Articles | Volume 14, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-239-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-239-2021
Research article
 | 
14 Jan 2021
Research article |  | 14 Jan 2021

Understanding balloon-borne frost point hygrometer measurements after contamination by mixed-phase clouds

Teresa Jorge, Simone Brunamonti, Yann Poltera, Frank G. Wienhold, Bei P. Luo, Peter Oelsner, Sreeharsha Hanumanthu, Bhupendra B. Singh, Susanne Körner, Ruud Dirksen, Manish Naja, Suvarna Fadnavis, and Thomas Peter

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Short summary
Balloon-borne frost point hygrometers are crucial for the monitoring of water vapour in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. We found that when traversing a mixed-phase cloud with big supercooled droplets, the intake tube of the instrument collects on its inner surface a high percentage of these droplets. The newly formed ice layer will sublimate at higher levels and contaminate the measurement. The balloon is also a source of contamination, but only at higher levels during the ascent.
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