Advancements, measurement uncertainties, and recent comparisons of the NOAA frost point hygrometer

Hall, Emrys G.; Jordan, Allen F.; Hurst, Dale F.; Oltmans, Samuel J.; Vömel, Holger; Kühnreich, Benjamin; Ebert, Volker

doi:10.5194/amt-9-4295-2016

i

Advancements, measurement uncertainties, and recent comparisons of the NOAA frost point hygrometer

2016
By Hall, Emrys G. ; Jordan, Allen F. ; Hurst, Dale F. ; Oltmans, Samuel J. ; Vömel, Holger ; Kühnreich, Benjamin ; Ebert, Volker
Source: Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(9), 4295-4310.

Details

Journal Title:

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Personal Author:

Hall, Emrys G. ; Jordan, Allen F. ; Hurst, Dale F. ; Oltmans, Samuel J. ; Vömel, Holger ; Kühnreich, Benjamin ; Ebert, Volker
NOAA Program & Office:

OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; ESRL (Earth System Research Laboratory) ; GML (Global Monitoring Laboratory) ; CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
Description:

The NOAA frost point hygrometer (FPH) is a balloon-borne instrument flown monthly at three sites to measure water vapor profiles up to 28 km. The FPH record from Boulder, Colorado, is the longest continuous stratospheric water vapor record. The instrument has an uncertainty in the stratosphere that is <6% and up to 12% in the troposphere. A digital microcontroller version of the instrument improved upon the older versions in 2008 with sunlight filtering, better frost control, and resistance to radio frequency interference (RFI). A new thermistor calibration technique was implemented in 2014, decreasing the uncertainty in the thermistor calibration fit to less than 0.01 degrees C over the full range of frost - or dew point temperatures (-93 to +20 degrees C) measured during a profile. Results from multiple water vapor intercomparisons are presented, including the excellent agreement between the NOAA FPH and the direct tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer (dTDLAS) MC-PicT-1.4 during AquaVIT-2 chamber experiments over 6 days that provides confidence in the accuracy of the FPH measurements. Dual instrument flights with two FPHs or an FPH and a cryogenic frost point hygrometer (CFH) also show good agreement when launched on the same balloon. The results from these comparisons demonstrate the high level of accuracy of the NOAA FPH.
Source:

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(9), 4295-4310.
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-4295-2016
Document Type:

Journal Article
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

Submitted
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/18304/noaa_18304_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 3.06 MB]
Collection(s):

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) ; NOAA Cooperative Institutes
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:01736a54dc40a261e97adf3c92c32a9330fc47ae49b21f0454a99e60860ff42e

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