Measurements of upper tropospheric moisture with a Raman lidar

We describe water vapor profile measurements made with the Sandia Raman lidar. The goal of this study is to determine the effect of convection on the upper tropospheric moisture budget. At present, considerable controversy exists over the nature of the vertical redistribution of water vapor in a changing climate, and particularly the distribution of water vapor in the upper troposphere. Although upper tropospheric moisture concentrations are several orders of magnitude lower than those near the surface, upper tropospheric moisture exerts an important influence on climate. On a per-molecule basis, greenhouse absorption due to water vapor is about one hundred times more effective at high altitudes than at low altitudes. Several one-dimensional radiative convective models have been used to demonstrate the importance of upper tropospheric moisture on climate. What these models show is that for a given fractional increase in water vapor at a given altitude the response or change in surface temperature is qualitatively the same. Understanding upper tropospheric moistening processes are therefore of prime importance in addressing the water vapor feedback question. The goal of this study is to determine the upper tropospheric moisture budget associated with convective events, and in particular to extend process models to higher altitudes than have been achieved previously.