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Abstract
The "mesoscale radiometer" is a prototype ground-based microwave scanning radiometer that views the atmosphere in the 16 GHz – 27 GHz water vapor band. Its unique scanning strategy, which resembles that of a weather radar, is able to provide low-level and three dimensional measurements of water vapor as well as path integrated liquid and temperature. The radiometer was deployed at the McGill’s J.S. Marshall Weather Radar Observatory in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in winter 2008 and at the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program’s Southern Great Plains Central Facility in Lamont, Oklahoma, USA in spring 2009. During these deployments, the “mesoscale radiometer” measurements were compared with that from other sources including microwave radiometers, global positioning system receivers measuring precipitable water, and radiosondes. The instrument was used for tracking the movement of liquid water clouds as well as examining the variation of liquid water at different heights in the cloud. This is possible thanks to its rapid scanning strategy. The variation in the distribution of boundary layer humidity was also examined. Some of these variation were caused by thermals found the growing atmospheric boundary layer. In addition to these liquid water and water vapor observations, the mesoscale patterns of humidity and near-surface temperature were monitored. In the presentation, we will demonstrate some of the measurements done with the “mesoscale radiometer” and show results from the validations done compared to the other instruments.