Intercomparison of water vapor data measured with lidar during IHOP_2002, Part 1: Airborne to ground-based lidar systems and comparisons with chilled-mirror hygrometer radiosondes

So far, the data collected during IHOP_2002 provide the largest set of state-of-the-art water vapor lidar data measured in a field campaign. In this first of two companion papers, intercomparisons between the scanning Raman lidar (SRL) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and two airborne systems are discussed.

There are 9 intercomparisons possible between SRL and the differential absorption lidar (DIAL) of Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), while there are 10 intercomparisons between SRL and the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) of the NASA Langley Research Center. Mean biases of (-0.30 ± 0.25) g kg⁻¹ or -4.3% ± 3.2% for SRL compared to DLR DIAL (DLR DIAL drier) and (0.16 ± 0.31) g kg⁻¹ or 5.3% ± 5.1% for SRL compared to LASE (LASE wetter) in the height range of 1.3-3.8 km above sea level (450-2950 m above ground level at the SRL site) were found.