Monitoring Atmospheric Water Vapour

1. Front Matter

   Pages 1-1

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2. Introduction

   • Niklaus Kämpfer

   Pages 1-7

3. In Situ Sensors

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 9-9

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4. In-situ Sensors

   1. Thin Film Capacitive Sensors

      • Herman Smit, Rigel Kivi, Holger Vömel, Ari Paukkunen

      Pages 11-38

   2. Balloon-Borne Frostpoint-Hygrometry

      • Holger Vömel, Pierre Jeannet

      Pages 39-53

   3. Application of Fluorescence Methodfor Measurements of Water Vapour in the Atmosphere

      • Vladimir Yushkov

      Pages 55-68

5. Remote Sensing Sensors

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 69-69

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   2. Microwave Radiometry

      • Niklaus Kämpfer, Gerald Nedoluha, Alexander Haefele, Evelyn DeWachter

      Pages 71-93

   3. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry

      • Matthias Schneider, Philippe Demoulin, Ralf Sussmann, Justus Notholt

      Pages 95-111

   4. Lidar

      • Thierry Leblanc, Thomas Trickl, Hannes Vogelmann

      Pages 113-158

6. Networks and Global Monitoring

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 159-159

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   2. Role of Ground-based Networks and Long-term Programmes for Global Monitoring

      • Geir O. Braathen

      Pages 161-174

   3. Satellite Sensors Measuring Atmospheric Water Vapour

      • Joachim Urban

      Pages 175-214

   4. Combining and Merging Water Vapour Observations: A Multi-dimensional Perspective on Smoothing and Sampling Issues

      • Jean-Christopher Lambert, Coralie De Clercq, Thomas Von Clarmann

      Pages 215-242

   5. Survey of Intercomparisons of Water Vapour Measurements

      • Klemens Hocke, Lorenz Martin, Niklaus Käampfer

      Pages 243-288

7. Back Matter

   Pages 283-283

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Atmospheric water plays a key role in climate. Water vapour is the most important greenhouse gas and its condensed forms exert a profound influence on both incoming solar and outgoing infrared radiation. Unfortunately, accurate, height-resolved global-scale measurements of atmospheric humidity are difficult to obtain. The change in concentration of five orders of magnitude form the ground to the stratosphere means there is no standard instrument that will measure everywhere. This has led to different measuring techniques, all with strengths and weaknesses.

This book assesses all presently available techniques that are used in monitoring networks. Special weight is given to presenting the different technical concepts, the accuracy of different sensor types, addresses calibration issues and retrieval aspects.

• atmospheric humidity measurements
• atmospheric research
• atmospheric water vapour
• climate change monitoring
• remote sensing techniques
• water vapour climate
• remote sensing/photogrammetry

• University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

  Niklaus Kämpfer

Niklaus Kämpfer studied Physics and Astronomy at the University of Bern. He got his graduate degree in Physics in 1979 and Ph.D. in 1983 for the Analysis and Interpretation of Solar Flares. Thereafter he changed his field of interest and pursued research in microwave radiometry of the atmosphere where he was involved int he development of the Millimeter Wave Atmospheric Sounder, a space shuttle experiment.

Since 1994 he has been Professor for Applied Physics and Head of the Microwave Department at the University of Bern. His research interests include microwave remote sensing of the atmosphere and optics in the millimeter and submillimeter range.

Professor Kämpfer is member of several national and international organizations and steering committees, e.g. science committee of the International Space Science Institute, ISSI, or steering committee of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change, NDACC.

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