Residual temperature bias effects in stratospheric species distributions from LIMS

<p>The Nimbus 7 Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) instrument operated from 25 October 1978 through 28 May 1979. Its version 6 (V6) profiles were processed and archived in 2002. We present several diagnostic examples of the quality of the V6 stratospheric species distributions ba...

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Main Authors: E. Remsberg, V. L. Harvey, A. Krueger, M. Natarajan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2021-03-01
Series:Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Online Access:https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/14/2185/2021/amt-14-2185-2021.pdf
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language English
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author E. Remsberg
V. L. Harvey
A. Krueger
M. Natarajan
spellingShingle E. Remsberg
V. L. Harvey
A. Krueger
M. Natarajan
Residual temperature bias effects in stratospheric species distributions from LIMS
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
author_facet E. Remsberg
V. L. Harvey
A. Krueger
M. Natarajan
author_sort E. Remsberg
title Residual temperature bias effects in stratospheric species distributions from LIMS
title_short Residual temperature bias effects in stratospheric species distributions from LIMS
title_full Residual temperature bias effects in stratospheric species distributions from LIMS
title_fullStr Residual temperature bias effects in stratospheric species distributions from LIMS
title_full_unstemmed Residual temperature bias effects in stratospheric species distributions from LIMS
title_sort residual temperature bias effects in stratospheric species distributions from lims
publisher Copernicus Publications
series Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
issn 1867-1381
1867-8548
publishDate 2021-03-01
description <p>The Nimbus 7 Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) instrument operated from 25 October 1978 through 28 May 1979. Its version 6 (V6) profiles were processed and archived in 2002. We present several diagnostic examples of the quality of the V6 stratospheric species distributions based on their level 3 zonal Fourier coefficient products. In particular, we show that there are small differences in the ascending (<span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i></span>) minus descending (<span class="inline-formula"><i>D</i></span>) orbital temperature–pressure or <span class="inline-formula"><i>T</i>(<i>p</i></span>) profiles (their <span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>−<i>D</i></span> values) that affect (<span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>−<i>D</i></span>) species values. Systematic <span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>−<i>D</i></span> biases in <span class="inline-formula"><i>T</i>(<i>p</i></span>) can arise from small radiance biases and/or from viewing anomalies along orbits. There can also be (<span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>−<i>D</i></span>) differences in <span class="inline-formula"><i>T</i>(<i>p</i></span>) due to not resolving and correcting for all of the atmospheric temperature gradient along LIMS tangent view-paths. An error in <span class="inline-formula"><i>T</i>(<i>p</i></span>) affects species retrievals through (1) the Planck blackbody function in forward calculations of limb radiance that are part of the iterative retrieval algorithm of LIMS, and (2) the registration of the measured LIMS species radiance profiles in pressure altitude, mainly for the lower stratosphere. There are clear <span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>−<i>D</i></span> differences for ozone, H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O, and HNO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> but not for NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>. Percentage differences are larger in the lower stratosphere for ozone and H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O because those species are optically thick. We evaluate V6 ozone profile biases in the upper stratosphere with the aid of comparisons against a monthly climatology of UV–ozone soundings from rocketsondes. We also provide results of time series analyses of V6 ozone, H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O, and potential vorticity for the middle stratosphere to show that their average (<span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>+<i>D</i></span>) V6 level 3 products provide a clear picture of the evolution of those tracers during Northern Hemisphere winter. We recommend that researchers use the average V6 level 3 product for their science studies of stratospheric ozone and H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O, while keeping in mind that there are uncorrected nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium effects in daytime ozone in the lower mesosphere and in daytime H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O in the uppermost stratosphere. We also point out that the present-day Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) experiment provides measurements and retrievals of temperature and ozone that are nearly free of anomalous diurnal variations and of effects from gradients at low and middle latitudes.</p>
url https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/14/2185/2021/amt-14-2185-2021.pdf
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spelling doaj-e9e27735604b44c9b1a40d2dee5877af2021-03-19T14:09:05ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Measurement Techniques1867-13811867-85482021-03-01142185219910.5194/amt-14-2185-2021Residual temperature bias effects in stratospheric species distributions from LIMSE. Remsberg0V. L. Harvey1A. Krueger2M. Natarajan3Science Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center, 21 Langley Blvd, Mail Stop 401B, Hampton, VA 23681, USALaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado Boulder, 3665 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, USAEmeritus Senior Scientist, Code 614 Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAScience Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center, 21 Langley Blvd, Mail Stop 401B, Hampton, VA 23681, USA<p>The Nimbus 7 Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) instrument operated from 25 October 1978 through 28 May 1979. Its version 6 (V6) profiles were processed and archived in 2002. We present several diagnostic examples of the quality of the V6 stratospheric species distributions based on their level 3 zonal Fourier coefficient products. In particular, we show that there are small differences in the ascending (<span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i></span>) minus descending (<span class="inline-formula"><i>D</i></span>) orbital temperature–pressure or <span class="inline-formula"><i>T</i>(<i>p</i></span>) profiles (their <span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>−<i>D</i></span> values) that affect (<span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>−<i>D</i></span>) species values. Systematic <span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>−<i>D</i></span> biases in <span class="inline-formula"><i>T</i>(<i>p</i></span>) can arise from small radiance biases and/or from viewing anomalies along orbits. There can also be (<span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>−<i>D</i></span>) differences in <span class="inline-formula"><i>T</i>(<i>p</i></span>) due to not resolving and correcting for all of the atmospheric temperature gradient along LIMS tangent view-paths. An error in <span class="inline-formula"><i>T</i>(<i>p</i></span>) affects species retrievals through (1) the Planck blackbody function in forward calculations of limb radiance that are part of the iterative retrieval algorithm of LIMS, and (2) the registration of the measured LIMS species radiance profiles in pressure altitude, mainly for the lower stratosphere. There are clear <span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>−<i>D</i></span> differences for ozone, H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O, and HNO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> but not for NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>. Percentage differences are larger in the lower stratosphere for ozone and H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O because those species are optically thick. We evaluate V6 ozone profile biases in the upper stratosphere with the aid of comparisons against a monthly climatology of UV–ozone soundings from rocketsondes. We also provide results of time series analyses of V6 ozone, H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O, and potential vorticity for the middle stratosphere to show that their average (<span class="inline-formula"><i>A</i>+<i>D</i></span>) V6 level 3 products provide a clear picture of the evolution of those tracers during Northern Hemisphere winter. We recommend that researchers use the average V6 level 3 product for their science studies of stratospheric ozone and H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O, while keeping in mind that there are uncorrected nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium effects in daytime ozone in the lower mesosphere and in daytime H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O in the uppermost stratosphere. We also point out that the present-day Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) experiment provides measurements and retrievals of temperature and ozone that are nearly free of anomalous diurnal variations and of effects from gradients at low and middle latitudes.</p>https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/14/2185/2021/amt-14-2185-2021.pdf