Met Office Cardington: column integrations of liquid water and water vapour from a Radiometrics TP/WVP-3000 microwave radiometer, 2011-2016

The Met Office Observation-based research Boundary Layer Facility, at the semi-rural field site (18 Ha) of Cardington (52° 06′ N, 00° 25′ W, 29 m ± 1 m amsl) in central-southern England between 2004 and 2024, operated the Radiometrics TP/WVP-3000 microwave radiometer using a neural network to retrieve profiles of water vapour and temperature. The TP/WVP-3000 was set up to take readings in the vertical approximately every 8 s. Regular tipping curve scans were done over a range of zenith angles (30, 45, 90, 135, 150 degrees) to compare the atmospheric radiances to that of known values at relatively opaque water vapour frequencies (with the opacity being a linear function of the slant path), in addition using frequent views of an internal temperature-controlled black body. Absolute calibrations for the absorbing channels were done periodically using a black body cooled with liquid nitrogen.

A full list of NetCDF variables can be found in “A continuous hydrometeorological record (2004–2024) at the Met Office surface site of Cardington, UK.” Osborne et al. (2025). This paper should be referenced in any research/publications pertaining to this dataset.

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