Distribution Of Water Vapor Research Articles

Analysis on Precipitable Water Vapor over the Tibetan Plateau Using FengYun-3A Medium Resolution Spectral Imager Products

The Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest plateau in the world, and its complex terrain affects the distribution of precipitable water vapor (PWV) in the atmosphere, which plays an important role in the weather and climate of East Asia. In this paper, the characteristics of PWV over the Tibetan Plateau are studied using the FengYun-3A Medium Resolution Spectral Imager (MERSI) water vapor products, which are retrieved from the MERSI raw images of Chinese second-generation polar orbit meteorological satellite. Firstly, the accuracy of the MERSI 5-minute water vapor product is validated using three referenced water vapor data from TERRA/MODIS, ground-based GPS, and AERONET sun photometer over the Tibetan Plateau. Then, the spatial distribution and seasonal variation of PWV over the plateau are analyzed, and the effects of topographic factors on PWV are discussed. The results indicate that the MERSI 5-minute water vapor product has a good accuracy over the Tibetan Plateau, which the mean absolute error of MERSI water vapor product is in the range of 28.91%-37.54%, the mean absolute error range between 1.87 and 2.76 millimeter (mm), and the mean bias is between -1.14 and 0.64 mm comparing three referenced data. The PWV content appears as a typical spatial pattern over the Tibetan Plateau where there is a decrease from east to west of the Tibetan Plateau with increasing elevation, with the highest values over the south of Tibet. A second pattern also appears over the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, where the PWV content in the Qaidam Basin and the south of Tarim Basin are also considerably high. The seasonal variation of PWV content over the Tibetan Plateau presents to be highest in summer, followed by autumn and spring, and lowest in winter. The PWV content changes periodically during the year, which fits with a quadratic polynomial over monthly scales. The topographical factors of the Tibetan Plateau were found to affect the water vapor, where the altitude and latitude are negatively correlated with water vapor, while the slope and longitude show a positive correlation with water vapor; however, the aspect does not appear to have any significant influence on water vapor.

Evaluation of Virtual Reference Station Constraints for GNSS Tropospheric Tomography in Austria Region

Abstract. One of the most promising methods of GNSS meteorology is GNSS Tomography. This method can be used for the determination of water vapor distribution, which contributes to the reliability of weather forecasting and early warning of severe weather. Therefore, GNSS Tomography is a valuable source of information for meteorological and weather forecast. The system of equations of this problem is mixed-determined because propagated signals do not pass through some of the model elements within the area of interest. Consequently, the normal matrix is close to singular without any unique solution. To avoid singularity and achieve a unique solution, additional sources or horizontal and/or vertical constraints are usually applied. Here, three schemes have been considered for remedying the rank deficiency of the problem. In the first scheme, minimum horizontal and vertical constraints were imposed on the system of observation equations. Then, we have defined three schemes to evaluate the impact of Virtual Reference Stations (VRS) in comparison to horizontal and vertical constraints in the sparse GNSS network. Within a network of Austrian GNSS reference stations these schemes have been analyzed and validated with available radiosonde profiles for the period DoY 245–256 in 2017. According to our results, the consistency of the estimated refractivity field with radiosonde profiles in the dense GNSS network was generally better (RMSE 2.80 ppm) than for the two other schemes in the period of interest. Moreover, in the sparse GNSS network, the average of RMSE for schemes with VRS stations and constraints equation was about 3.02 and 3.27 ppm, respectively. Hence, the obtained results illustrate that applying VRS stations in the sparse GNSS network can lead to a better solution in comparison to applying horizontal and vertical constraints.

Vertical distribution of PM2.5 and interactions with the atmospheric boundary layer during the development stage of a heavy haze pollution event

Vertical profiles of PM2.5 (i.e., particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or less) and meteorological variables (e.g., potential temperature, specific humidity) are crucial to understand formation mechanism including accumulation and dispersion process of PM2.5, as well as interactions between aerosols and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). In this study, vertical distributions of PM2.5 are characterized through comprehensive analyses of vertical profiles measured by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Micro Pulse LiDAR, and other surface observational data of a heavy aerosol pollution episode occurring on December 22–25, 2017 in Nanjing, China. Results show that PM2.5 profiles are characterized by a clear three-layer structure with near constant within the mixed layer, a transition layer with a large local gradient in the entrainment zone, and a layer with low concentration and small gradient in the free atmosphere, which shows a large similarity to that of specific humidity. The accumulation of aerosols is found near top of the ABL with the largest increase rate. Vertical distributions of PM2.5 and their evolution are largely constrained by the ABL thermodynamics during daytime, but show much less dependence on the ABL evolution at nighttime. PM2.5 provides an important feedback on the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) leading to significant modification of vertical distributions of potential temperature and water vapor. Moreover, this study suggests that the current boundary layer parameterization scheme needs refinement with aerosol radiative effect included to further improve the ABL height (ABLH) and air quality predictions.

Seasonal and Spatial Distribution of Atmospheric Tritiated Water Vapor in Mainland China.

To reveal the distribution of atmospheric tritium water (HTO) vapor and provide a baseline for tritium pollution control, a subnational survey was conducted in mainland China. As the largest study on HTO vapor in China that has ever been formally reported, this study provides a macroimpression of the atmospheric HTO specific activity from March 2017 to March 2018. A total of 102 passive samplers were deployed at 34 sites in 30 provinces to determine the seasonal and spatial distributions of HTO vapor. In general, the HTO specific activity in the atmosphere ranged from lower than the minimum detectable activity (0.18 Bq·L-1) to 5.5 Bq·L-1. Spatially, the specific activity of HTO was positively correlated to the latitude and the distance to proximal coastline. Seasonally, significantly higher HTO specific activities were observed in spring and relatively lower in summer. Based on correlation analysis, the atmospheric HTO distributions were considered to be the consequence of combined factors of the stratospheric-tropospheric net mass flux, the distance from the tropopause to the ground, the fraction of air mass that originated from ocean re-evaporation and long-distance transport from high-latitude continents.

Assessment of Integrated Water Vapor Estimates from the iGMAS and the Brazilian Network GNSS Ground-Based Receivers in Rio de Janeiro

There is pressing demand for knowledge improvement of the integrated water vapor (IWV) distribution in regions affected by heat islands that are associated with extreme rainfall events such as in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro (MARJ). This work assessed the suitability and evaluation of the spatiotemporal distribution of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) IWV from the cooperation of the International GNSS Monitoring and Assessment System (iGMAS) and the National Observatory (Observatório Nacional, ON) of Brazil, from the Brazilian Network for Continuous Monitoring (RBMC), and IWV products from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and radiosonde, jointly with surface meteorological data, in two sectors of the state of Rio de Janeiro from February 2015–August 2018. High variability of the near surface air temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) were observed among eight meteorological sites. The mean T differences between sites, up to 4.4 °C, led to mean differences as high as 3.1 K for weighted mean temperature (Tm) and hence 0.83 mm for IWV differences. Local grid points of MODIS IWV estimates had relatively good agreement with the GNSS-derived IWV, with mean differences from –2.4–1.1 mm for the daytime passages of the satellites TERRA and AQUA and underestimation from –9 mm to –3 mm during nighttime overpasses. A contrasting behavior was found in the radiosonde IWV estimates compared with the estimates from GNSS. There were dry biases of 1.4 mm (3.7% lower than expected) by radiosonde IWV during the daytime, considering that all other estimates were unbiased and the differences between IWVGNSS and IWVRADS were consistent. Based on the IWV comparisons between radiosonde and GNSS at nighttime, the atmosphere over the radiosonde site is about 1.2 mm and 2.3 mm wetter than that over the RBMC RIOD and iGMAS RDJN stations, respectively. The atmosphere over the site RIOD was 1.2 mm wetter than over that of RDJN for all three-hour means. These results showed that there were important variabilities in the meteorological conditions and in the distribution of water vapor in the MERJ. The data from the iGMAS RDJN station were feasible, together with those from the RBMC, MODIS, and radiosonde data, to investigate IWV in the region with occurrence of heat islands and peculiar physiographic and meteorological characteristics. This work recommends the magnification of the GNSS network in the state of Rio de Janeiro with the use of data from complete meteorological station collocated near every GNSS receiver, aiming to improve local IWV estimates and serving as additional support for operational numerical assimilation, weather forecast, and nowcast of extreme rainfall and flooding events.

Diurnal variations of cloud and relative humidity profiles across the tropics

Even though the diurnal cycle of solar forcing on the climate system is well defined, the diurnal evolutions of water vapor and clouds induced by the solar forcing are not yet established across the tropics. Here we combine recent satellite observations of clouds profiles and relative humidity profiles to document the diurnal variations of the water vapor and clouds vertical distributions over all the tropics in June-July-August. While the daily mean water vapor and cloud profiles are different between land and ocean, their diurnal variations with respect to their daily means exhibit similar features. Relative humidity profiles and optically thin cloud fraction profiles vary together which maximize during night-time in the entire troposphere and a minimize in day-time. The fraction of optically opaque clouds peak in the free troposphere in the early afternoon, transforms into a high altitude positive anomaly of optically thin clouds from nightfall to sunrise. In addition, land regions exhibit a daily low thin cloud positive anomaly, while oceanic regions exposed to subsidence air motions exhibit positive anomalies of opaque clouds in the lower atmosphere during the second half of the night, which grow until sunrise.

Evaluation of Dry-Wet Transition in PEFC Under Load Changes Based on Laser Spectroscopy Using Fiber-Optic Probe

The low-humidity operations of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) unfortunately induce the membrane dehydration and deteriorate the proton conductivity through the membrane. Especially, when the output current rapidly rises in steps under load-change conditions, the remarkable decrease of the water concentration on the anode side temporarily occurs and it causes the sudden drop of cell voltage called the “undershoot”. To alleviate this issue, it’s necessary to grasp the dry-wet transition in a PEFC operated under low-humidity and load-change conditions. In the previous studies, the transient water distribution along flow fields of operating PEFCs was vigorously investigated using gas chromatography (GC) [1]. Although GC techniques provide more accurate gas concentrations in flow channels, it takes a long time (at least two minutes) to collect a gas sample and identify a species. As an alternative approach, several researchers have applied tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) to the measurement of the water transport in working PEFCs [2,3]. TDLAS is one of the high-speed and high-sensitive absorption spectroscopy techniques which detect the absorbance of a chemical species and identify its concentration using infrared diode laser. Since the laser beam is directly injected into gas channels of PEFCs, the in-situ monitoring of water vapor concentration can be performed on operational fuel cells with a high time resolution of millisecond. However, it’s difficult to sufficiently secure the laser beam path within millimeter-scale narrow channels. In addition, the injection of laser beam into narrow channels tends to generate optical fringe noise due to the multiple reflection. To further enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of gas sensing, it’s necessary to improve the optical system of TDLAS inside fuel cell channels. The authors developed a new TDLAS-based gas sensing system with a single-ended fiber-optic probe to highly accurately measure the water vapor distribution in narrow flow channels of fuel cells at high speed. Fig. 1 shows the schematic diagram of the gas sensor developed in this study. The small-size single-ended probe with pitch and catch fibers enables the in-situ laser diagnostics within millimeter-scale narrow channels. In this measurement system, wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) technique is adopted for high-sensitive gas detection. Furthermore, multiple detection signals are synthesized to cancel the fringe noise and improve the S/N ratio. The fiber-optic probe is directly inserted into the serpentine flow field (241 mm length, 1.0 mm width, 1.0 mm depth) of the experimental fuel cell, and the triangular modulated beam emitted from a DFB laser diode (Wavelength: 1392.5 nm) is injected into a channel through the single-mode pitch fiber. The back-reflection lights from the electrode surface are captured by six multi-mode catch fibers and converted electric signals by six photodiodes (PDs). After six signals are synthesized, the composite signal is transmitted to a lock-in amplifier and the second-harmonic (2f) spectra are obtained by phase-sensitive detection. The mole fraction of water vapor can be estimated from the peak height ratio of 2f and 4f spectra. This gas sensor was applied to evaluate the dry-wet transition in the anode channel of an operating PEFC under low-humidity and load change conditions. Fig. 2 presents the dynamic response of cell voltage and the transient water concentrations along the anode channel of a PEFC during the low-humidity and current-cycling operation. The repetitive current cycling was performed between 0.2 A/cm2 for 23 s, and 0.6 A/cm2 for 23 s. The inlet gas humidifications of the anode and cathode are 45 and 0% RH, respectively. When the current density is rapidly increased from 0.2 to 0.6 A/cm2, the large undershoot of cell voltage is observed because the water content at the anode side of the membrane is suddenly decreased by the strong electro-osmotic effect and the proton conductivity is deteriorated. It can also be seen that the water vapor concentration in the anode channel temporarily and largely drops in the downstream section (x/L=0.5-0.8). After the voltage undershoot, the cell voltage is gradually recovered because the back-diffusion of product water hydrates the membrane from the cathode to anode and reduces its ohmic resistance. The water concentration in the anode channel is gradually increased by the back-diffusion effect. It was found that the TDLAS-based gas sensing technique enables to detect the instantaneous fluctuation of water concentration in flow channels of PEFCs during load-change operations.

Implementation and Validation of a Retrieval Algorithm for Profiling of Water Vapor From Differential Attenuation Measurements at Microwaves

The knowledge of the water vapor (WV) distribution in the Earth’s atmosphere is of great importance for weather prediction. Meteorological models, in particular, the so-called limited area models, can assimilate humidity measurements, increasing the reliability of the simulated atmospheric dynamics. An important improvement can be achieved, for instance, if we are able to provide the total column with a sufficient precision and accuracy. In this paper, the novel normalized differential spectral attenuation (NDSA) approach is applied to retrieve the vertical profile of WV—and thus the total column—from measurements of differential attenuation signals at microwaves. A forward model (FM) has been used to simulate the ray-tracing of a microwave signal from a transmitter to a receiver in the atmosphere by using the 3-D atmospheric parameters as provided by a numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. From the NDSA measurement, the integrated WV (IWV) content can be directly derived. A further retrieval code is able to invert the measurements of IWV along the path length, providing the vertical humidity profile, which is directly related to the total vertical column assimilated by weather prediction models. In this paper, we show that the values of the total column can be retrieved with a precision and accuracy up to about 0.6% and 2.1%, respectively, which could have a positive impact on NWP models at short time scale.

Evaluation of Dry-Wet Transition in PEFC Under Load Changes Based on Laser Spectroscopy Using Fiber-Optic Probe

To avoid the membrane dryout and performance degradation of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) under low-humidity conditions, it is necessary to understand the dynamic water transport within working cells. In this study, we have developed a real-time gas sensing system with a single-ended fiber-optic probe based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS), to measure the water vapor distribution in narrow channels of fuel cells with high accuracy and high temporal resolution. This sensor was used to evaluate the dry-wet transient phenomena in the anode flow channel of a PEFC during low-humidity and load change operations. The technique showed the water vapor concentration in the anode channel has a large temporary drop when the current density increases and the voltage undershoot occurs. We concluded that the TDLAS-based gas sensing technique enables the detection of instantaneous fluctuations of water concentration in the flow channel observed after step changes of current density.

Comparison and Analysis of The First Signal Detection of Two X-Band Radar with RGB Himawari Satellite Data before Localized Heavy Rain March 17 2017 Bandung Basin Indonesia

Early detection of the localized heavy rainfall is necessary to avoid heavy losses and even casualties. Localized heavy rainfall occurred in complex topography Bandung Basin March 17, 2017. Previous research showed a distinctive v-shaped pattern (peak period of heavy rainfall) followed with heavy rainfall and strong wind in 11.30 LT. Early dataset from two x-band radar observation data (GMWR25SP and SANTANU) and composite RGB Himawari satellite are used to investigate the first signal before the v-shaped occurred. The period of the dataset is from 10.50 LT until 11.10 LT. Comparison from both time and visualization of the dataset are conducted to analyze the event. Time comparison from three dataset showed differences for the emergence of early indication. GMWR25SP is the first that could detect the early origin of convective cell. Visual comparison in three dataset showed slightly different pattern, especially for composite RGB Himawari. Similarity pattern are only showed in the period 11.00 LT. Analysis of each dataset are necessary to see more detailed on the generation process. SANTANU showed a rapid growth process from one cell into two convective cells spatially within 20 minutes period. The vertical growth of these two convective cells are persistent and reaching up to 10 km based on GMWR25SP. These strong convective cells are probably because of the vorticity couplet that occur in 11.00 LT until 11.10 LT. The dominant air mass movement based on the water vapor distribution RGB Himawari are showed towards the west side. This probably affect the position of the generated second convective cell (position on the left side of the previous cell). Data indication in 11.10 LT is the important period because it showed the generated second convective cell. Combination from three dataset give a more comprehensive analysis on the process before localized heavy rainfall occurred.

GPS-based precipitable water vapour retrieval and variability using measured and global reanalysis data in the coastal regions of China

ABSTRACT The atmospheric water vapour is an important indicator of the climate state and evolution, and also the key parameter affecting the hydrological cycle, atmospheric convection, and the weather. This study validated the accuracy of surface pressure and temperature data interpolated from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Interim ReAnalysis (ERA-Interim) and ECMWF 5th ReAnalysis (ERA5) datasets, and evaluated the performance of the interpolation meteorological data for precipitable water vapour (PWV) retrieval using the measured meteorological data and Global Positioning System (GPS) data of the year 2014 obtained from 25 stations of the Chinese Coastal GPS Observation Network. We then analysed the temporal and spatial distribution of water vapour in the coastal regions of China using a 3-year GPS PWV time series calculated with the interpolated reanalysis meteorological data at 25 stations from 2014 to 2016. Evaluation of the reanalysis meteorological data results showed that the accuracies of the interpolated pressure and temperature data from ERA5 were slightly superior than those from ERA-Interim. The root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) of the surface temperature and pressure interpolated from two reanalysis datasets were less than 2.4 K and 1.6 hPa, respectively. Data based on GPS PWV products that used interpolated parameters were very close to those of meteorological observations, with biases within ±0.4 mm and RMSEs below 0.5 mm in most areas; these data also strongly agreed with radiosonde observations. However, the interpolated meteorological data from reanalysis datasets could not reflect the true change during typhoon events, which could not be used in GPS PWV retrieval. The analysis of the temporal and spatial distribution showed that the distribution of water vapour was mainly affected by latitude, land-sea distribution, and water vapour advection. The variations in water vapour were mainly seasonal with the highest PWV occurring in the summer and the lowest always occurring in the winter. Significant diurnal variations of water vapour varied with season and latitude, with an amplitude of about 0.9–3.5 mm; the peak value occurred in the afternoon or early morning, and was affected by surface evaporation, large-scale land–sea breeze circulation, and valley-wind circulation.

Simulated Phase-dependent Spectra of Terrestrial Aquaplanets in M Dwarf Systems

Orbital phase-dependent variations in thermal emission and reflected stellar energy spectra can provide meaningful constraints on the climate states of terrestrial extrasolar planets orbiting M dwarf stars. Spatial distributions of water vapor, clouds, and surface ice are controlled by climate. In turn, water, in each of its thermodynamic phases, imposes significant modulations to thermal and reflected planetary spectra. Here we explore these characteristic spectral signals, based on 3D climate simulations of Earth-sized aquaplanets orbiting M dwarf stars near the habitable zone. By using 3D models, we can self-consistently predict surface temperatures and the location of water vapor, clouds, and surface ice in the climate system. Habitable zone planets in M dwarf systems are expected to be in synchronous rotation with their host star and thus present distinct differences in emitted and reflected energy fluxes depending on the observed hemisphere. Here we illustrate that icy, temperate, and incipient runaway greenhouse climate states exhibit phase-dependent spectral signals that enable their characterization.

GPS Precipitable Water Vapor Estimations over Costa Rica: A Comparison against Atmospheric Sounding and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS)

The quantification of water vapor in tropical regions like Central America is necessary to estimate the influence of climate change on its distribution and the formation of precipitation. This work reports daily estimations of precipitable water vapor (PWV) using Global Positioning System (GPS) delay data over the Pacific region of Costa Rica during 2017. The GPS PWV measurements were compared against atmospheric sounding and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) data. When GPS PWV was calculated, relatively small biases between the mean atmospheric temperatures (Tm) from atmospheric sounding and the Bevis equation were found. The seasonal PWV fluctuations were controlled by two of the main circulation processes in Central America: the northeast trade winds and the latitudinal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). No significant statistical differences were found for MODIS Terra during the dry season with respect GPS-based calculations (p > 0.05). A multiple linear regression model constructed based on surface meteorological variables can predict the GPS-based measurements with an average relative bias of −0.02 ± 0.19 mm/day (R2 = 0.597). These first results are promising for incorporating GPS-based meteorological applications in Central America where the prevailing climatic conditions offer a unique scenario to study the influence of maritime moisture inputs on the seasonal water vapor distribution.

PENCITRAAN DISTRIBUSI VERTIKAL UAP AIR DI KAWASAN BANDUNG MENGGUNAKAN TEKNIK GPS TOMOGRAFI 1D

Global Positioning System (GPS) tidak hanya berguna untuk keperluan navigasi dan penentuan posisi. GPS juga dapat dimanfaatkan untuk keperluan meteorologi seperti pemantauan kondisi atmosfer Bumi. Sinyal GPS yang ditransmisikan dari satelit ke receiver mengalami perlambatan dan pembelokan akibat adanya partikel-partikel pada lapisan troposfer. Salah satu partikel yang memiliki peranan penting terhadap berlangsungnya siklus hidrologi di Bumi adalah uap air. Uap air tersebut bersifat sangat dinamis baik secara spasial maupun temporal. Perbedaan kandungan uap air pada setiap tempat dan ketinggian menyebabkan besarnya refraktivitas pada lapisan troposfer juga bervariasi. Pemantauan uap air dengan ketelitian tinggi masih menjadi tantangan di Indonesia. Informasi yang akurat mengenai uap air tentunya bermanfaat dalam melakukan prediksi cuaca lokal maupun mempelajari iklim global. Salah satu produk dari pengolahan data GPS adalah informasi mengenai estimasi besarnya bias troposfer pada arah zenith atau disebut sebagai Zenith Tropospheric Delay (ZTD). Besarnya hasil estimasi tersebut kemudian dapat dipisahkan menjadi komponen kering atau Zenith Hydrostatic Delay (ZHD) dan uap air atau Zenith Wet Delay (ZWD). Untuk mengetahui besarnya kandungan uap air pada setiap lintasan sinyal, maka ZWD harus dikonversi menjadi Slant Wet Delay (SWD) dengan mengalikan ZWD dan mapping function. Nilai SWD kemudian digunakan untuk melakukan rekonstruksi distribusi vertikal uap air pada troposfer dengan teknik tomografi. Pada penelitian ini digunakan data pengamatan GPS dari stasiun GPS kontinu (CGPS) ITB selama satu hari. Hasil yang didapatkan menyatakan bahwa Multiplicative Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (MART) berhasil diterapkan untuk menyelesaikan persamaan linear dalam menentukan refraktivitas komponen basah dengan GPS tomografi 1D. Penelitian lebih lanjut dengan memanfaatkan jaringan stasiun CGPS dan pengembangan metode numerik dapat memberikan hasil yang lebih optimal dan akurat.

Martian dust storm impact on atmospheric H2O and D/H observed by ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.

Global dust storms on Mars are rare1,2 but can affect the Martian atmosphere for several months. They can cause changes in atmospheric dynamics and inflation of the atmosphere3, primarily owing to solar heating of the dust3. In turn, changes in atmospheric dynamics can affect the distribution of atmospheric water vapour, with potential implications for the atmospheric photochemistry and climate on Mars4. Recent observations of the water vapour abundance in the Martian atmosphere during dust storm conditions revealed a high-altitude increase in atmospheric water vapour that was more pronounced at high northern latitudes5,6, as well as a decrease in the water column at low latitudes7,8. Here we present concurrent, high-resolution measurements of dust, water and semiheavywater (HDO) at the onset of a global dust storm, obtained by the NOMAD and ACS instruments onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. We report the vertical distribution of the HDO/H2O ratio (D/H) from the planetary boundary layer up to an altitude of 80 kilometres. Our findings suggest that before the onset of the dust storm, HDO abundances were reduced to levels below detectability at altitudes above 40 kilometres. This decrease in HDO coincided with the presence of water-ice clouds. During the storm, an increase in the abundance of H2O and HDO was observed at altitudes between 40 and 80 kilometres. We propose that these increased abundances may be the result of warmer temperatures during the dust storm causing stronger atmospheric circulation and preventing ice cloud formation, which may confine water vapour to lower altitudes through gravitational fall and subsequent sublimation of ice crystals3. The observed changes in H2O and HDO abundance occurred within a few days during the development of the dust storm, suggesting a fast impact of dust storms on the Martian atmosphere.

Data assimilation of GPS-ZTD into the RAMS model through 3D-Var: preliminary results at the regional scale

The knowledge of water vapour distribution is a key element in atmospheric modeling and considerable information, also at the local scale, can be derived from the GPS-ZTD (global positioning system-Zenith total delay) data.This paper shows the assimilation of GPS-ZTD data into the RAMS@ISAC (Regional Atmospheric Modeling System at Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate of the National Research Council) to improve the representation of the water vapour in the meteorological model.The data assimilation system is based on 3D-Var (three-dimensional variational assimilation system) and it is applied to a network of 29 receivers located within the Lazio Region, Central Italy. All collected data are processed using the PPP (precise point positioning) method through RTKLIB, an open source program package for GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) Positioning. Among the GPS receivers, three are single frequency receivers, able to acquire L1 frequency only, so that it is necessary a preliminary reconstruction of L2 synthetic observations, which is achieved by a new original ground-based augmentation strategy. Results show remarkably that the single frequency receivers can be used the same way as geodetic receivers.The RAMS@ISAC is run at 4 km horizontal resolution over central Italy and is nested, using one-way nesting, into a 10 km horizontal resolution run of the same model. The experiment was performed along to two months, from 28 July to 28 September 2017.Results show that the GPS-ZTD data, assimilated by 3D-Var, have an important impact on the analysis of the water vapour field and the RMSE of ZTD and IWV (vertically integrated water vapour) is roughly halved for the analysis compared to the background.The impact of the GPS-ZTD data assimilation is also evaluated for the very short term (VSF) forecast (1–3 h), obtaining an improvement of the ZTD and IWV RMSE for all three hours of forecast.

A novel interpolation method for InSAR atmospheric wet delay correction

The accuracy and capability of Differential interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) depends on the phase errors. In particular, errors associated with Atmospheric Wet Delay (AWD) should be reduced to ensure reliable results from the interferometric process. This paper addresses a new method for AWD estimation based on MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) water vapor image which is used as an auxiliary data to correct AWD effects on ENVIronment SATellite (ENVISAT) Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) interferogram. We also explore the possibility of using MERIS data under cloudy conditions and we propose a novel method for the interpolation of water vapor in the presence of clouds using a hybrid technique we name Three Dimensional Inverse Distance Weighted (3D-IDW). It is shown that the proposed method succeeds to provide a quite realistic prediction of MERIS water vapor distribution on cloudy area. Obtained results show that 3D-IDW method succeeds to estimate IWV for each cloudy pixel with RMSE not exceeding 0.094 g/cm2 over area masked by 90% of cloud. The proposed method was tested on Mitidja region (north central Algeria), using a couple of Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) and MERIS images on the 65 descending track. The results demonstrates an improvement of 15% in the standard deviation of interferogram after ADW correction. Finally, the obtained surface deformation reveals the presence of subsiding districts which may be linked to seasonal water level fluctuation and overdrafting groundwater confirming the results of previous study. Index termsDifferential Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR), Atmospheric Wet Delay (AWD), water vapor, interpolation, Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW), MERIS, subsidence.

The SPARC water vapour assessment II: profile-to-profile and climatological comparisons of stratospheric <i>δ</i>D(H<sub>2</sub>O) observations from satellite

Abstract. Within the framework of the second SPARC (Stratosphere-troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate) water vapour assessment (WAVAS-II), we evaluated five data sets of δD(H2O) obtained from observations by Odin/SMR (Sub-Millimetre Radiometer), Envisat/MIPAS (Environmental Satellite/Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding), and SCISAT/ACE-FTS (Science Satellite/Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment – Fourier Transform Spectrometer) using profile-to-profile and climatological comparisons. These comparisons aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of typical uncertainties in the observational database that could be considered in the future in observational and modelling studies. Our primary focus is on stratospheric altitudes, but results for the upper troposphere and lower mesosphere are also shown. There are clear quantitative differences in the measurements of the isotopic ratio, mainly with regard to comparisons between the SMR data set and both the MIPAS and ACE-FTS data sets. In the lower stratosphere, the SMR data set shows a higher depletion in δD than the MIPAS and ACE-FTS data sets. The differences maximise close to 50 hPa and exceed 200 ‰. With increasing altitude, the biases decrease. Above 4 hPa, the SMR data set shows a lower δD depletion than the MIPAS data sets, occasionally exceeding 100 ‰. Overall, the δD biases of the SMR data set are driven by HDO biases in the lower stratosphere and by H2O biases in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere. In between, in the middle stratosphere, the biases in δD are the result of deviations in both HDO and H2O. These biases are attributed to issues with the calibration, in particular in terms of the sideband filtering, and uncertainties in spectroscopic parameters. The MIPAS and ACE-FTS data sets agree rather well between about 100 and 10 hPa. The MIPAS data sets show less depletion below approximately 15 hPa (up to about 30 ‰), due to differences in both HDO and H2O. Higher up this behaviour is reversed, and towards the upper stratosphere the biases increase. This is driven by increasing biases in H2O, and on occasion the differences in δD exceed 80 ‰. Below 100 hPa, the differences between the MIPAS and ACE-FTS data sets are even larger. In the climatological comparisons, the MIPAS data sets continue to show less depletion in δD than the ACE-FTS data sets below 15 hPa during all seasons, with some variations in magnitude. The differences between the MIPAS and ACE-FTS data have multiple causes, such as differences in the temporal and spatial sampling (except for the profile-to-profile comparisons), cloud influence, vertical resolution, and the microwindows and spectroscopic database chosen. Differences between data sets from the same instrument are typically small in the stratosphere. Overall, if the data sets are considered together, the differences in δD among them in key areas of scientific interest (e.g. tropical and polar lower stratosphere, lower mesosphere, and upper troposphere) are too large to draw robust conclusions on atmospheric processes affecting the water vapour budget and distribution, e.g. the relative importance of different mechanisms transporting water vapour into the stratosphere.

Effects of vegetation fraction variation on regional climate simulation over Eastern China

Abstract Vegetation-atmosphere interaction is thought to have significant impacts on modulating regional climate. The main purpose of this paper is to reveal the impact of vegetation change on regional climate simulation over Eastern China. Therefore, we have performed three 30-year simulations from 1982 to 2011 with the WRF model coupled with the Noah land surface model as follows: a control experiment with climatology green vegetation fraction (GVF) (CTL), a sensitive experiment with WRF default climatology GVF (CLMV), and a sensitive experiment with dynamic vegetation (DYNV). The climatology difference between the CTL and CLMV experiment points out that during 1982–2011 over Eastern China, the increase of vegetation causes the decrease of temperature; on the other hand, the increase of temperature often corresponds to the reduction of vegetation. In the meantime, the increase/decrease in GVF is quite consistent with the simulated increase/decrease in precipitation, which is caused by both circulations and water vapor distributions at lower levels. The difference in the temperature trend between the CTL and DYNV experiment is almost opposite to that between the DYNV and GVF trend, which means that the decreased/increased vegetation will increase/decrease the surface air temperature. However, the trend of precipitation variation shows no clear relation with that of GVF. In response to GVF change, the results show that in the vegetation-climate feedback the moisture feedback is dominant over the radiation and momentum feedback. Significant decrease in GVF and LAI is detected across the East China, which leads to the decrease in the latent heat flux and increase in the sensible heat flux. For extremes and heat waves, it is shown that DYNV leads to better stimulation on the maximum of daily maximum temperature (TXx), warm spell days (WSDI), heat wave days (HWNY) and the averaged heat wave duration (HWDU) than CTL does over most of the Southeast China, although it may introduce some new biases in the Eastern coastal regions as well as the Northeastern China.

Evaluation of Two Water Transports through Electrolyte Membrane of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Based on Water Visualization and Current Measurement

AbstractTo alleviate membrane dehydration in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) during low‐humidity operations, it is essential to deeply understand two water crossover phenomena through electrolyte membranes. This study presented the quantitative method for separately evaluating the electro‐osmotic and back‐diffusion water transports in the electrolyte of an operating PEFC based on the measurements of water vapor and current distributions. Firstly, the water vapor distribution in the anode flow field was investigated by the visualization technique using humidity test paper (HTP). Subsequently, the detailed transport processes of water through the electrolyte membrane can be numerically estimated from the measurement results of water and current profiles by using a simple fuel cell model. In this work, the effects of inlet gas humidification, microporous layer (MPL) addition and flow configuration on the two water transports in the membrane were demonstrated under low‐humidity conditions to verify the validity of the proposed methodology. Results revealed that the introduction of MPL on the cathode side increases the water concentration in the anode channel due to the back‐diffusion effect. The counter‐flow configuration effectively improves the membrane hydration at the anode inlet because of the strong back‐diffusion from the wetted cathode outlet.