Eric P. Shettle

The Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) III instrument and early validation results

Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) III, a follow-on to the successful POAM II, is a spaceborne experiment designed to measure the vertical profiles of ozone, water vapor, nitrogen dioxide, and aerosol extinction in the polar stratosphere and upper troposphere with a vertical resolution of 1–2 km. Measurements are made by the solar occultation technique. POAM III, now in polar orbit aboard the SPOT 4 satellite, is providing data on north- and south-polar ozone phenomena, including the south-polar ozone hole, and on the spatial and temporal variability of stratospheric aerosols, polar stratospheric clouds, and polar mesospheric clouds. Differences between the POAM III and POAM II instruments are described. First validations of POAM III data products by comparison with Halogen Occultation Experiment and ozonesonde data are presented.

New aerosol models for the retrieval of aerosol optical thickness and normalized water-leaving radiances from the SeaWiFS and MODIS sensors over coastal regions and open oceans.

We describe the development of a new suite of aerosol models for the retrieval of atmospheric and oceanic optical properties from the SeaWiFS and MODIS sensors, including aerosol optical thickness (τ), angstrom coefficient (α), and water-leaving radiance (L(w)). The new aerosol models are derived from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) observations and have bimodal lognormal distributions that are narrower than previous models used by the Ocean Biology Processing Group. We analyzed AERONET data over open ocean and coastal regions and found that the seasonal variability in the modal radii, particularly in the coastal region, was related to the relative humidity. These findings were incorporated into the models by making the modal radii, as well as the refractive indices, explicitly dependent on relative humidity. From these findings, we constructed a new suite of aerosol models. We considered eight relative humidity values (30%, 50%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, and 95%) and, for each relative humidity value, we constructed ten distributions by varying the fine-mode fraction from zero to 1. In all, 80 distributions (8 Rh×10 fine-mode fractions) were created to process the satellite data. We also assumed that the coarse-mode particles were nonabsorbing (sea salt) and that all observed absorptions were entirely due to fine-mode particles. The composition of the fine mode was varied to ensure that the new models exhibited the same spectral dependence of single scattering albedo as observed in the AERONET data. The reprocessing of the SeaWiFS data show that, over deep ocean, the average τ(865) values retrieved from the new aerosol models was 0.100±0.004, which was closer to the average AERONET value of 0.086±0.066 for τ(870) for the eight open-ocean sites used in this study. The average τ(865) value from the old models was 0.131±0.005. The comparison of monthly mean aerosol optical thickness retrieved from the SeaWiFS sensor with AERONET data over Bermuda and Wallops Island show very good agreement with one another. In fact, 81% of the data points over Bermuda and 78% of the data points over Wallops Island fall within an uncertainty of ±0.02 in optical thickness. As a part of the reprocessing effort of the SeaWiFS data, we also revised the vicarious calibration gain factors, which resulted in significant improvement in angstrom coefficient (α) retrievals. The average value of α from the new models over Bermuda is 0.841±0.171, which is in good agreement with the AERONET value of 0.891±0.211. The average value of α retrieved using old models is 0.394±0.087, which is significantly lower than the AERONET value.

Observations of boreal forest fire smoke in the stratosphere by POAM III, SAGE II, and lidar in 1998

A substantial increase in stratospheric aerosol was recorded between May and October 1998 between 55° and 70°N. This phenomenon was recorded in the absence of reported volcanic eruptions with stratospheric impact potential. The POAM III and SAGE II instruments made numerous measurements of layers of enhanced aerosol extinction substantially higher than typical values 3 to 5 km above the tropopause. A comparison of these observations with lidar profiles, TOMS aerosol index data, and forest fire statistics reveals a strong link between stratospheric aerosol and forest fire smoke. Our analysis strongly suggests that smoke from boreal forest fires was lofted across the tropopause in substantial amounts in several episodes occurring in Canada and eastern Russia. Observations reveal a broad zonal increase in stratospheric aerosol that persisted for at least three months.

MODTRAN5: 2006 update

The MODTRAN5 radiation transport (RT) model is a major advancement over earlier versions of the MODTRAN atmospheric transmittance and radiance model. New model features include (1) finer spectral resolution via the Spectrally Enhanced Resolution MODTRAN (SERTRAN) molecular band model, (2) a fully coupled treatment of auxiliary molecular species, and (3) a rapid, high fidelity multiple scattering (MS) option. The finer spectral resolution improves model accuracy especially in the mid- and long-wave infrared atmospheric windows; the auxiliary species option permits the addition of any or all of the suite of HITRAN molecular line species, along with default and user-defined profile specification; and the MS option makes feasible the calculation of Vis-NIR databases that include high-fidelity scattered radiances. Validations of the new band model algorithms against line-by-line (LBL) codes have proven successful.

Observations of Antarctic polar stratospheric clouds by POAM II: 1994-1996

The Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) II solar occultation instrument has made extensive measurements of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) since launch in September 1993. In a polar orbit similar to that of the Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement (SAM) II experiment but measuring to within 2 latitude of the south pole, POAM II observations of PSCs provide a valuable geographic and temporal extension of the SAM II PSC climatology. The cloud detection algorithm used to identify PSCs from POAM II measurements is described. POAM II PSC data are also examined in comparison with coincident lidar PSC observations. Results from the 1994 to 1996 Antarctic fall/winter/spring seasons are presented and related qualitatively to the SAM II PSC climatology. The frequency of PSC occurrence increases during the Antarctic winter, reaching a maximum of about 71% of all POAM II measurements in August. There is a strong longitudinal variation in the cloud frequency, which is closely related to longitudinal temperature patterns. A broad minimum in PSC frequency is centered near the international dateline and a broad maximum is centered about 315°E, in the lee of the Antarctic Peninsula, where the PSC frequency is about twice that near the minimum. In May, PSCs are observed at an average altitude of 24 km, with the altitudes moving downward as the altitude of the coldest air descends within the polar vortex during the winter. By October the average PSC altitude is 17 km.

Comment on “Are noctilucent clouds truly a “Miner's Canary” for Global Change?”

A recent Eos article [von Zahn, 2003] has challenged the notion that Noctilucent Clouds may be a “miners canary” of global change [Thomas, 1996]. We first note our terminology: we use the generic term Mesospheric Clouds (MC) to denote this phenomenon encompassing both the terms Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMC) and Noctilucent Clouds (NLC). In this article, we address his specific criticisms on a point-by-point basis. We critically address his assertion that available data sets derived from satellite measurements of cloud radiance are too short for assessing long-term trends. We argue that his inference of large and irregular natural variability of MC is based on statistically-unreliable data from the older literature. We show from published space-based data that substantial interdecadal trends are present in MC brightness. We point out that MC heights (which have apparently remained constant) are not necessarily sensitive indicators of changes of MC properties. Finally we address the question of attribution, raised by von Zahn. We argue that the space observations are readily explained by well-documented water vapor variability.

POAM III measurements of dehydration in the Antarctic lower stratosphere

We present measurements of stratospheric water vapor and aerosols in the Antarctic from the POAM III instrument during the period April through December 1998. The measured variations in water vapor enable us to study both descent in the vortex and the effect of dehydration that occurs in the lower stratosphere below ∼23 km when the temperature drops below the frost point in July. There is a temporal correlation between the dehydration that occurs in July and an increase in high aerosol optical depth events in the lower stratosphere, suggesting that these events are due to the presence of ice PSCs. When temperatures warm up there is some rehydration at the highest altitudes of the dehydrated region (∼20–23 km), probably resulting from descent within the vortex. At ∼12 km rehydration is probably the result of mixing in of air from outside the vortex. The temperature increase in October produces little rehydration at 17 km and no clear rehydration at 14 km, suggesting that the water has precipitated out of these layers.

An analysis of Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) II Arctic polar stratospheric cloud observations, 1993–1996

The Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) II instrument made numerous observations of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) in the northern hemisphere winters of 1993/1994 through 1995/1996. An updated POAM II PSC detection algorithm, described herein, is applied to POAM II 1060 nm aerosol extinction profiles to distinguish PSCs from noncloud measurements. The impact of the updated algorithm on previously published Antarctic PSC statistics is discussed. Operating sporadically in the 1993/1994 PSC season (defined as November through April), but continuously in the following two winters, POAM II made approximately 340 PSC profile measurements. We analyze the POAM II PSC observations with respect to polar vortex location, temperature, longitude, time, and altitude. Daily PSC probability (defined as the number of PSC profiles inside the polar vortex relative to the number of all profiles located inside the vortex) exceeds 60% during the most intense PSC episodes. There is considerable year-to-year variability in PSC probability, preferred location, and timing of onset and final appearance. The POAM II data also reveal interannual differences in the seasonal change of PSC altitude. Certain observations of opaque clouds are used to infer Type II PSCs. The pattern of observed PSCs is discussed with respect to recent studies of Arctic ozone loss.

An analysis of POAM II solar occultation observations of polar mesospheric clouds in the southern hemisphere

The second Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM II) instrument is a space-borne visible/near IR photometer which uses the solar occultation technique to measure vertical profiles of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and water vapor as well as aerosol extinction and atmospheric temperature in the stratosphere and upper troposphere. Here we report on the detection of polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) in the high-latitude southern hemisphere by POAM II during the 1993 and 1994 summer seasons. These measurements are noteworthy because they are the first measurements of PMCs in atmospheric extinction. The POAM II PMC data set has been analyzed using a simple geometric cloud model. We find that mean cloud altitudes deduced from these data are 82–83 km, consistent with previous ground-based and satellite measurements. In addition, the 0.7 km vertical resolution of POAM II allows for accurate determination of cloud thickness. For the PMCs detected by POAM II we find a mean thickness of 2.4 km. The mean peak slant optical depth was determined to be 1.2×10−3 for the 1993 season and 1.8×10−3 for the 1994 season, corresponding to a cloud extinction coefficient of 3.9×10−6 and 6.1×10−6 km−1, respectively. The multichannel capability of POAM II also makes it possible to study the wavelength dependence of the measured slant optical depth for the clouds with largest extinction. The results of this analysis suggest an upper limit to the modal particle radii for these clouds of approximately 70 nm.

Infrared radiance and solar glint at the ocean–sky horizon

An analytic model is developed for the mean and clutter infrared radiance emitted from the ocean surface near the horizon and in the presence of solar glint. The model is based on the identification of a characteristic facet dimension over which the ocean surface is essentially flat. Fluctuations in the facet orientation generated by the water wave motion are modeled by a parameterized wave height power spectral density that provides the two orthogonal wave slope variances. The mean and root-meansquare facet radiances are calculated with Gaussian probability-density functions for the wave slopes. One can determine the number of facets within the field of view of a single detector by estimating the exposed ocean area and dividing by the facet area. This estimation takes into account shadowing effects of the swell wave, the swell wavelength, and the transverse detector field of view. The number of exposed facets together with the central-limit theorem permits computation of the radiance clutter as a function of look-down angle below the horizon. Vertical radiance profiles, parameterized by the azimuthal offset from the solar position, are calculated over a sensor look-down angle range of ±50 mrad about the horizon. The results of this analysis are compared with infrared radiance measurements of the ocean surface near the horizon and in the presence of solar glint. Agreement between the measured and calculated values of the mean and clutter radiances is good.