The comparisons with ground-based GNSS data confirm these results. Merian are found to be of poorer quality, with an rms difference of 6 kg m−2, which is very likely due to the location of the GNSS antenna on this R/V prone to multipath effects. The ship-borne GNSS IWV retrievals from R/V Atalante and R/V Meteor compare well with ERA5, with small biases (−1.62 kg m−2 for R/V Atalante and +0.65 kg m−2 for R/V Meteor) and a root mean square (rms) difference of about 2.3 kg m−2.
This paper describes the GNSS processing method and compares the GNSS IWV retrievals with IWV estimates from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) fifth reanalysis (ERA5), from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) infrared products and from terrestrial GNSS stations located along the tracks of the ships. In the framework of the EUREC4A (Elucidating the role of clouds–circulation coupling in climate) campaign that took place in January and February 2020, integrated water vapour (IWV) contents were retrieved over the open tropical Atlantic Ocean using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data acquired from three research vessels (R/Vs): R/V Atalante, R/V Maria S. Additionally, GNSS retrievals are largely used in order to determine the high spatio-temporal variability and long-term trends of atmospheric water vapor or in models with the goal of determining its notable influence on the climate system (e.g., assimilation in numerical prediction, as input to radiative transfer models, study of circulation patterns, etc.). For instance, the GNSS technique is commonly used as a reference tool for validating other water vapor products (e.g., radiosounding, radiometers onboard satellite platforms or ground-based instruments). Moreover, the use of these data in different kinds of studies is discussed. In this review, the different GNSS methodologies to retrieve atmospheric water vapor content re-examined, such as tomography, conversion of GNSS tropospheric delay to water vapor estimates, analyses of errors, and combinations of GNSS with other sources to enhance water vapor information.
GNSS ground-based networks are becoming denser, and the first stations installed have now quite long time-series that allow the study of the temporal features of water vapor and its relevant role inside the climate system. After 30 years since the beginning of the Global Positioning System (GPS), or, more generally, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) meteorology, this technique has proven to be a reliable method for retrieving atmospheric water vapor it is low-cost, weather independent, with high temporal resolution and is highly accurate and precise.
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