Long-term validation of ESA operational retrieval (version 6.0) of MIPAS Envisat vertical profiles of methane, nitrous oxide, CFC11, and CFC12 using balloon-borne observations and trajectory matching

MIPAS-Envisat is a satellite-borne sensor which measured vertical profiles of a wide range of trace gases from 2002 to 2012 using IR emission spectroscopy. We present geophysical validation of the MIPAS-Envisat operational retrieval (version 6.0) of N2O, CH4, CFC-12, and CFC-11 by the European Space...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmospheric measurement techniques 2016-03, Vol.9 (3), p.1051-1062
Main Authors: Engel, Andreas, Bönisch, Harald, Schwarzenberger, Tim, Haase, Hans-Peter, Grunow, Katja, Abalichin, Jana, Sala, Stephan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Altitude
Analytical methods
Balloon observations
Balloons
Chromatography
Data
Datasets
Emission spectroscopy
Fourier transforms
Gases
Geophysics
Infrared spectroscopy
Matching
Meteorological balloons
Mixing ratio
Nitrous oxide
Profiles
Resolution
Retrieval
Satellite observation
Satellites
Spectral resolution
Spectroscopy
Trace gases
Vertical profiles
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Summary:MIPAS-Envisat is a satellite-borne sensor which measured vertical profiles of a wide range of trace gases from 2002 to 2012 using IR emission spectroscopy. We present geophysical validation of the MIPAS-Envisat operational retrieval (version 6.0) of N2O, CH4, CFC-12, and CFC-11 by the European Space Agency (ESA). The geophysical validation data are derived from measurements of samples collected by a cryogenic whole air sampler flown to altitudes of up to 34 km by means of large scientific balloons. In order to increase the number of coincidences between the satellite and the balloon observations, we applied a trajectory matching technique. The results are presented for different time periods due to a change in the spectroscopic resolution of MIPAS in early 2005. Retrieval results for N2O, CH4, and CFC-12 show partly good agreement for some altitude regions, which differs for the periods with different spectroscopic resolution. The more recent low spectroscopic resolution data above 20 km altitude show agreement with the combined uncertainties, while there is a tendency of the earlier high spectral resolution data set to underestimate these species above 25 km. The earlier high spectral resolution data show a significant overestimation of the mixing ratios for N2O, CH4, and CFC-12 below 20 km. These differences need to be considered when using these data. The CFC-11 results from the operation retrieval version 6.0 cannot be recommended for scientific studies due to a systematic overestimation of the CFC-11 mixing ratios at all altitudes.
ISSN:1867-8548
1867-1381
1867-8548
DOI:10.5194/amt-9-1051-2016