A High-Accuracy Multiwavelength Radiometer for In Situ Measurements in the Thermal Infrared. Part II: Behavior in Field Experiments

Abstract

The performances of the new conveyable low-noise infrared radiometer for measurements of atmosphere and ground surface targets, or CLIMAT, are presented for in situ measurements. For this, quantitative analyses were carried out on measurements performed with a prototype during various field experiments. The accuracy of the radiometric measurements controlled by using a field blackbody is estimated for severe environmental conditions. Two modes of operation and two types of targets are described. Ground-based measurements of the sky radiance are compared to radiative transfer calculations that use atmospheric profiles from radiosoundings as input parameters. Sea surface temperatures estimated from airborne CLIMAT measurements are compared to satellite retrievals. These experiments constitute a first set of quantitative tests of the CLIMAT radiometer for ground-based and airborne remote sensing applications. They demonstrate that CLIMAT can be considered for future studies on clouds and aerosols, sea water, and surface such as ice, vegetation, bare soil, and rocks.