Evaluation of Earth's atmospheric brightness temperature at decimetric wavelengths

Abstract

Atmospheric profiles of pressure, temperature, and relative humidity, measured with stratospheric balloons, are used to calculate the radiofrequency brightness temperature, T<SUB>atm</SUB>, of the atmospheric signal seen by a ground observer. Below 1 GHz the calculated values are definitely more precise (few percent accuracy), than directly measured values (10% accuracy or worse).