First characterization and validation of FORLI-HNO3 vertical
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TitleFirst characterization and validation of FORLI-HNO3 vertical profiles retrieved from IASI/MetopAbstractKnowing the spatial and seasonal distributions of nitric acid (HNO3) around the globe is of great interest and allows us to comprehend the processes regulating stratospheric ozone, especially in the polar regions. Due to its unprecedented spatial and temporal sampling, the nadir-viewing Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) is capable of sounding the atmosphere twice a day globally, with good spectral resolution and low noise. With the Fast Optimal Retrievals on Layers for IASI (FORLI) algorithm, we are retrieving, in near real time, columns as well as vertical profiles of several atmospheric species, among which is HNO3. We present in this paper the first characterization of the FORLI-HNO3 profile products, in terms of vertical sensitivity and error budgets. We show that the sensitivity of IASI to HNO3 is highest in the lower stratosphere (10-20 km), where the largest amounts of HNO3 are found, but that the vertical sensitivity of IASI only allows one level of information on the profile (degrees of freedom for signal, DOFS 1). The sensitivity near the surface is negligible in most cases, and for this reason, a partial column (5-35 km) is used for the analyses. Both vertical profiles and partial columns are compared to FTIR ground-based measurements from the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) to characterize the accuracy and precision of the FORLI-HNO3 product. The profile validation is conducted through the smoothing of the raw FTIR profiles by the IASI averaging kernels and gives good results, with a slight overestimation of IASI measurements in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UTLS) at the six chosen stations (Thule, Kiruna, Jungfraujoch, Izana, Lauder and Arrival Heights). The validation of the partial columns (5-35 km) is also conclusive with a mean correlation of 0.93 between IASI and the FTIR measurements. An initial survey of the HNO3 spatial and seasonal variabilities obtained from IASI measurements for a 1-year (2011) data set shows that the expected latitudinal gradient of concentrations from low to high latitudes and the large seasonal variability in polar regions (cycle amplitude around 30 percent of the seasonal signal, peak to peak) are well represented by IASI data. Copyright Author(s) 2016.AcknowledgementsIASI has been developed and built under the responsibility of the "Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales" (CNES, France). It is flown on board the MetOp satellites as part of the EUMETSAT Polar System. The IASI L1 data are received through the EUMETCast near-real-time data distribution service. The research was funded by the F.R.S.-FNRS, the Belgian State Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs (Prodex arrangement 4000111403 IASI.FLOW) and EUMETSAT through the Satellite Application Facility on Ozone and atmospheric Chemistry Monitoring (O3MSAF). G. Ronsmans is grateful to the FÌonds pour la Formation à la Recherche dans lÃndustrie et dans lÃgriculture Ìof Belgium for a PhD grant (Boursier FRIA). Cathy Clerbaux is grateful to CNES for financial support. We thank U. Raffalski and P. Voelger for technical support at IRF Kiruna. We would like to thank Antarctica New Zealand and the Scott Base staff for providing logistical support for the NDACC-FTIR measurement programme at Arrival Heights. Measurements at Lauder and Arrival Heights are core-funded by NIWA through New ZealandÅ› Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The contribution by the University of Liège has been primarily supported by the F.R.S.-FNRS, the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and the GAW-CH programme of MeteoSwiss. We further acknowledge the International Foundation High Altitude Research Stations Jungfraujoch and Gomergrat (HFSJG, Bern). E. Mahieu is Associate with F.R.S.-FNRS.Funding DetailsFédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
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1st AuthorRonsmans, G.AuthorRonsmans, G.Langerock, B.Wespes, C.Hannigan, J.Hase, F.Kerzenmacher, T.Mahieu, E.Schneider, M.Smale, D.Hurtmans, D.De Mazière, M.Clerbaux, C.Coheur, P.-F.Year2016JournalAtmospheric Measurement TechniquesVolume9Number9Pages4783-4801DOI10.5194/amt-9-4783-2016URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/recor.....1eac08bf710a231d0e30eab3eKeywordsrank5ProgrammeK085 - Remote sensing and sampling of atmospheric trace gases and greenhouse gases
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TypeArticleCitationRonsmans, G., Langerock, B., Wespes, C., Hannigan, J., Hase, F., Kerzenmacher, T., Mahieu, E., Schneider, M., Smale, D., Hurtmans, D., De Mazière, M., Clerbaux, C. and Coheur, P.-F. (2016). First characterization and validation of FORLI-HNO3 vertical profiles retrieved from IASI/Metop. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(9): 4783-4801 IdentifierRonsmans2016Relevancerank5
Coheur, P.-F., First characterization and validation of FORLI-HNO3 vertical , [Ronsmans2016]. Antarctica NZ, accessed 02/12/2023, https://adam.antarcticanz.govt.nz/nodes/view/63744, 10.5194/amt-9-4783-2016