A fresh consideration on the choice of radiometer operating frequencyin atmospheric remote sensing

Following the assertion of Westwater, on the consideration of the radiometer operating frequency around 22GHz for remote sensing of water vapour distribution in the atmosphere, a comprehensive study has been made to re-examine the validity of considering frequency away from resonant frequency for both dry locations, like Antarctica and for tropical region, Calcutta. Radiosonde data have been utilized to calculate line shape functions and weightingfunctions at different operating frequencies. Results indicate that water vapour sensitive 22·235 GHz is still better for dry climatic regions like Antarctica, whereas, for wet air locations, choice of frequency will be different from the resonance peak.