AERI Temperature and Water Vapor Profiling Using GFS First Guess

Description

Profiles of temperature and water vapor in the lower troposphere can be obtained from the AERI infrared spectrometer under clear-sky conditions using the AERIPROF physical retrieval developed at the University of Wisconsin Space Science and Engineering Center. The infrastructure has been developed to generate first-guess profiles for the physical retrieval using routinely received Global Forecast System (GFS) model output. This allows the operational deployment of the AERI and the AERI retrieval anywhere in the world where general internet access is available. Profile comparisons between AERI retrievals generated with a GFS first guess at the SGP, NSA, and TWP ARM sites show good agreement to coincident radiosondes. Specifically the AERI data used in the retrieval successfully corrects temperature inversion artifacts near the surface seen in the GFS data that is used for the first guess. These results pave the way for autonomous deployment of the AERI instrument and high-quality temperature and water vapor profiling without the need for co-located radiosonde station.