J. De La Noë

Odin/SMR limb observations of stratospheric trace gases: Level 2 processing of ClO, N2O, HNO3, and O3

The Sub-Millimetre Radiometer (SMR) on board the Odin satellite, launched on 20 February 2001, observes key species with respect to stratospheric chemistry and dynamics such as O-3, ClO, N2O, and HNO3 using two bands centered at 501.8 and 544.6 GHz. We present the adopted methodology for level 2 processing and the achieved in-orbit measurement capabilities of the SMR radiometer for these species in terms of altitude range, altitude resolution, and measurement precision. The characteristics of the relevant level 2 data versions, namely version 1.2 of the operational processor as well as versions 222 and 223 of the reference code, are discussed and differences are evaluated. An analysis of systematic retrieval errors, resulting from spectroscopic and instrumental uncertainties, is also presented.

Moliere (v5): a versatile forward- and inversion model for the millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelength range

Abstract Recent advancements in the development of passive millimeter and sub-millimeter wave heterodyne techniques for ground-based, air-borne, and space-borne observations of key parameters in Earths middle atmosphere have triggered the development of adequate data analysis methods and models. This paper provides a detailed description of the versatile forward- and inversion-model for the millimeter- and sub-millimeter wavelength range, MOLIERE (v5) (Microwave Observation LIne Estimation and REtrieval, version 5). Present applications of the model include data analysis for ground-based and space-borne heterodyne instruments such as the sub-millimeter radiometer (SMR) on board the Odin satellite as well as definition studies for future limb sensors dedicated to Earth observation and Mars exploration. The physical and mathematical basics of the forward- and retrieval-model parts are presented. The main emphasis is then put on the description of the numerical implementation of the algorithms for radiative transfer and weighting function computations as well as on the employed method for modeling atmospheric refraction.

Polar vortex evolution during the 2002 Antarctic major warming as observed by the Odin satellite

In September 2002 the Antarctic polar vortex split in two under the influence of a sudden warming. During this event, the Odin satellite was able to measure both ozone (O3) and chlorine monoxide (ClO), a key constituent responsible for the so-called “ozone hole”, together with nitrous oxide (N2O), a dynamical tracer, and nitric acid (HNO3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), tracers of denitrification. The submillimeter radiometer (SMR) microwave instrument and the Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System (OSIRIS) UV-visible light spectrometer (VIS) and IR instrument on board Odin have sounded the polar vortex during three different periods: before (19–20 September), during (24–25 September), and after (1–2 and 4–5 October) the vortex split. Odin observations coupled with the Reactive Processes Ruling the Ozone Budget in the Stratosphere (REPROBUS) chemical transport model at and above 500 K isentropic surfaces (heights above 18 km) reveal that on 19–20 September the Antarctic vortex was dynamically stable and chemically nominal: denitrified, with a nearly complete chlorine activation, and a 70% O3 loss at 500 K. On 25–26 September the unusual morphology of the vortex is monitored by the N2O observations. The measured ClO decay is consistent with other observations performed in 2002 and in the past. The vortex split episode is followed by a nearly complete deactivation of the ClO radicals on 1–2 October, leading to the end of the chemical O3 loss, while HNO3 and NO2 fields start increasing. This acceleration of the chlorine deactivation results from the warming of the Antarctic vortex in 2002, putting an early end to the polar stratospheric cloud season. The model simulation suggests that the vortex elongation toward regions of strong solar irradiance also favored the rapid reformation of ClONO2. The observed dynamical and chemical evolution of the 2002 polar vortex is qualitatively well reproduced by REPROBUS. Quantitative differences are mainly attributable to the too weak amounts of HNO3 in the model, which do not produce enough NO2 in presence of sunlight to deactivate chlorine as fast as observed by Odin.

Diurnal variability of mesospheric ozone as measured by the UARS microwave limb sounder instrument: Theoretical and ground‐based validations

Diurnal variability of mesospheric ozone as measured by the 183-GHz radiometer of the UARS microwave limb sounder (MLS) instrument for the northern midlatitudes in October 1991 and 1992 is compared with theoretical calculations of diurnal amplitudes produced by two photochemical models and with ground-based microwave measurements made from Bordeaux (France, 45°N) in October 1988, 1989, and 1990 and the Table Mountain Facility (California, 35°N) in October 1990. Great care has been taken in comparing all the data sets within the same frame, i.e., interpolating onto the same vertical grid (pressure or altitude), using the same units (concentration or mixing ratio) and degrading the vertical resolution of some data or models (convolution of the vertical profiles with appropriate averaging kernels). MLS diurnal variability generally agrees to within 10% with ground-based and model results at 0.5, 0.2, 0.1, and 0.05 hPa (approximately 55, 60, 65, and 70 km, respectively). Although modeled diurnal changes at 55 ± 8 km are closer to the ground-based Bordeaux measurements than to the MLS data at 45°N, MLS results are closer to ground-based Table Mountain Facility data at 35°N at 0.42 and 0.22 hPa (∼55 ± 8 and ∼60 ± 8 km, respectively) than to models. At 0.1 and 0.042 hPa, MLS diurnal changes are weaker than ground-based and model variations, but daytime O 3 mixing ratios are found to be in very good agreement for all data sets.

Odin/SMR limb observations of stratospheric trace gases: Validation of N2O

The Sub-Millimetre Radiometer (Odin/SMR) on board the Odin satellite, launched on 20 February 2001, performs regular measurements of the global distribution of stratospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) using spectral observations of the J = 20R 19 rotational transition centered at 502.296 GHz. We present a quality assessment for the retrieved N2O profiles (level 2 product) by comparison with independent balloonborne and aircraftborne validation measurements as well as by cross-comparing with preliminary results from other satellite instruments. An agreement with the airborne validation experiments within 28 ppbv in terms of the root mean square (RMS) deviation is found for all SMR data versions (v222, v223, and v1.2) under investigation. More precisely, the agreement is within 19 ppbv for N2O volume mixing ratios (VMR) lower than 200 ppbv and within 10% for mixing ratios larger than 150 ppbv. Given the uncertainties due to atmospheric variability inherent to such comparisons, these values should be interpreted as upper limits for the systematic error of the Odin/SMR N2O measurements. Odin/SMR N2O mixing ratios are systematically slightly higher than nonvalidated data obtained from the Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer-II (ILAS-II) on board the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II (ADEOS-II). Root mean square deviations are generally within 23 ppbv (or 20% for VMR-N2O > 100 ppbv) for versions 222 and 223. The comparison with data obtained from the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) on the Envisat satellite yields a good agreement within 9-17 ppbv (or 10% for VMR-N2O > 100 ppbv) for the same data versions. Odin/SMR version 1.2 data show somewhat larger RMS deviations and a higher positive bias.

Co‐located ACE‐FTS and Odin/SMR stratospheric‐mesospheric CO 2004 measurements and comparison with a GCM

This paper presents a comparison of co-located and near simultaneous CO measurements from January to May, 2004 and from the Arctic to southern polar regions using the ACE-FTS, in solar occultation mode, and the Odin/SMR, which measures atmospheric emission. We find that there is excellent agreement between the two instruments at the locations investigated over 4 orders of magnitude from the lower stratosphere to the lower thermosphere. There is also good agreement with the CMAM model simulation from 20 km to 90 km in sub-tropical and tropical latitudes but poorer agreement in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere in winter polar regions. For the Arctic in March 2004 this can be attributed, at least partly, to the unique dynamical processes in the stratosphere in the winter of 2003 - 2004. Clearly CO measurements from these instruments will provide a useful tool for testing model transport from the troposphere to the thermosphere.

Strato‐mesospheric measurements of carbon monoxide with the Odin Sub‐Millimetre Radiometer: Retrieval and first results

The Sub-Millimetre Radiometer (SMR) aboard the Odin satellite has been measuring vertical profiles of atmospheric trace gases since August 2001. We present the inversion methodology developed for CO measurements and the first retrieval results. CO can be retrieved from a single scan measurement throughout the middle atmosphere, with a typical resolution of similar to3 km and a relative error of similar to10% to similar to25%. Retrieval results are evaluated through comparison with data from the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) and observations of the Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (ISAMS) on board the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS). Considering the large natural variability of CO, the SMR retrievals give good confirmation of the WACCM results, with an overall agreement within a factor of 2. ISAMS abundances are higher than SMR mixing ratios by a factor of 5-10 above 0.5 hPa from similar to80degreesS to similar to50degreesN.

Combined characterisation of GOME and TOMS total ozone measurements from space using ground-based observations from the NDSC

Several years of total ozone measured from space by the ERS-2 GOME, the Earth Probe TOMS, and the ADEOS TOMS, are compared with high-quality ground-based observations associated with the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC), over an extended latitude range and a variety of geophysical conditions. The comparisons with each spaceborne sensor are combined altogether for investigating their respective solar zenith angle (SZA) dependence, dispersion, and difference of sensitivity. The space- and ground-based data are found to agree within a few percent on average. However, the analysis highlights for both GOME and TOMS several sources of discrepancies: (i) a SZA dependence with TOMS beyond 80° SZA; (ii) a seasonal SZA dependence with GOME beyond 70° SZA; (iii) a difference of sensitivity with GOME at high latitudes; (iv) a difference of sensitivity to low ozone values between satellite and SAOZ sensors around the southern tropics; (v) a north/south difference of TOMS with the ground-based observations; and (vi) internal inconsistencies in GOME total ozone.

Measurements of the vertical distribution of ozone by ground-based microwave techniques at the Bordeaux Observatory during the June 1981 intercomparison campaign

Abstract Spectra of the ozone emission line at 110.832 GHz were obtained by a ground-based technique using radio microwaves at the Bordeaux Observatory, France, during the Intercomparison Ozone Campaign on 19 and 26 June 1981. From the spectra, it is possible to obtain altitude profiles of the ozone concentration by a model-fitting computation method which is briefly described. The resulting profiles are given, which can be compared with other observations in the same altitude range.

Nighttime chlorine monoxide observations by the Odin satellite and implications for the ClO/Cl2O2 equilibrium

We use measurements of chlorine monoxide (ClO) by the SMR instrument onboard the Odin satellite to study the nighttime thermal equilibrium between ClO and its dimer Cl2O2. Observations performed in the polar vortex during the 2002-2003 Arctic winter showed enhanced amounts of nighttime ClO over a wide range of stratospheric temperatures (185 < T < 225 K). Odin/SMR measurements are here compared to three-dimensional model calculations using various published estimations of the K-eq equilibrium constant between ClO and Cl2O2. Our results show that the value of K-eq currently recommended by JPL (Sander et al., 2003) leads to a large underestimation of the observed nighttime ClO amounts, and that a realistic estimation of K-eq must lie between the values determined by Cox and Hayman (1988) and Von Hobe et al. (2005).