Abstract

An improved version of a two-wavelength radiometric method is described by which the total water vapor amount along an optical path may be determined by the use of a radiometer and a source at the two ends of the optical path. The method requires two transmission measurements: one at 1.14 μm (at the center of an absorption band) and another at 1.06 μm (an atmospheric window). The spectral transmittance is calculated using the fascode computer code, convolved with the source, filter, and detector response curves of the transmissometer. Good agreement (1–7%) is obtained with experimental observations of this quantity as a function of total water vapor amount. The method was verified for horizontal paths of up to 10 km.

© 1987 Optical Society of America

Atmospheric transmission in the 2.8–5.5-μm region: description of the Fourier interferometric transmissometer and typical result at low temperatures

Jean-Marc Theriault, Pierre L. Roney, and Francoise Reid
Appl. Opt. 29(25) 3654-3666 (1990)

CO₂ DIAL measurements of water vapor

William B. Grant, Jack S. Margolis, Alan M. Brothers, and David M. Tratt
Appl. Opt. 26(15) 3033-3042 (1987)

Determination of the atmospheric-water-vapor content in the 940-nm absorption band by use of moderate spectral-resolution measurements of direct solar irradiance

Victoria E. Cachorro, Pilar Utrillas, Ricardo Vergaz, Plinio Durán, Angel M. de Frutos, and Jose A. Martinez-Lozano
Appl. Opt. 37(21) 4678-4689 (1998)

Airborne measurements of humidity using a single-mode Pb–salt diode laser

Joel A. Silver and Alan C. Stanton
Appl. Opt. 26(13) 2558-2566 (1987)

Comparison of columnar water-vapor measurements from solar transmittance methods

Beat Schmid, Joseph J. Michalsky, Donald W. Slater, James C. Barnard, Rangasayi N. Halthore, James C. Liljegren, Brent N. Holben, Thomas F. Eck, John M. Livingston, Philip B. Russell, Thomas Ingold, and Ilya Slutsker
Appl. Opt. 40(12) 1886-1896 (2001)