DSP Radiometer with Adaptive Frequency Control for the Retrieval of Atmospheric Temperature and Water Vapor Profiles

Retrieval of atmospheric temperature and water vapor profiles through the use of a novel radiometer design which uses a unique digital signal processing (DSP) software, known as X-MIDAS, and adaptive frequency control to process radiometric measurements of millimeter wave band oxygen and water vapor emissions is proposed. Temperature and/or water vapor retrieval results are fed back to the radiometer in the form of an updated set of measurement frequencies. This allows temporal tracking of atmospheric conditions with the potential for increased stability of the retrieval solutions. Use of DSP techniques to process the radiometer signals improves accuracy, stability and repeatability of the initial radiometric data and permits an increase in the number of discrete frequencies available for measurement, thus improving spatial resolution of the retrieved profiles.