The UARS SOLSTICE
Conference
·
OSTI ID:227962
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States). High Altitude Observatory
Understanding the changes in solar energy input into the Earth`s atmosphere is an important component in understanding and distinguishing the natural and anthropogenic impacts on the atmosphere. The deposition of the solar radiation, both in the atmosphere and at the surface, is the principal driver of diurnal cycles of chemistry and dynamics and variations in solar radiation provide a major influence on global heating, dynamics and photochemistry. The SOLar STellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE) is a three channel grating spectrometer on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). The instrument measures the solar irradiance in the ultraviolet, 120 to 420 nm, with a spectral resolution ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 nm. The prime science objective is to accurately measure the solar irradiance at wavelengths important to atmospheric photochemistry, with particular emphasis on determining the variation of the solar UV flux. In order to track changes in the instrument sensitivity, SOLSTICE has the unique capability of observing bright blue stars with the very same optics and detectors used for the solar observations. Individually, the ultraviolet flux from these stars should vary by only small fractions of a percent over time periods of thousands of years, but the average flux from the twenty calibration stars provides an even more stable reference. In this report the authors describe the instrument design and operation and illustrate the success of this technique during the first two years of the UARS mission.
- OSTI ID:
- 227962
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940723--; ISBN 0-8194-1590-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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