Simulations of the Effects of Water Vapor, Cloud Liquid Water, and Ice on AMSU Moisture Channel Brightness Temperatures

Abstract Radiative transfer simulations are performed to determine how water vapor and nonprecipitating cloud liquid water and ice particles within typical midlatitude atmospheres affect brightness temperatures TB's of moisture sounding channels used in the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) and AMSU-like instruments. The purpose is to promote a general understanding of passive top-of-atmosphere TB's for window frequencies at 23.8, 89.0, and 157.0 GHz, and water vapor frequencies at 176.31, 180.3 1, and 182.31 GHz by documenting specific examples. This is accomplished through detailed analyses of TB's for idealized atmospheres, mostly representing temperate conditions over land. Cloud effects are considered in terms of five basic properties: droplet size distribution, phase, liquid or ice water content, altitude, and thickness. Effects on TB of changing surface emissivity also are addressed. The brightness temperature contribution functions are presented as an aid to physically interpreting AMSU TB's...