Improved calibration of infrared radiometers for cloud temperature remote sensing

Joseph A. Shaw; Leonard S. Fedor

doi:10.1117/12.133232

1 May 1993 Improved calibration of infrared radiometers for cloud temperature remote sensing

Joseph A. Shaw, Leonard S. Fedor

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 32, Issue 5, (May 1993). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.133232

Abstract

We discuss errors and uncertainties in calibrating infrared radiometers to measure the temperature of clouds in the earth's atmosphere. Many of the points we make apply to any radiometrictemperature-sensing application where the target temperature is less than the ambient temperature. Dominant uncertainties and errors are due to ambient radiance reflected from the blackbody-simulator source, thermal fluctuations in the radiometer, and imprecise voltage measurements. Our improved technique removes, reduces, or accounts for these errors and uncertainties. The resulting calibration uncertainty is ± 0.8°C for a radiometer with a 10-v output range. We verified this accuracy by comparing cloud-base temperatures measured by ground-based IR radiometers, in situ (radiosonde) sensors, and other remote sensors on the ground and on satellites. We made these comparisons for spatially uniform blackbody clouds that filled the field of view of our ground-based radiometers.

Citation Download Citation

Joseph A. Shaw and Leonard S. Fedor "Improved calibration of infrared radiometers for cloud temperature remote sensing," Optical Engineering 32(5), (1 May 1993). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.133232

Published: 1 May 1993

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