Summary

Atmospheric water vapor measurements from commercial aircraft are now available to complement the real-time winds and temperatures available from the Aircraft Communication, Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). The technology of this first-generation system (WVSS-I) is a modified Vaisala thin-film sensor. It is considered to be equal to or better than existing radiosonde humidity data and especially so at the upper levels of the troposphere. A second-generation system (WVSS-II) is in progress.

Objectives:

The WVSS-I project was jointly funded by the NOAA Office of Global Programs (OGP) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The objective of the program was to provide high resolution ascent and descent data in the GCIP region (Mississippi river basin) and to provide high resolution wind, temperature, and water vapor information during ascent and descent from commercial air flights over the continental United States to some users associated with the FAA's Aviation Weather Research Program.