Analyses of FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC humidity retrievals and comparisons with AIRS retrievals and NCEP/NCAR reanalyses

The specific humidity retrieved from the FORMOSAT‐3/Constellation Observation System for the Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) (FC) occultation observations of the GPS radiowaves were analyzed and compared with radiosonde observations, aircraft dropsonde observations, Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) retrievals, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalyses. For the limited number of radio soundings at the sites of small islands near Taiwan coincident in space and time with FC observations, the difference of humidity in individual cases is 30% over most of oceanic regions.