M. R. Gunson

Overview of the EOS aura mission

Aura, the last of the large Earth Observing System observatories, was launched on July 15, 2004. Aura is designed to make comprehensive stratospheric and tropospheric composition measurements from its four instruments, the High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS), the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), and the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). With the exception of HIRDLS, all of the instruments are performing as expected, and HIRDLS will likely be able to deliver most of their planned data products. We summarize the mission, instruments, and synergies in this paper.

The Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) Experiment: Deployment on the ATLAS space shuttle missions

The ATMOS Fourier transform spectrometer was flown for a fourth time on the Space Shuttle as part of the ATLAS-3 instrument payload in November 1994. More than 190 sunrise and sunset occultation events provided measurements of more than 30 atmospheric trace gases at latitudes 3–49°N and 65–72°S, including observations both inside and outside the Antarctic polar vortex. The instrument configuration, data retrieval methodology, and mission background are described to place in context analyses of ATMOS data presented in this issue.

Evaluation of source gas lifetimes from stratospheric observations

Simultaneous in situ measurements of the long-lived trace species N2O, CH4, 12, CFC-113, CFC-11, CCl4, CH3CCl3, H-1211, and SF6 were made in the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere on board the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft during the 1994 campaign Airborne Southern Hemisphere Ozone Experiment/ Measurements for Assessing the Effects of Stratospheric Aircraft. The observed extratropical tracer abundances exhibit compact mutual correlations that show little interhemispheric difference or seasonal variability except at higher altitudes in southern hemisphere spring. The environmental impact of the measured source gases depends, among other factors, on the rate at which they release ozone-depleting chemicals in the stratosphere, that is, on their stratospheric lifetimes. We calculate the mean age of the air from the SF6 measurements and show how stratospheric lifetimes of the other species may be derived semiempirically from their observed gradients with respect to mean age at the extratropical tropopause. We also derive independent stratospheric lifetimes using the CFC-11 lifetime and the slopes of the tracers correlations with CFC-11. In both cases, we correct for the influence of tropospheric growth on stratospheric tracer gradients using the observed mean age of the air, time series of observed tropospheric abundances, and model-derived estimates of the width of the stratospheric age spectrum. Lifetime results from the two methods are consistent with each other. Our best estimates for stratospheric lifetimes are 122±24 years for N2O, 93±18 years for CH4, 87±17 years for CFC-12, 100±32 years for CFC-113, 32±6 years for CCl4, 34±7 years for CH3CCl3, and 24±6 years for H-1211. Most of these estimates are significantly smaller than currently recommended lifetimes, which are based largely on photochemical model calculations. Because the derived stratospheric lifetimes are identical to atmospheric lifetimes for most of the species considered, the shorter lifetimes would imply a faster recovery of the ozone layer following the phaseout of industrial halocarbons than currently predicted.

Halogen Occultation Experiment ozone channel validation

The HALogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) instrument on UARS observes vertical profiles of ozone and other gases of interest for atmospheric chemistry using the solar occultation technique. A broadband radiometer in the 9.6-μm band is used for ozone measurements. Version 17 ozone retrieved by HALOE is intercompared successfully with about 400 profiles of other sounders, including ozonesondes, lidars, balloons, rocketsondes, and other satellites. Usually, the HALOE data are within the error range of the correlative measurements between about 100 and 0.03 mbar atmospheric pressure. Between about 30 and 1 mbar, HALOE agrees typically within 5%, with a tendency to be low. In the first year of data, larger errors sometimes occur in the lower stratosphere due to the necessary correction for Pinatubo aerosol effects, but these differences do not exceed 20%. The data show internal consistency for sunrise and sunset events at the same locations. Some examples of observed ozone distributions, including polar regions, are given.

Validation of measurements of water vapor from the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE)

The Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) experiment is a solar occultation limb sounder which operates between 2.45 and 10.0 μm to measure the composition of the mesosphere, stratosphere, and upper troposphere. It flies onboard the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) which was launched in September 1991. Measurements are made of the transmittance of the atmosphere in a number of spectral channels as the Sun rises or sets behind the limb of the atmosphere. One of the channels, at 6.60 μm, is a broadband filter channel tuned to detect absorption in the ν2 band of water vapor. This paper describes efforts to validate the absolute and relative uncertainties (accuracy and precision) of the measurements from this channel. The HALOE data have been compared with independent measurements, using a variety of observational techniques, from balloons, from the ground, and from other space missions, and with the results of a two-dimensional model. The results show that HALOE is providing global measurements throughout the stratosphere and mesosphere with an accuracy within ±10% over most of this height range, and to within ±30% at the boundaries, and to a precision in the lower stratosphere of a few percent. The H2O data are combined with HALOE measurements of CH4 in order to test the data in terms of conservation of total hydrogen, with most encouraging results. The observed systematic behavior and internal consistency of the HALOE data, coupled with these estimates of their accuracy, indicate that the data may be used for quantitative tests of our understanding of the physical and chemical processes which control the concentration of H2O in the middle atmosphere.

ATMOS stratospheric deuterated water and implications for troposphere‐stratosphere transport

Measurements of the isotopic composition of stratospheric water by the ATMOS instrument are used to infer the convective history of stratospheric air. The average water vapor entering the stratosphere is found to be highly depleted of deuterium, with δDw of −670±80 (67% deuterium loss). Model calculations predict, however, that under conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium, dehydration to stratospheric mixing ratios should produce stronger depletion to δDw of −800 to −900 (80–90% deuterium loss). Deuterium enrichment of water vapor in ascending parcels can occur only in conditions of rapid convection; enrichments persisting into the stratosphere require that those conditions continue to near-tropopause altitudes. We conclude that either the predominant source of water vapor to the uppermost troposphere is enriched convective water, most likely evaporated cloud ice, or troposphere-stratosphere transport occurs closely associated with tropical deep convection.

Validation of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide measurements made by the Halogen Occultation Experiment for UARS platform

The Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) experiment on Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) performs solar occultation (sunrise and sunset) measurements to infer the composition and structure of the stratosphere and mesosphere. Two of the HALOE channels, centered at 5.26 μm and 6.25 μm, are designed to infer concentrations of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide respectively. The NO measurements extend from the lower stratosphere up to 130 km, while the NO 2 results typically range from the lower stratosphere to 50 km and higher near the winter terminator. Comparison with results from various instruments are presented, including satellite-, balloon-, and ground-based measurements. Both NO and NO 2 can show large percentage errors in the presence of heavy aerosol concenuations, confined to below 25 km and before 1993. The NO 2 measurements show mean differences with correlative measurements of about 10 to 15% over the middle stratosphere. The NO 2 precision is about 7.5×10 -13 atm, degrading to 2×10 -12 atm in the lower stratosphere. The NO differences are similar in the middle stratosphere but sometimes show a low bias (as much as 35%) between 30 and 60 km with some correlative measurements. NO precision when expressed in units of density is nearly constant at 1×10 -12 atmospheres, or approximately 0.1 ppbv at 10.0 mb or, 1.0 ppbv at 1.0 mb, and so forth when expressed in mixing ratio. Above 65 km, agreement in the mean with Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) NO results is very good, typically ±15%. Model comparisons are also presented, showing good agreement with both expected morphology and diurnal behavior for both NO 2 and NO.

Correlations of stratospheric abundances of NO y , O3, N2O, and CH4 derived from ATMOS measurements

Correlations are presented for [NO y ] relative to [N 2 O] and [O 3 ] derived from measurements from the Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) instrument from a wide range of altitudes and latitudes, including the tropics for which previous analyses have not extended above ∼20 km. Relationships for [O 3 ] versus [N 2 O] are also given. The results are shown to be in good agreement with aircraft- and balloon-based observations. Distinct correlations are observed for the tropics, the springtime polar vortex, and the extratropics-extravortex regions. These correlations demonstrate rapid production of NO y and O 3 in the tropical middle stratosphere and episodic export of air from this region to higher latitudes. Isolation of air within the developing polar vortices in the fall is also shown. Arctic vortex data from April 1993 appear to indicate denitrification of 25-30%, which is evident as a 3.0-4.5 ppb deficit in [NO,] when the vortex [NO y ]:[N 2 O] correlation is compared with the extravortex correlation. A mixture of air descended from above 40 km with air from lower altitudes can fully account for this deficit in [NO y ], in addition to approximately half of an apparent Arctic ozone loss of 50-60%, as inferred by comparison of the vortex and extravortex [O 3 ]:[N 2 O] correlations. Comparison of Antarctic vortex and extravortex correlations from November 1994 similarly show a 60-80% deficit in [NO y ] and 80-100% deficit in [O 3 ]; at least half of this apparent denitrification and ozone loss can be attributed to mixing of air descended from higher altitudes with air from lower altitudes.

Validation of Halogen Occultation Experiment CH4 measurements from the UARS

Global distributions of CH4 in the mesosphere and stratosphere have been measured continuously since October 11, 1991, by the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) onboard the UARS. CH4 mixing ratio is obtained using the gas filter correlation technique operating in the 3.3-μm region. Since measurements are made during solar occultation in the 57° inclination orbit, data are collected 15 times daily for both sunrises and sunsets. This provides coverage of one hemisphere in a month period. One complete hemispheric sweep (from equator to ∼80° latitude) is made during the spring and summer seasons of two hemispheres, and a partial sweep (from equator to around 50° latitude) is made during the fall and winter seasons of two hemispheres. HALOE CH4 measurements are validated using direct comparisons with correlative data and internal consistency checks using other HALOE-measured tracers, HF, and aerosols. It is estimated for the 0.3- to 50-mbar region that the total error, including systematic and random components, is less than 15% and that the precision is better than 7%. The CH4 gas filter channel does not depend significantly on the Pinatubo aerosol extinction. An experimentally accurate measurement of CH4 is very important because CH4 is a primary interfering gas in the HALOE HCl channel and, subsequently, can cause HCl measurement error. Simultaneous measurements of CH4 and other HALOE species (O3, H2O, NO, NO2, HCl, HF, and aerosol extinction coefficients) provide important information on atmospheric dynamic and chemical processes, since CH4 can be used as a tracer and an indicator of atmospheric transport processes. Several new pieces of information on previously unreported HALOE-observed features are also presented.

Validation of CH4 and N2O measurements by the cryogenic limb array etalon spectrometer instrument on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

CH 4 and N 2 O are useful as dynamical tracers of stratospheric air transport because of their long photochemical lifetimes over a wide range of altitudes. The cryogenic limb array etalon spectrometer (CLAES) instrument on the NASA UARS provided simultaneous global measurements of the altitude profiles of CH 4 and N 2 O mixing ratios in the stratosphere between October 1, 1991, and May 5, 1993. Data between January 9, 1992, and May 5, 1993 (388 days), have been processed using version 7 data processing software, and this paper is concerned with the assessment of the quality of this data set. CLAES is a limb-viewing emission instrument, and approximately 1200 profiles were obtained each 24-hour period for each constituent over a nominal altitude range of 100 to 0.1 mbar (16 to 64 km). Each latitude was sampled 30 times per day between latitudes 34°S and 80°N, or 34°N and 80°S depending on the yaw direction of the UARS, and nearly all local times were sampled in about 36 days. This data set extends the altitude, latitude, and seasonal coverage of previous experiments, particularly in relation to measurements at high winter latitudes. To arrive at estimates of experiment error, we compared CLAES profiles for both gases with a wide variety of correlative data from ground-based, rocket, aircraft, balloon, and space-borne sensors, looked at the repeatability of multiple profiles in the same location, and carried out empirical estimates of experiment error based on knowledge of instrument characteristics. These analyses indicate an average single-profile CH 4 systematic error of about 15% between 46 and 0.46 mbar, with CLAES biased high. The CH 4 random error over this range is 0.08 to 0.05 parts per million, which translates to about 7% in the midstratosphere. For N 2 O the indicated systematic error is less than 15% at all altitudes between 68 and 2 mbar, with CLAES tending to be high below 6.8 mbar and low above. The N 2 O random error is 20 to 5 ppb between 46 and 2 mbar, which also translates to 7% in the low to midstratosphere. Both tracers have useful profile information to as low as 68 mbar, excluding the tropics, and as high as 0.2 mbar (CH 4 ) and 1 mbar (N 2 O). The global fields show generally good spatial correlation and exhibit the major morphological and seasonal features seen in previous global field data. Several morphological features are pointed out for regions and conditions for which there have been essentially no previous data. These include the differential behavior of the tracer isopleths near and inside the Antarctic winter vortex, and local maxima in the tropics in 1992, probably associated with the Mount Pinatubo sulfate aerosol layer. Overall, the results of this validation exercise indicate that the version 7 CH 4 and N 2 O data sets can be used with good confidence for quantitative and qualitative studies of stratospheric and lower-mesospheric atmospheric structure and dynamics.