NOAA FSL (National Forecast Systems Laboratory), GPS Observing Systems Branch

Total Atmospheric Water Vapor

The dual frequency GPS receiver will continuously observe all satellites in view. Dual frequency carrier phase observations will be made very 30 seconds. Data will be transferred to the PC every 30 minutes. Quick-look displays will be created by Forecast Systems Laboratory (FSL) and will be available via the internet.

Global Positioning System Meteorology gives us the ability to measure the total quantity of water vapor in the atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy under all weather conditions. By continuously monitoring the ratio of integrated precipitable water vapor (IPW) at MLO to three nearby stations at or near sea level, we can evaluate short and long-term changes in the mean temperature of the atmosphere above 600 h Pa.