Local and regional scale measurements of CH4, δ13CH4, and C2H6 in the Uintah Basin using a mobile stable isotope analyzer Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amtd-8-4859-2015 13 May 2015 We describe an innovative instrument based on cavity ring down spectroscopy that analyzes the stable isotopes of methane in the ambient atmosphere. This instrument was used to study atmospheric emissions from oil and gas extraction activities in the Uintah Basin in Utah. These measurements suggest that 86 ± 7% of the total emissions in the basin are from natural gas production. The easy field deployment of this instrument can enable similar regional attribution studies across the world. Read more
A novel algorithm for detection of precipitation in tropical regions using PMW radiometers Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-8-1217-2015 12 March 2015 The CCA algorithm is applicable to any modern passive microwave radiometer on board polar orbiting satellites; it has been developed using a data set of co-located SSMIS and TRMMPR measurements and AMSUMHS and TRMM-PR measurements. The algorithm shows a small rate of false alarms and superior detection capability and can efficiently detect (POD between 0.55 and 0.71) minimum rain rate varying from 0.14 mm/h (AMSU over ocean) to 0.41 (SSMIS over coast). Read more
Solar irradiances measured using SPN1 radiometers: uncertainties and clues for development Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-7-4267-2014 8 December 2014 This work presents a comprehensive study of SPN1 radiometers accuracy and sources of uncertainty, drawing on laboratory experiments, numerical modelling and comparison studies between measurements from this sensor and state-of-the art instruments for six diverse sites. Several clues are provided for improving the SPN1 accuracy and agreement with state-of-the art measurements. Read more
Smoothing error pitfalls Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-7-3023-2014 18 September 2014 The difference due to the content of a priori information between a constrained retrieval and the true atmospheric state is usually represented by a diagnostic quantity called smoothing error. In this paper it is shown that the concept of the smoothing error as a component of the retrieval error budget is questionable because it is not compliant with Gaussian error propagation. Read more
EARLINET: towards an advanced sustainable European aerosol lidar network Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-7-2389-2014 8 August 2014 This paper gives an overview of the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) main developments since 2000 and introduces the dedicated EARLINET special issue, which reports on the technical solutions and scientific results related to the use of advanced lidar remote sensing techniques for the study of aerosol properties. Read more
Past changes in the vertical distribution of ozone – Part 1: Measurement techniques, uncertainties and availability Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-7-1395-2014 21 May 2014 This summary presents an overview of stratospheric ozone profile measurement data sets (ground and satellite based) available for ozone recovery studies. Here we document measurement techniques, spatial and temporal coverage, vertical resolution, native units and measurement uncertainties. Read more
Global monitoring of terrestrial chlorophyll fluorescence from moderate-spectral-resolution near-infrared satellite measurements: methodology, simulations, and application to GOME-2 Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-6-2803-2013 25 October 2013 Here, we describe a new methodology to retrieve global far-red fluorescence information; we use hyperspectral data with a simplified radiative transfer model to disentangle the spectral signatures of three basic components: atmospheric absorption, surface reflectance, and fluorescence radiance. An empirically based principal component analysis approach is employed, primarily using cloudy data over ocean, to model and solve for the atmospheric absorption. Read more
MODIS 3 km aerosol product: algorithm and global perspective Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-6-1829-2013 31 July 2013 After more than a decade of producing a nominal 10 km aerosol product based on the dark target method, the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol team will be releasing a nominal 3 km product as part of their Collection 6 release. Read more
The CM SAF SSM/I-based total column water vapour climate data record: methods and evaluation against re-analyses and satellite Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-6-765-2013 19 March 2013 The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF) aims at the provision and sound validation of well documented Climate Data Records (CDRs) in sustained and operational environments. In this study, a total column water vapour path climatology from CM SAF is presented and inter-compared to water vapour data records from various data sources. Read more
The effect of hygroscopicity on eddy covariance estimates of sea-spray aerosol fluxes: a comparison of high-rate and bulk correction methods Atmospheric Measurement Techniques DOI 10.5194/amt-6-323-2013 13 February 2013 Here we describe a method of correcting aerosol spectra for relative humidity induced size variations at the high frequency (10 Hz) measurement timescale, where counting statistics are poor and the spectral shape cannot be well represented by a simple power law. Read more
