Dataset Open Access

Microwave Radiometer Observations during FESSTVaL 2021

Löhnert, Ulrich; Knist, Christine; Böck, Tobias; Pospichal, Bernhard

This data set contains level1 (brightness temperatures) and level2 (retrieved meteorological variables) of the four ground-based microwave radiometers (MWR) measuring during FESSTVaL 2021 (May-August) at Lindenberg (2 MWR, dwd and uzk), Falkenberg (1 MWR, uzk) and Birkholz (1 MWR, uhh).

For each MWR you find up to seven data file types.

  1. Up to two level1 data file types: arbritrary viewing direction (e.g. *mwr00_l1_tb_*) and boundary layer scans (e.g. *mwrBL00_l1_tb_*)
  2. Up to five level2 data file types: path integrated liquid water path (e.g. *_mwr00_l2_clwvi_*),  path integrated water vapor (e.g. *_mwr00_l2_prw_*), coarse vertical resolution water vapor profiles (e.g. *_mwr00_l2_hua_*), coarse vertical resolution temperature profiles (*_mwr00_l2_ta_*), ABL temperature profiles (e.g. *_mwrBL00_l2_ta_*)

mwr00 (mwr01) file types are on a typical temporal resolution of 1-2 seconds, whereas mwrBL00 (mwrBL01) are on a temporal resolution on the order of minutes (3-15), depending on the instrument.

The level2 data sets have been derived by means of multi-variate regression. They rely on long-term radiosonde data sets for training. Note, that ocasionally liquid water path values can be slightly negative due to statistical error.

Please reach out Ulrich Löhnert the contact person in case you detect inconsistencies in the data.

Quality:

All data files are provided with quality flags that are described in the netcdf file headers. Exclude flagged data from automatic analyses, for case studies, use flagged data with care and contact the responsible person named in the file header in case of any doubt.

Integrated liquid water and water vapor from ground-based MWR are amongst the most accurate methods available. Temperature and humidity profiles are only coarsly resolved in the vertical, are, however, continuously available. Temperature vertical resolution decrease quickly with height from tens of meters close to the surface to hundreds of meters at the top of the ABL.  Use *_mwrBL00_l2_ta_* profiles for the most accurate temperature profile in the ABL. Humidity profiles contain only roughly two independent pieces of information throughout the whole troposhere.

All level2 data products are delivered with an uncertainty specification.

Project: FESSTVaL (Field Experiment on submesoscale spatio-temporal variability in Lindenberg), a measurement campaign initiated by the Hans-Ertel-Center for Weather Research.
Files (8.2 GB)
Name Size
birkholz_hamhat_level1.tar.gz
md5:2eb5a4ed37c43914926854dd7fc86eab
296.3 MB Download
birkholz_hamhat_level2.tar.gz
md5:a70a525f75d195cddb9868f7f5b68a1a
1.8 GB Download
falkenberg_sunhat_level1.tar.gz
md5:21ca33df4c4f8764d28b0d3797d8abbb
265.4 MB Download
falkenberg_sunhat_level2.tar.gz
md5:8feb56a89b129a37fcbc5ea1e7fe1d91
1.5 GB Download
lindenberg_foghat_level1.tar.gz
md5:5edba91d5855f80ea3e61dc06402c257
156.0 MB Download
lindenberg_foghat_level2.tar.gz
md5:1a5772e3313a1d202ff8272d1fddca7c
915.8 MB Download
lindenberg_raohat_level1.tar.gz
md5:655f3267478631a02db33240d0e0fc49
491.7 MB Download
lindenberg_raohat_level2.tar.gz
md5:1725ca339eff92d09a0909b5e1fd7f91
2.8 GB Download
  • Crewell, S., and U. Löhnert, 2003: Accuraccy of cloud liquid water path from ground-based microwave radiometry. Part II. Sensor accuracy and synergy. Radio Science, 38(3), 8042, 2003, doi:10.1029/2002RS002634.
  • Crewell, S., and U. Löhnert, 2007: Accuracy of boundary layer temperature profiles retrieved with multi-frequency, multi-angle microwave radiometry. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 45(7), 2195-2201, doi:10.1109/TGRS.2006.888434.
  • Löhnert, U. and Maier, O.: Operational profiling of temperature using ground-based microwave radiometry at Payerne: prospects and challenges, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 5, 1121-1134, doi:10.5194/amt-5-1121-2012.
  • Löhnert, U., and S. Crewell, 2003: Accuraccy of cloud liquid water path from ground-based microwave radiometry. Part I. Dependency on Cloud model statistics. Radio Science, 38(3), 8041, 2003, doi:10.1029/2002RS002654.
  • Steinke, S., S. Eikenberg, U. Löhnert, G. Dick, D. Klocke, P. Di Girolamo, and S. Crewell, 2015: Assessment of Small-Scale Integrated Water Vapour Variability During HOPE, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 2675-2692, doi:10.5194/acp-15-2675-2015.

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