SGP/MWR/C1 - thermal instability

The analog board was replaced with a spare (D041001.3) with a reference temperature that 
was set too low (306 K) so that during periods of high ambient temperature, the instrument 
became thermally unstable. The problem was corrected when the temperature setting was 
increased (to 311 K).

• 31.4 GHz sky brightness temperature derived from tip curve(tbsky31tip)
• 23.8 GHz sky brightness temperature derived from tip curve(tbsky23tip)
• Total liquid water along zenith path using tip-derived brightness temperatures(liqtip)
• Total water vapor along zenith path using tip-derived brightness temperatures(vaptip)

• Mean 31.4 GHz sky brightness temperature(tbsky31)
• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)
• Mean 23.8 GHz sky brightness temperature(tbsky23)
• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)

• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)
• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)
• Mean 31.4 GHz sky brightness temperature(tbsky31)
• Mean 23.8 GHz sky brightness temperature(tbsky23)

SGP/MWR/C1 - Reprocess: wrong retrievals

When the computer and core configuration were upgraded, retrieval coefficients for BF1 
were accidently included in the configuration file.
The correct coefficients for CF1 were applied when the configuration file was updated.

• Total liquid water along zenith path using tip-derived brightness temperatures(liqtip)
• Total water vapor along zenith path using tip-derived brightness temperatures(vaptip)

• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)
• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)

• Ensemble average for MWR vapor in window centered about balloon release(mean_vap_mwr)
• Ensemble average for MWR liquid in window centered about balloon release(mean_liq_mwr)

• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)
• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)

SGP/MWR/C1 - REPROCESS - Revised Retrieval Coefficients

IN THE BEGINNING (June 1992), the retrieval coefficients used to derive the precipitable 
water vapor (PWV) and liquid water path (LWP) from the MWR brightness temperatures were 
based on the Liebe and Layton (1987) water vapor and oxygen absorption model and the Grant 
(1957) liquid water absorption model.  

Following the SHEBA experience, revised retrievals based on the more recent Rosenkranz 
(1998) water vapor and oxygen absorption models and the Liebe (1991) liquid waer absorption 
model were developed.  The Rosenkranz water vapor absorption model resulted a 2 percent 
increase in PWV relative to the earlier Liebe and Layton model.  The Liebe liquid water 
absorption model decreased the LWP by 10% relative to the Grant model.  However, the 
increased oxygen absorption caused a 0.02-0.03 mm (20-30 g/m2) reduction in LWP, which was 
particularly significant for low LWP conditions (i.e. thin clouds encountered at SHEBA).

Recently, it has been shown (Liljegren, Boukabara, Cady-Pereira, and Clough, TGARS v. 43, 
pp 1102-1108, 2005) that the half-width of the 22 GHz water vapor line from the HITRAN 
compilation, which is 5 percent smaller than the Liebe and Dillon (1969) half-width used in 
Rosenkranz (1998), provided a better fit to the microwave brightness temperature 
measurements at 5 frequencies in the range 22-30 GHz, and yielded more accurate retrievals.  
Accordingly, revised MWR retrieval coefficients have been developed using MONORTM, which 
utilizes the HITRAN compilation for its spectroscopic parameters.  These new retrievals 
provide 3 percent less PWV and 2.6 percent greater LWP than the previous retrievals based on 
Rosenkranz (1998).

Although the MWR data will be reprocessed to apply the new monortm-based retrievals, for 
most purposes it will be sufficient to correct the data using the following factors:

PWV_MONORTM = 0.9695 * PWV_ROSENKRANZ
LWP_MONORTM = 1.026  * LWP_ROSENKRANZ

The Rosenkranz-based retrieval coefficients became active as follows (BCR 456):
SGP/C1 (Lamont)     4/16/2002, 2000
SGP/B1 (Hillsboro)  4/12/2002, 1600
SGP/B4 (Vici)       4/15/2002, 2300
SGP/B5 (Morris)     4/15/2002, 2300
SGP/B6 (Purcell)    4/16/2002, 2200
SGP/E14(Lamont)     4/16/2002, 0000
NSA/C1 (Barrow)     4/25/2002, 1900 
NSA/C2 (Atqasuk)    4/18/2002, 1700
TWP/C1 (Manus)      5/04/2002, 0200
TWP/C2 (Nauru)      4/27/2002, 0600
TWP/C3 (Darwin)     inception

The MONORTM-based retrieval coefficients became active as follows (BCR 984):

SGP/C1 (Lamont)     6/28/2005, 2300
SGP/B1 (Hillsboro)  6/24/2005, 2100
SGP/B4 (Vici)       6/24/2005, 2100
SGP/B5 (Morris)     6/24/2005, 2100
SGP/B6 (Purcell)    6/24/2005, 1942
SGP/E14(Lamont)     6/28/2005, 2300
NSA/C1 (Barrow)     6/29/2005, 0000 
NSA/C2 (Atqasuk)    6/29/2005, 0000
TWP/C1 (Manus)      6/30/2005, 2100
TWP/C2 (Nauru)      6/30/2005, 2100
TWP/C3 (Darwin)     6/30/2005, 2100
PYE/M1 (Pt. Reyes)  4/08/2005, 1900**

** At Pt. Reyes, the original retrieval coefficients implemented in March 2005 were based 
on a version of the Rosenkranz model that had been modified to use the HITRAN half-width 
at 22 GHz and to be consistent with the water vapor continuum in MONORTM.  These 
retrievals yield nearly identical results to the MONORTM retrievals.  Therefore the Pt. Reyes 
data prior to 4/08/2005 may not require reprocessing.

• Total liquid water along zenith path using tip-derived brightness temperatures(liqtip)
• Total water vapor along zenith path using tip-derived brightness temperatures(vaptip)

• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)
• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)

• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)
• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)

• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)
• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)

• Ensemble average for MWR vapor in window centered about balloon release(mean_vap_mwr)
• Ensemble average for MWR liquid in window centered about balloon release(mean_liq_mwr)

• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)
• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)

SGP/MWR/C1 - New software version (4.15) installed

A problem began with the installation of MWR.EXE version 4.12 in July 2002. The software 
had been upgraded from a "DOS" to a "Windows"-compiled program to address an earlier 
problem.  The software upgrade corrected the earlier problem but introduced a new one that 
caused line-of-sight observing cycles to be skipped, a 15% reduction in the number of tip 
curves, and saturation of CPU usage. Software versions 4.13 and 4.14 also produced these 
problems.

The new MWR software, version 4.15, was installed on 08/04/2005. As a consequence of this 
upgrade, the tip curve frequency increased. The tip cycle time decreased from ~60s to 
~50s.

• 31.4 GHz blac2body+noise injection signal(bbn31)
• Noise injection temp at 23.8 GHz adjusted to tkbb(tnd23)
• 31.4 GHz blackbody(bb31)
• Noise injection temp at 23.8 GHz derived from this tip(tnd23I)
• (tknd)
• 31.4 GHz sky signal(tipsky31)
• Noise injection temp at 31.4 GHz derived from this tip(tnd31I)
• Total liquid water along zenith path using tip-derived brightness temperatures(liqtip)
• Temperature correction coefficient at 31.4 GHz(tc31)
• Noise injection temp at 31.4 GHz adjusted to tkbb(tnd31)
• 23.8 GHz Blackbody signal(bb23)
• Blackbody kinetic temperature(tkbb)
• Noise injection temp at nominal temperature at 31.4 GHz(tnd_nom31)
• 23.8 GHz sky signal(tipsky23)
• Ambient temperature(tkair)
• Temperature correction coefficient at 23.8 GHz(tc23)
• Total water vapor along zenith path using tip-derived brightness temperatures(vaptip)
• Mixer kinetic (physical) temperature(tkxc)
• Noise injection temp at nominal temperature at 23.8 GHz(tnd_nom23)
• 23.8 GHz blackbody+noise injection signal(bbn23)
• 31.4 GHz sky brightness temperature derived from tip curve(tbsky31tip)
• 31.4 GHz goodness-of-fit coefficient(r31)
• 23.8 GHz sky brightness temperature derived from tip curve(tbsky23tip)
• 23.8 GHz goodness-of-fit coefficient(r23)

• 31.4 GHz sky signal(sky31)
• (tknd)
• 31.4 GHz blac2body+noise injection signal(bbn31)
• Noise injection temp at nominal temperature at 31.4 GHz(tnd_nom31)
• Noise injection temp at 23.8 GHz adjusted to tkbb(tnd23)
• 23.8 GHz sky signal(sky23)
• Mean 31.4 GHz sky brightness temperature(tbsky31)
• 23.8 GHz blackbody+noise injection signal(bbn23)
• Noise injection temp at 31.4 GHz adjusted to tkbb(tnd31)
• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)
• Noise injection temp at nominal temperature at 23.8 GHz(tnd_nom23)
• 31.4 GHz blackbody(bb31)
• Temperature correction coefficient at 31.4 GHz(tc31)
• Blackbody kinetic temperature(tkbb)
• Sky Infra-Red Temperature(sky_ir_temp)
• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)
• Ambient temperature(tkair)
• 23.8 GHz Blackbody signal(bb23)
• Mean 23.8 GHz sky brightness temperature(tbsky23)
• Mixer kinetic (physical) temperature(tkxc)
• Temperature correction coefficient at 23.8 GHz(tc23)