Comparison of Cloud Liquid Content Measured by Two Independent Ground-Based Systems

Abstract

We report on observations of liquid water in clouds made by two independent ground-based microwave instruments. One system is a dual-frequency (20.6, 31.65 GHz) microwave radiometer designed to measure emission from the precipitable water vapor and from liquid in the zenith direction; we refer to this as System 1. The other system is a combination receiver-radiometer that utilizes absorption of a 28 GHz signal from the COMSTAR satellite to measure the liquid content of clouds; we refer to this as System 2. Comparative measurements on liquid-bearing clouds in Colorado are given.