An observation campaign of precipitable water vapor with multiple GPS receivers in western Java, Indonesia

A campaign was conducted from 23 July to 5 August 2010 to measure atmospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV) using five Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, stationed at four different locations in Jakarta and Bogor, western Java, Indonesia. Radiosondes were launched at an interval of 6 h to validate the GPS-derived PWV data. The validation resulted in a root mean square error of 2 to 3 mm in PWV. The influence of atmospheric pressure and temperature on GPS-derived PWV was evaluated. A regular semi-diurnal pressure oscillation was observed, showing an amplitude ranging from 3 to 5 hPa, which corresponds to 1.1 to 1.8 mm in PWV. A nocturnal temperature inversion layer was observed in the radiosonde profiles, which resulted in an error of about 0.5 mm in PWV. From 26 to 29 July, there was a passage of distributed rain clouds over western Java, moving southwestward from the equator toward the Indian Ocean. A second precipitation event, with scattered rain clouds forming locally near Bogor, occurred on 2 August. Both events were observed also by a C-band Doppler Radar operated near Jakarta. The highest peak of GPS-derived PWV (about 67 mm) registered during the campaign occurred on 27 July, coinciding with the distributed rainfall event. Spatial variations in the estimated PWV between the four sites were enhanced before both the analyzed rainfall events, on 27 July and 2 August. Peaks in the temporal variability of PWV were also observed in conjunction with the two events. The results indicated a relation between the space-time inhomogeneity of GPS-PWV and rainfall events in the tropics.