Retrieval of columnar water vapor using multispectral radiometer measurements over northern China

Water vapor is an important component in hydrological processes that basically involve all types of seasons, including dry (e.g., drought) or wet (e.g., hurricane or monsoon). This study retrieved columnar water vapor (CWV) with the 939.3 nm band of a multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer (MFRSR) using the modified Langley technique. Such an investigation was in concert with the use of the atmospheric transmission model MODTRAN for determining the instrument coefficients required for CWV estimation. Results of the retrieval of CWV by MFRSR from September 23, 2004 to June 20, 2005 at the XiangHe site are presented and analyzed in this paper. To improve the credibility, the MFRSR results were compared with those obtained from the AErosol RObotic NETwork CIMEL sun-photometer measurements, co-located at the XiangHe site, and the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) near-infrared total precipitable water product (MOD05), respectively. These comparisons show good agreement in terms of correlation coefficients, slopes, and offsets, revealing that the accuracy of CWV estimation using the MFRSR instrument is reliable and suitable for extended studies in northern China.