NASA is working on developing technology to dissect the lower atmosphere

Because of the volume of gases above it, the part of the atmosphere closest to the planet is the most difficult to measure from space. The study of Earth's planetary boundary layer, or PBL, will allow scientists to understand better the interaction between the Earth's surface and weather and how that interaction evolves in a global, changing climate.

"We live and experience weather in the planetary boundary layer," said NASA researcher Dr. Antonia Gambacorta. "It's been studied in great detail with many ground-based measurements, but there are significant gaps, such as over oceans and polar regions where we don't have as many ground-based instruments."

Accurate, real-time measurement of PBL temperature and water vapor from space allows for more precise prediction of rapidly changing extreme events, which benefits the economy significantly.

"From space, you are trying to measure a signal that weakens as it's absorbed and re-emitted," explained Gambacorta, an Earth science researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "There's also surface and cloud noise to contend with."

Scientists use "signals" other than visible light to study the Earth's surface and atmosphere globally, including infrared also microwave frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Lights with infrared wavelengths are absorbed by liquid droplets and ice particles that make up clouds. Those same clouds, however, are partially transparent to microwave light. Furthermore, different parts of the microwave spectrum provide information about various PBL properties that can affect weather, such as water vapor, clouds, and temperature.

Measurements of hyperspectral microwaves divide the microwave region of the spectrum into hundreds or even thousands of individual frequencies. Capturing and interpreting these frequencies would provide a clear picture of this critical layer from a global perspective, according to Gambacorta.