Establishment and analysis of global gridded Tm − Ts relationship model

Abstract

In ground-based GPS meteorology, Tm is a key parameter to calculate the conversion factor that can convert the zenith wet delay (ZWD) to precipitable water vapor (PWV). It is generally acknowledged that Tm is in an approximate linear relationship with surface temperature Ts, and the relationship presents regional variation. This paper employed sliding average method to calculate correlation coefficients and linear regression coefficients between Tm and Ts at every 2° × 2.5° grid point using Ts data from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and Tm data from “GGOS Atmosphere”, yielding the grid and bilinear interpolation-based TmGrid model. Tested by Tm and Ts grid data, Constellation Observation System of Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) data and radiosonde data, the TmGrid model shows a higher accuracy relative to the Bevis Tm − Ts relationship which is widely used nowadays. The TmGrid model will be of certain practical value in high-precision PWV calculation.

Keywords

• Zenith wet delay
• Precipitable water vapor
• Ground-based GPS meteorology
• Weighted mean temperature
• Gridded Tm − Ts model