Characterization of Water Vapor in the North American Monsoon with JLH Mark2 and Aura MLS

Robert L Herman1, Robert F Troy1, Karen Hepler Rosenlof2, Eric A Ray3,4, Michael J Schwartz1, William George Read1, Kristopher M Bedka5, Dejian Fu1, Lance E Christensen1 and Thaopaul V Bui6, (1)NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States, (2)NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division, Boulder, United States, (3)NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, United States, (4)NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division, Boulder, CO, United States, (5)NASA Langley Research Center, Science Directorate, Hampton, United States, (6)NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, United States
Abstract:
Several NASA ER-2 aircraft flights during the recent NASA Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) field mission sampled the UTLS region heavily influenced by the North American Monsoon (NAM). Enhanced water vapor was measured in the lower stratosphere between 160 hPa and 80 hPa over the continental United States. Here we present in situ water vapor measurements from the newly improved JPL Laser Hygrometer (JLH Mark2) to characterize the NAM water vapor field during August and September 2013. Regional context is provided by water observations from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and overshooting deep convective cloud tops from GOES imagery.
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