Water Vapor

Ph. Keckhut (LATMOS-IPSL) and M. Sicard (LACy) — Raman lidar system began measurement testing in February 2013, with valid measurements obtained since October 2013. Optimal range of the measurements is 2.2–22 km. Participated in Maido Lidar Calibration Campaigns in April 2013 and November 2013 and in the Maido Observatory Gas and Aerosols NDACC Experiment in May 2015. Instrument certified for NDACC affiliation February 2017.

H. Telg, J. E. Barnes (NOAA/ESRL) — Nd:YAG system began operations in April 1994. Temperature retrievals began in June 1994. The Nd:YAG began retrieving water vapor in October 2005.  Only aerosol data is archived and continues to be active.

G. Nedoluha and R. M. Gomez (NRL) and I. S. Boyd (BC Consulting) — NRL Water Vapor Microwave Spectrometer #3 (WVMS3) operating since March 1996 following testing at Table Mountain Facility. Measurements have been taken with the new WVMS6 since 2010 over the altitude range (40 – 80 km).

R. Stauffer (NASA/GSFC), H. Vömel (NCAR), and Jorge Andrés Diaz (Universidad de Costa Rica) – Monthly and campaign-based launches of the Cryogenic Frostpoint Hygrometer since July 2005. Water vapor data provided up to ~28 km. In addition to the CFH, the payload includes an ECC ozonesonde and a radiosonde, initially the Vaisala RS80 radiosonde. The RS80 was superseded in April 2010 with the iMet-1-RSB radiosonde, and iMet-4-RSB radiosondes are used since July 2020. Ancillary data include PTU, GPS altitude and winds together with ozone partial pressure and mixing ratio to ~30 km. The current launch site is located on the campus of the Universidad de Costa Rica in San Pedro. Earlier sites at Juan Sanatamaria International Airport, Alajuela, and the Universidad Nacional, Heredia, are 19.2 and 10.2 km, respectively, west of the UCR site.

E. Asher (NOAA/ESRL) — Monthly NOAA frostpoint hygrometer sondes launched year-round since 2010 to obtain profiles of water vapor, temperature, pressure, and winds from surface to ~26 km. An ECC ozonesonde is part of the payload when the NOAA FPH is launched. Some data archived under previous PI D. Hurst.

G. Nedoluha and R. M. Gomez (NRL) and I. S. Boyd (BC Consulting) — Instrument #1 (WVMS1) deployed from January to October 1992 and May to November 1993; WVMS3 deployed from September 1995 until March 1996 when it was deployed to Mauna Loa (19.54˚N, 155.58˚W); WVMS2 deployed September 1993 to November 1997 and operated intermittently from November 2003 to July 2008. WVMS4 replacement of WVMS2 began in July 2008 and has operated continuously from December 2008 to present over the altitude range (26 – 80 km).

T. Leblanc (JPL) – Tropospheric and lower stratospheric water vapor Raman lidar system operational since July 2005.  Data prior to 2008 was experimental and is not in the NDACC archive.

J. Oh and S Ka (SWU) — Operation of the SWARA system since 2006 with instrument upgrades occurring in 2011.

E. Asher (NOAA/ESRL) — Monthly NOAA frost point hygrometer sondes launched year-round since 1980 to obtain profiles of water vapor, temperature, pressure, and winds from surface to ~26 km. An ECC ozonesonde is part of the payload when the NOAA FPH is launched.  Some data archived under previous PI D. Hurst.

P. Di Girolamo (Scuola di Ingegneria, Università degli Studi della Basilicata) — Raman lidar system (BASIL) began operations in 2004 and entered NDACC in 2012.