Articles | Volume 18, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-509-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-509-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
28 Jan 2025
Research article |
| 28 Jan 2025
| 28 Jan 2025
Development of a Peltier-based chilled-mirror hygrometer, SKYDEW, for tropospheric and lower-stratospheric water vapor measurements
Takuji Sugidachi
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Meisei Electric Co., Ltd., 2223 Naganumamachi, Isesaki-shi, Gunma, 372-8585, Japan
Masatomo Fujiwara
Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0810, Japan
Kensaku Shimizu
Meisei Electric Co., Ltd., 2223 Naganumamachi, Isesaki-shi, Gunma, 372-8585, Japan
Shin-Ya Ogino
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0001, Japan
Junko Suzuki
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0001, Japan
Ruud J. Dirksen
GRUAN Lead Centre, Meteorologisches Observatorium Lindenberg, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Am Observatorium 12, 15848 Tauche, Germany
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Christoph von Rohden, Michael Sommer, Tatjana Naebert, Vasyl Motuz, and Ruud J. Dirksen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 383–405, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-383-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-383-2022, 2022
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Heating by solar radiation is the dominant error source for daytime temperature measurements by radiosondes. This paper describes a new laboratory setup (SISTER) to characterise this radiation error for pressures and ventilation speeds that are typical for the conditions between the surface and 35 km altitude. This characterisation is the basis for the radiation correction that is applied in the GRUAN data processing for the RS41 radiosonde. The GRUAN data product is compared to that of Vaisala.
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Short summary
A Peltier-based chilled-mirror hygrometer, SKYDEW, has been developed to measure tropospheric and stratospheric water vapor. Continuous accurate measurements of water vapor are essential for climate monitoring. More than 40 soundings with SKYDEW have been conducted since 2011 to evaluate the performance. The result of soundings at tropical and midlatitudes demonstrated that SKYDEW is able to measure up to an altitude of 20–25 km for daytime soundings and above 25 km for nighttime soundings.
A Peltier-based chilled-mirror hygrometer, SKYDEW, has been developed to measure tropospheric...
