Monitoring the Hydrologic Cycle With the PATH Mission

One of the 15 decadal-survey missions the National Research Council recommended that NASA undertake is the Precipitation and All-weather Temperature and Humidity (PATH) mission. It consists of a microwave sounder placed on a geostationary platform to observe atmospheric processes related to the hydrologic cycle. The primary observables consist of precipitation, cloud liquid water and vertical profiles of temperature and humidity, and secondary derived products include vertical profiles of horizontal wind vectors (derived by tracking the motion of humidity features) and vertical profiles of reflectivity when there is convection. All products will be available regardless of cloud cover and some even in the presence of precipitation. The Geostationary vantage point makes it possible to get very rapid updates, every 5-30 minutes, which is sufficient to resolve the most dynamic processes. The PATH mission will give a nearly complete simultaneous view of the atmospheric component of the hydrologic cycle and will enable a number of studies that have not yet been feasible. For example, it will be possible to fully resolve the diurnal cycle of cloud formation, convection, precipitation and storm evolution. PATH covers a very wide range in the spatio-temporal domain and will enable studies ranging from the evolution of tornado-generating thunderstorm complexes to continental-scale moisture flow. We describe the sensor system and the technology that enables PATH as well as some of the science applications. We also discuss the prospects for a PATH precursor mission in the near future as well as the long-term prospects for a full PATH mission. Copyright 2012 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged.