AN OPERATIONAL G-BAND (183 GHZ) WATER VAPOR RADIOMETER

ProSensing Inc. has developed a G-band (183 GHz, 1.5 mm wavelength) water vapor radiometer (GVR) for long-term, unattended measurement of low concentrations of atmospheric water vapor and liquid water. Precipitable water vapor (PWV) and liquid water path (LWP) are estimated from brightness temperatures measured by four double sideband receiver channels centered at 183.31plusmn1, plusmn3 and plusmn7, and plusmn14 GHz. A prototype ground-based version of the instrument was deployed at the North Slope of Alaska "Great White" DOE ARM site near Barrow, Alaska in April 2005, where it is planned to continuously collect data for a year. A more compact, airborne version, packaged and wired to operate from a standard 2-D PMS probe canister, was recently completed