Radiometer for Measuring Cirrus-Cloud Ice and Water Vapor

An airborne submillimeter-wavelength radiometer, expected to be built and tested in the near future, is designed primarily to yield measurement data that can be processed to quantify the ice contents and mean sizes (and, to some extent, the shapes) of ice crystals in cirrus clouds that range from optically thin to opaque. Secondarily, this radiometer is also designed to enable the characterization of watervapor profiles in the presence of optically thick clouds. The ice and water-vapor data are needed to improve understanding of processes that affect weather and climate.