Comparison of active and passive water vapor remote sensing from space: An analysis based on the simulated performance of IASI and space borne differential absorption lidar

Operation in the region of clouds are not a focus of this publication but it is worth to mention that the results demonstrate that space borne DIAL can perform measurements down to cloud tops and often through optically thin clouds. Particularly powerful is the synergistic combinations of both sensors in the future. Iteration between IASI temperature and DIAL water vapor retrievals will increase both accuracies.