Retrieval and Use of High-Resolution Moisture and Stability Fields from Nimbus 6 HIRS Radiances in Pre-Convective Situations

Abstract This is a study of environmental conditions prior to convective development on the Great Plains of the United States on four case study days in August 1975. The tool used was the High-resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) on Nimbus 6. A moisture-temperature retrieval scheme was developed to retrieve various lower tropospheric analysis and forecasting parameters from the HIRS radiances. Specifically, dew points and temperatures and other secondary parameters such as total precipitable water and static stability indices were derived and analyzed at a horizontal resolution of up to 30 km on these days. For the moisture parameters the comparisons to time-interpolated NWS rawinsonde values were especially good in spite of time and resolution differences. Comparisons with higher resolution synoptic surface observations of dew point and temperature were also good. The true quality of the mesoscale analyses, however, is only seen by examining the individual case study days. Small features at a sca...