Spatial heterodyne observations of water (SHOW) from a high-altitude airplane: characterization, performance, and first results

Abstract

Abstract. The Spatial Heterodyne Observations of Water instrument (SHOW) is a limb-sounding satellite prototype that utilizes the Spatial Heterodyne Spectroscopy (SHS) technique, operating in a limb-viewing configuration, to observe limb-scattered sunlight in a vibrational band of water vapour within a spectral window from 1363 to 1366 nm. The goal is to retrieve high vertical and horizontal resolution measurements of water vapour in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The prototype instrument has been configured for observations from NASA's ER-2 high-altitude airborne remote science airplane. Flying at a maximum altitude of ∼21.34 km with a maximum speed of ∼760 km h−1, the ER-2 provides a stable platform to simulate observations from a low-earth orbit satellite. Demonstration flights were performed from the ER-2 during an observation campaign from 15 to 22 July 2017. In this paper, we present the laboratory characterization work and the level 0 to level 1 processing of flight data that were obtained during an engineering flight performed on 18 July 2017. Water vapour profile retrievals are presented and compared to in situ radiosonde measurements made of the same approximate column of air. These measurements are used to validate the SHOW measurement concept and examine the sensitivity of the technique.