Mid-Course Space Experiment (MSX): Capabilities of the LWIR interferometer for remote sensing of trace constituents in the stratosphere and mesosphere

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:231047

Zachor, A S ^[1]; Gallery, W O ^[2]; O`Neil, R R; Gibson, J; Gardiner, H A.B. ^[3]; Stair, Jr, A T ^[4]; Mill, J D ^[5]

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1. Atmospheric Radiation Consultants, Inc., Acton, MA (United States)
2. Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States)
3. Air Force Phillips Lab., Hanscom AFB, MA (United States)
4. Visidyne, Inc., Burlington, MA (United States)
5. Environmental Research Inst. of Michigan, Arlington, VA (United States)

The planned Mid-Course Space Experiment (MSX) observations will include two experiments for remote detection of atmospheric trace constituents above 10 km altitude, based on measurements of limb spectral radiance by the cryogenic infrared interferometer and the ultraviolet and visible spectrographic imagers. Species to be monitored include: NO and CO{sub 2} in the thermosphere, O{sub 3} and H{sub 2}O in the mesosphere and stratosphere, HNO{sub 3}, CFC-11, CFC-12, N{sub 2}O and CH{sub 4} in the stratosphere, and CO in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Quantification of the altitude profiles of these species will give insight into processes affecting their global distributions and the atmosphere`s response to anthropogenic perturbations, and contribute to further understanding of global change. The timing of the measurements is particularly advantageous since they will likely be the only regular limb observations of trace constituents during the operational lifetime of the MSX satellite. The SPIRIT III interferometer has a maximum spectral resolution of 1 cm{sup {minus}1} in six spectrally isolated channels whose vertical fields of view are between 4 and 13 km in line-of-sight tangent altitude. The six channels will provide spectra over wavelengths in the 2.6--28 {micro}m range for tangent heights up to 180 km. The capabilities of the interferometer for the planned remote-sensing experiments, based on predicted instrument noise and saturation levels, are described in this paper.

• OSTI ID: 231047
• Report Number(s): CONF-940449--; ISBN 0-8194-1526-X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS
CLIMATIC CHANGE
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EXPERIMENT PLANNING
MESOSPHERE
METHANE
NITRIC ACID
NITRIC OXIDE
NITROUS OXIDE
OZONE
PERFORMANCE
REMOTE SENSING
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
STRATOSPHERE
TRACE AMOUNTS
WATER VAPOR