spectral radiances measured by the NAST-I Airborne Spectrometer allows the determination of the temporal evolution of the atmospheric cooling/heating rates due to the presence of the cirrus cloud. Lidar measurements beneath the cirrus cloud layer have been interpreted using a 1-D cirrus cloud model with explicit microphysics. The 1-D simulations indicate that sedimentation-moistening has contributed significantly to the moist anomaly, but other mechanisms are also contributing. This result supports the hypothesis that the observed mid-tropospheric humidification is a real feature which is strongly influenced by the sublimation of precipitating ice crystals. Results illustrated in this study demonstrate that Raman lidars, like the one used in this study, can resolve the spatial and temporal scales required for the study of cirrus cloud microphysical processes and appear sensitive enough to reveal and quantify upper tropospheric humidification associated with cirrus cloud sublimation.

Observation of semiannual and annual oscillation in equatorial middle atmospheric long term temperature pattern

Abstract. Extensive measurement of middle atmospheric temperature with the help of lidar data of more than 10 years (1998–2008) and TIMED/SABER data of 7 years (2002–2008), has been carried out from a low latitude station, Gadanki, India (13.5° N, 79.2° E), which exhibits the presence of semiannual oscillation (SAO) and annual oscillation (AnO). The AnO component is stronger in the mesospheric region (80–90 km) and the SAO is dominant at stratospheric altitudes (30–50 km). Overall, the AnO possesses higher amplitude ~6–7 K, and the SAO shows less amplitude ~1–2 K. The AnO present at 90 km finds crest near summer solstice, and the same at 80 km shows peak near winter solstice with a downward progression speed ~1.7 km/month. The SAO propagates downward with an average phase speed ~9 km/month and phase maximizes around equinox and solstice at 50 and 30 km, respectively. The observed SAO has also shown seasonal asymmetry in peaks.

Iodine-filter-based high spectral resolution lidar for atmospheric temperature measurements

This paper presents a method for measuring atmosphere temperature profile using a single iodine filter as frequency discriminator. This high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) is a system reconfigured with the transmitter of a mobile Doppler wind lidar and with a receiving subsystem redesigned to pass the backscattering optical signal through the iodine cell twice to filter out the aerosol scattering signal and to allow analysis of the molecular scattering spectrum, thus measuring temperatures. We report what are believed to be the first results of vertical temperature profiling from the ground to 16 km altitude by this lidar system (power-aperture product=0.35 Wm(2)). Concurrent observations of an L band radiosonde were carried out on June 14 and August 3, 2008, in good agreement with HSRL temperature profiles.

Multiparameter Raman Lidar Measurements for the Characterization of a Dry Stratospheric Intrusion Event

Abstract The University of Basilicata Raman lidar system (BASIL) is operational in Potenza, Italy, and it is capable of performing high-resolution and accurate measurements of atmospheric temperature and water vapor based on the application of the rotational and vibrational Raman lidar techniques in the ultraviolet region. BASIL was recently involved in the 2005 International Lindenberg campaign for Assessment of Humidity and Cloud Profiling Systems and Its Impact on High-Resolution Modeling (LAUNCH 2005) experiment held from 12 September to 31 October 2005. A thorough description of the technical characteristics, measurement capabilities, and performances of BASIL is given in this paper. Measurements were continuously run between 1 and 3 October 2005, covering a dry stratospheric intrusion episode associated with a tropopause folding event. The measurements in this paper represent the first simultaneous Raman lidar measurements of atmospheric temperature, water vapor mixing ratio, and thus relative humidity reported for an extensive observation period (32 h). The use of water vapor to trace intruded stratospheric air allows the clear identification of a dry structure (∼1 km thick) originating in the stratosphere and descending in the free troposphere down to ∼3 km. A similar feature is present in the temperature field, with lower temperature values detected within the dry-air tongue. Relative humidity measurements reveal values as small as 0.5%–1% within the intruded air. The stratospheric origin of the observed dry layer has been verified by the application of a Lagrangian trajectory model. The subsidence of the intruding heavy dry air may be responsible for the gravity wave activity observed beneath the dry layer. Lidar measurements have been compared with the output of both the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU–NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) global model. Comparisons in terms of water vapor reveal the capability of MM5 to reproduce the dynamical structures associated with the stratospheric intrusion episode and to simulate the deep penetration into the troposphere of the dry intruded layer. Moreover, lidar measurements of potential temperature are compared with MM5 output, whereas potential vorticities from both the ECMWF model and MM5 are compared with estimates obtained combining MM5 model vorticity and lidar measurements of potential temperature.

Mesospheric planetary wave effects on global PMC variability inferred from AIM–CIPS and TIMED–SABER for the northern summer 2007 PMC season

Polar Mesospheric Cloud (PMC) observations from the Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS) instrument on the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft are used to investigate the role of planetary wave activity on global PMC variability in the summer polar mesosphere during the 2007 Northern hemisphere season. This is coupled with an analysis of contemporaneous measurements of atmospheric temperature by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument onboard the Thermosphere–Ionosphere–Mesosphere–Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) spacecraft to characterize the importance of temperature as a dominant forcing mechanism of the dynamical state of the summer polar mesosphere. The study confirms results from a recent study using PMC data from the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE) and temperature data from SABER, such that planetary wave activity is present in both PMCs and mesospheric temperature and that are strongly coherent and anti-correlated. The dominant wave present in the polar summer mesosphere in both PMCs and temperature is the 5-day wavenumber 1 Rossby normal mode. The maximum amplitude of the variation of the 5-day wave in temperature is small at 3 K but has a significant effect on PMC albedo. The phase relationship between PMC and temperature is variable between 150° and 180° out of phase, with PMC albedo reaching a maximum ∼10 h before the minimum in temperature. We have identified two additional waves, the westward propagating 2-day wavenumber 2 (2DW2) and the eastward propagating 2-day wavenumber 1 (2DE1) are both present in PMC and temperature variability in the 2007 NH season. The 2DW2 wave is consistent with a Rossby normal mode excited by the instability in the zonal mean zonal wind. However, the source of the 2DE1 wave could be a nonlinear interaction of the 2DW2 with the migrating diurnal tide. This is the first time these two wave features have been detected in coincident PMC and temperature measurements. Analysis of the zonal variation of PMC occurrence and temperature shows they are also anti-correlated and supporting the conclusion that temperature is an important forcing mechanism in zonal variability.

Intense polar temperature inversion in the middle atmosphere on Mars

Current understanding of weather, climate and global atmospheric circulation on Mars is incomplete, in particular at altitudes above about 30 km. General circulation models for Mars [1,2,3,4,5,6] are similar to those developed for weather and climate forecasting on Earth and require more martian observations to allow testing and model improvements. However, the available measurements of martian atmospheric temperatures, winds, water vapour and airborne dust are generally restricted to the region close to the surface and lack the vertical resolution and global coverage that is necessary to shed light on the dynamics of Mars' middle atmosphere at altitudes between 30 and 80 km (ref. 7). Here we report high-resolution observations from the Mars Climate Sounder instrument [8] on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter [9]. These observations show an intense warming of the middle atmosphere over the south polar region in winter that is at least 10–20 K warmer than predicted by current model simulations. To explain this finding, we suggest that the atmospheric downwelling circulation over the pole, which is part of the equator-to-pole Hadley circulation, may be as much as 50% more vigorous than expected, with consequences for the cycles of water, dust and CO2 that regulate the present-day climate on Mars.

An analysis of the dependence of clear‐sky top‐of‐atmosphere outgoing longwave radiation on atmospheric temperature and water vapor

We have analyzed observations of clear‐sky top‐of‐atmosphere outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) measured by the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES). These measurements were obtained during March 2005 at night and over the ocean and cover latitudes from 70°N to 70°S. First, we compare the OLR measurements to OLR calculated from two radiative transfer models. The models use as input simultaneous and collocated measurements of atmospheric temperature and atmospheric water vapor made by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). We find excellent agreement between the models' predictions of OLR and observations, well within the uncertainty of the measurements. We also analyze the sensitivity of OLR to changing surface temperature Ts, atmospheric temperature Ta, and atmospheric water vapor q. We find that OLR is most sensitive to unit changes in Ta when that change occurs in the lower troposphere. For q, the altitude distribution of sensitivity varies between the midlatitudes, subtropics, and the convective region. We also partition the observed variations in OLR into contributions from changing Ts, Ta, and q. In the midlatitudes, changes in Ts and Ta contribute approximately equally, and are partially offset by changes in q. In the subtropics, changes in Ta dominate, with a smaller contribution from changes in Ts and a relatively small offsetting contribution from q. In the tropical convective region, a rapid increase in q in the midtroposphere leads to a dramatic reduction in OLR with increasing Ts, which has been termed the “super greenhouse effect”.