High-Resolution Water Vapor Mapping from Interferometric Radar Measurements

Abstract

Spaceborne radar interferometric delay measurements were used to infer high-resolution maps of integrated atmospheric water vapor, which can be readily related to meteorological phenomena. Maps of the water vapor distribution associated with a precipitating cloud, a partly precipitating cold front, and horizontal convective rolls reveal quantitative measures that are not observed with conventional methods, and suggest that such radar observations can be used for forecasting and to study atmospheric dynamics.