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Atmosphere
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Atmospheric Applications in Microwave Radiometry
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Atmospheric Applications in Microwave Radiometry

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Atmospheric Techniques, Instruments, and Modeling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 12424

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Francisco Navas-Guzmán

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Physics of The Atmosphere, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
Interests: aerosols; water vapour, tropospheric and stratospheric temperature, climate, aerosol-cloud interactions; remote sensing observations of the atmosphere, including lidars and microwave radiometers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Passive microwave remote sensing measurements from satellites, airborne platforms, and ground-based stations have contributed uniquely and substantially to the study of atmospheric chemistry, meteorology, and climate change. One of the main advantages of this technique versus other techniques is that microwave radiometers can be operated in a long-term unattended mode under almost all weather conditions.

This Special Issue aims to present atmospheric research results in the field of passive microwave remote sensing. It will cover wide radiometry applications such as the determination of humidity and temperature structure, retrieval of cloud and precipitation properties, and observations of relevant trace gases. We also invite researchers to contribute with original research articles dealing with activities that are used to validate products from these observations. Contributions on fundamental aspects of microwave radiometry and atmospheric-application-driven innovation such as hardware development, radiometer calibration, and measurement configuration are welcome, as well as on inversion techniques and their uncertainty specification. We specifically encourage submitting papers that show the potential of combining microwave radiometer observations with other active or passive remote sensing observations, either from the ground or from space. The Special Issue also aims to address the use of microwave remote sensing data for now-casting and/or assimilation into NWP models for improving short-term weather forecasts.

Dr. Francisco Navas-Guzmán
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Microwave radiometry
  • Atmospheric temperature
  • Water vapor and clouds
  • Wind measurements
  • Satellite validation
  • Trace gases
  • Inversion techniques
  • Uncertainty characterization
  • Data assimilation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 5738 KiB  
Article
Atmospheric Exploration of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau during the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM) from a Ground-Based Microwave Radiometer
by Yang Shi, Jiahua Wei, Zhen Qiao, Jie Zhao and Guangqian Wang
Atmosphere 2022, 13(4), 549; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos13040549 - 29 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1651
Abstract
The investigation of atmospheric characteristics is of great significance in properly exploiting air and water resources, and quantitatively estimating and nowcasting precipitation. Microwave radiometers are widely used in this field because they can operate unattended for a long time under almost all weather [...] Read more.
The investigation of atmospheric characteristics is of great significance in properly exploiting air and water resources, and quantitatively estimating and nowcasting precipitation. Microwave radiometers are widely used in this field because they can operate unattended for a long time under almost all weather conditions, and obtain high-quality remote sensing data. This research focuses on the applications of ground-based microwave radiometers in retrieving meteorological characteristics of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) during the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM), such as humidity and temperature structures, stability/convection indices, and cloud and precipitation retrievals. Vertical structures of atmospheric temperature, pressure, humidity, and other variables were investigated under clear-sky and snowy-sky conditions. The statistical characteristics of stability/convection indices in the QTP region, such as convective available potential energy (CAPE) and convective inhibition (CIN), were investigated, with a special focus on snowy-sky conditions. The relationship between potential cloud water resources and atmospheric and thermodynamics and instability conditions were taken into consideration. The results showed that the peak CAPEs under clear-sky and snowy-sky conditions were 1349.11 J/kg and 1165.12 J/kg, which were relatively larger than the corresponding values during the summer monsoon. CINs during the EAWM were small enough to be negligible. For quantitative precipitation forecasting (QPF), brightness temperatures at 30.0 GHz and 51.24 GHz sampling channels were sensitive to the snowfall process. Within 1 h before snowfall, the precipitable water vapour (PWV) and liquid water content (LWC) increased sharply by 0.05 cm and 0.12 mm, respectively, while the CAPE and downwards CAPE decreased by 225.60 J/kg and 180.31 J/kg, respectively. The findings of this article may be meaningful for characterizing meteorology and precipitation in the QTP and similar regions during the winter monsoon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atmospheric Applications in Microwave Radiometry)
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13 pages, 1949 KiB  
Article
Aerosol Layering in the Free Troposphere over the Industrial City of Raciborz in Southwest Poland and Its Influence on Surface UV Radiation
by Alnilam Fernandes, Aleksander Pietruczuk, Artur Szkop and Janusz Krzyścin
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 812; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos12070812 - 24 Jun 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1647
Abstract
Atmospheric aerosol and ultraviolet index (UVI) measurements performed in Racibórz (50.08° N, 18.19° E) were analyzed for the period June–September 2019. Results of the following observations were taken into account: columnar characteristics of the aerosols (aerosol thickness, Angstrom exponent, single scattering albedo, asymmetry [...] Read more.
Atmospheric aerosol and ultraviolet index (UVI) measurements performed in Racibórz (50.08° N, 18.19° E) were analyzed for the period June–September 2019. Results of the following observations were taken into account: columnar characteristics of the aerosols (aerosol thickness, Angstrom exponent, single scattering albedo, asymmetry factor) obtained from standard CIMEL sun-photometer observations and parameters of aerosol layers (ALs) in the free troposphere (the number of layers and altitudes of the base and top) derived from continuous monitoring by a CHM-15k ceilometer. Three categories of ALs were defined: residues from the daily evolution of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) aerosols, from the PBL-adjacent layer, and from the elevated layer above the PBL. Total column ozone measurements taken by the Ozone-Monitoring Instrument on board NASA’s Aura satellite completed the list of variables used to model UVI variability under clear-sky conditions. The aim was to present a hybrid model (radiative transfer model combined with a regression model) for determining ALs’ impact on the observed UVI series. First, a radiative transfer model, the Tropospheric Ultraviolet–Visible (TUV) model, which uses typical columnar characteristics to describe UV attenuation in the atmosphere, was applied to calculate hypothetical surface UVI values under clear-sky conditions. These modeled values were used to normalize the measured UVI data obtained during cloudless conditions. Next, a regression of the normalized UVI values was made using the AL characteristics. Random forest (RF) regression was chosen to search for an AL signal in the measured data. This explained about 55% of the variance in the normalized UVI series under clear-sky conditions. Finally, the UVI values were calculated as the product of the RF regression and the relevant UVIs by the columnar TUV model. The root mean square error and mean absolute error of the hybrid model were 1.86% and 1.25%, respectively, about 1 percentage point lower than corresponding values derived from the columnar TUV model. The 5th–95th percentile ranges of the observation/model differences were [−2.5%, 2.8%] and [−3.0%, 5.3%] for the hybrid model and columnar TUV model, respectively. Therefore, the impact of ALs on measured surface UV radiation could be demonstrated using the proposed AL characteristics. The statistical analysis of the UVI differences between the models allowed us to identify specific AL configuration responsible for these differences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atmospheric Applications in Microwave Radiometry)
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13 pages, 885 KiB  
Article
The Problems of Passive Remote Sensing of the Earth’s Surface in the Range of 1.2–1.6 GHz
by Gennady V. Golubkov, Mikhail I. Manzhelii, Alexandr A. Berlin, Lev V. Eppelbaum, Alexey A. Lushnikov, Igor I. Morozov, Alexey V. Dmitriev, Sergey O. Adamson, Yuri A. Dyakov, Andrey N. Morozov and Maxim G. Golubkov
Atmosphere 2020, 11(6), 650; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos11060650 - 18 Jun 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3481
Abstract
The main problems of remote sensing of the Earth’s surface within the frequency range 1.2–1.6 GHz are discussed. They are related to the resonant quantum properties of the radio wave propagation medium in the lower ionosphere. It is shown that, for the passive [...] Read more.
The main problems of remote sensing of the Earth’s surface within the frequency range 1.2–1.6 GHz are discussed. They are related to the resonant quantum properties of the radio wave propagation medium in the lower ionosphere. It is shown that, for the passive remote sensing, the main source is incoherent microwave radiation of the D and E ionospheric layers in the decimeter range. For the first time, a theoretically grounded principally new scheme of measurements is suggested. The scheme assumes that the radiation source exists below the satellite orbit and accounts for the fact that two types of radiation (direct and reflected) reach the satellite sensor. The separation of the respective fluxes is a serious problem that should be solved for the correct interpretation of the measurements. The question is raised regarding the correct calibration of measuring equipment, depending on the current state of the ionosphere. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atmospheric Applications in Microwave Radiometry)
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9 pages, 614 KiB  
Article
Frequency-Agile FFT Spectrometer for Microwave Remote Sensing Applications
by Jonas Hagen, Andres Luder, Axel Murk and Niklaus Kämpfer
Atmosphere 2020, 11(5), 490; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos11050490 - 11 May 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2594
Abstract
We report on a Fast Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FFTS) that provides larger bandwidth by fast local oscillator switching of the base-band converter. We demonstrate that this frequency scanning technique is suited for atmospheric remote sensing and conduct measurements of atmospheric ozone using the [...] Read more.
We report on a Fast Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FFTS) that provides larger bandwidth by fast local oscillator switching of the base-band converter. We demonstrate that this frequency scanning technique is suited for atmospheric remote sensing and conduct measurements of atmospheric ozone using the WIRA-C (WInd RAdiometer for Campaigns) Doppler wind radiometer. The comparison of our measurements to an adjusted atmospheric and instrumental model exposes no systematic biases due to the switching procedure in the measured spectra. It further shows that the combination of high spectral resolution with large bandwidth yields good measurement response to stratospheric and mesospheric ozone from approximately a 20 km to 70 km altitude with a resolution of 7 km in the lower stratosphere to 20 km in the mesosphere. We conclude that low-cost, low-power software-defined radio hardware designed for communications applications is very well suited for a variety of spectroscopic applications, including ozone monitoring. This allows the design of low-cost, multi-purpose instruments for atmospheric remote sensing and thus has a direct impact on future radiometer developments and their adoption in remote sensing campaigns and networks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atmospheric Applications in Microwave Radiometry)
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17 pages, 3902 KiB  
Article
Retrieval of Cloud Liquid Water Using Microwave Signals from LEO Satellites: A Feasibility Study through Simulations
by Xi Shen, Defeng David Huang, Wenxiao Wang, Andreas F. Prein and Roberto Togneri
Atmosphere 2020, 11(5), 460; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/atmos11050460 - 02 May 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1979
Abstract
A novel approach, using low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite microwave communication links for cloud liquid water measurements, is proposed in this paper. The feasibility of this approach is studied through simulations of the retrieval system including a LEO satellite communicating with a group [...] Read more.
A novel approach, using low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite microwave communication links for cloud liquid water measurements, is proposed in this paper. The feasibility of this approach is studied through simulations of the retrieval system including a LEO satellite communicating with a group of ground receivers equipped with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) estimators, a synthetic cloud attenuation field and a tomographic retrieval algorithm. Rectangular and Gaussian basis functions are considered to define the targeted field. Simulation results suggest that the proposed least-squares based retrieval algorithm produces satisfactory outcomes for both types of basis functions. The root-mean-square error of the retrieved field is around 0.2 dB/km, with the range of the reference field as 0 to 2.35 dB/km. It is also confirmed that the partial retrieval of the cloud field is achievable when a limited number of receivers with restricted locations are available. The retrieval outcomes exhibit properties of high resolution and low error, indicating that the proposed approach has great potential for cloud observations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atmospheric Applications in Microwave Radiometry)
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