Analysis of the distribution of precipitable water vapor in the Chajnantor area

Abstract

In this work, we present results from a long-term precipitable water vapor (PWV) study in the Chajnantor area, in northern Chile. Data from several instruments located at relevant sites for submillimetre and midinfrared astronomy were processed to obtain relations between the atmospheric conditions among the sites. The data used for this study can be considered the richest data set to date, because of the geographical sampling of the region, including sites at different altitudes, a time span from 2005 to 2014, and the different techniques and instruments used for the measurements. We validate a method to convert atmospheric opacity from 350μm tipper radiometers to PWV. An average of 0.68 PWV ratio between Cerro Chajnantor and Llano of Chajnantor was found.