Microwave attenuation measurements in satellite-ground links: spectral analysis for water vapor profile retrieval

摘要

In this paper we address the problem of estimating vertical profiles of atmospheric water vapor by means of attenuation measurements simultaneously made at different frequencies along a vertical satellite-ground link. The operating frequencies are those around the spectral absorption lines of water vapor at 22.235 GHz, the number of frequencies depending on the required vertical detail. A simulation is presented of such a system, based on a atmospheric propagation model and on radiosonde data providing true profiles of temperature, pressure and water vapor.