Cloud Microphysical Properties Retrieved from Rapid-Sample AERI Data

The Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) measures downwelling infrared radiance from 550-3000 cm (18.2 – 3.3 μm) at high-spectral-resolution (~ 1 cm) (Knuteson et al. 2004). The original temporal sampling strategy (a 3-min average of sky radiance every 8 min) was chosen to optimize the signal-to-noise in the observations for clear sky applications. Clear-sky AERI observations have led to marked improvements in both the foreign-broadened and self-broadened water vapor continuum absorption models (Tobin et al. 1999 and Turner et al. 2004a, respectively), in the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program’s (ARM) water vapor observations (Revercomb et al. 2003, Turner et al. 2003), and in the retrieval of water vapor and temperature profiles from groundbased radiance observations (Feltz et al. 2003).