Comparison Of Spectroscopic And Radiometric Measurements Of Upper Atmosphere Water Vapor

This report compares simultaneous spectroscopic and radiometric measurements of atmospheric water vapor above aircraft flight levels and determines the water vapor overburden. The measurements taken during 15 flights indicate that (1) both techniques give the same water vapor overburden to within 1 micrometer of precipitable water vapor, and (2) the median water vapor overburden is 6.5 micrometers precipitable water vapor at 41,000 ft (approx 180 mbar pressure) in the mid-latitude western United States during the summer/fall season, with a range from 4 to 11 micrometers.