Integrated water vapour content estimating using GPS receiver data

 

V. E. Kunitsyn ^1,2, I. A. Nesterov ¹, N. A. Tereshin ¹

¹ Lomonosov Moscow State University

² Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences

 

The paper is received on June 8, 2015 

 

Abstract. GPS system has proved itself to be an excellent tool for ionosphere sounding problems. This led to evaluating the feasibility of using dual-frequency GPS-receivers for remote sensing of the troposphere. Sensing water vapour content is of particular interest to research concerned with improving numeric weather forecasts. This article describes a method of measuring integrated water vapour content in the atmosphere by using signal phase delay data from GPS receivers. Sample output is displayed, using SOPAC receiver array data as input. Data from global and regional reanalyses is used to provide comparison and perform error estimation.

Keywords: remote sensing, satellite navigation systems, GPS, precipitable water, troposphere.