Abstract

Water vapor is one of the most important quantities needed to define the state of the atmosphere. Water vapor plays an important role in determining the earth's radiation budget, both directly as an absorber of infrared radiation and through its role in cloud formation. Because convection effectively short-circuits greenhouse absorption at altitudes below about 6 km, surface temperatures depend strongly on the vertical distribution of water vapor. The vertical distribution of water vapor also determines convective stability, and hence storm development. Water vapor is highly variable, both spatially and temporally, and is one of the most uncertain parameters in GCMs (General Circulation Models). Therefore, knowledge of the vertical and temporal variations of water vapor are essential for understanding atmospheric processes.

© 1993 Optical Society of America