Image of water vapor from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)
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On a molecule-by-molecule basis, water vapor is the predominant greenhouse gas and plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate system. An improved understanding of the global water vapor distribution can enhance our ability to understand water's role in climate processes. SAGE III water vapor measurements will provide important contributions in the following areas:
Uncertainties in the moisture field impact weather forecast model initialization, especially in the tropics.
The long-term stability and self-calibration capabilities of SAGE III may permit the detection of a trend in water vapor in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere as a diagnostic of global warming.
SAGE III water vapor observations will provide valuable information to help EOS observation facilities evaluate, and correct for, water vapor induced variations in remotely measured parameters.
High vertical resolution water vapor profiles will help illuminate hydrological processes in the atmosphere such as the tropical "tape-recorder."
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