Stratospheric spectroscopy with the far-infrared spectrometer: overview and recent results

Wesley A. Traub; Kelly Van Chance; David Geoffrey Johnson; Kenneth W. Jucks

doi:10.1117/12.46670

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1 September 1991 Stratospheric spectroscopy with the far-infrared spectrometer: overview and recent results

Wesley A. Traub, Kelly Van Chance, David Geoffrey Johnson, Kenneth W. Jucks

Proceedings Volume 1491, Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Chemistry; (1991) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.46670
Event: Orlando '91, 1991, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's program of balloon-borne stratospheric spectroscopic measurements is described, including instrumentation, recent scientific results, and future plans. The design and operation of the FIRS-2 far-infrared spectrometer is discussed. The current status of our efforts to recover mixing-ratio profiles with about 1 percent precision is presented. Representative recent results are shown giving mixing-ratio profiles from 20 to 50 km, selected from the suite HOCl, HCl, HF, NO2, N2O, HNO3, OH, HO2, H2O2, H2O (and isotopes), O2 (and isotopes), O3 (and isotopes), and CO2 (and isotopes). The utility of O2 and CO2 spectral lines for information on view angle or temperature and pressure is discussed. Future plans are mentioned, including the use of FIRS-2 on a balloon platform for UARS correlative measurements, the use of FIRS-2 on the NASA DC-8 platform for polar measurements, and the potential benefits of a FIRS instrument on a Shuttle platform.

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Wesley A. Traub, Kelly Van Chance, David Geoffrey Johnson, and Kenneth W. Jucks "Stratospheric spectroscopy with the far-infrared spectrometer: overview and recent results", Proc. SPIE 1491, Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Chemistry, (1 September 1991); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.46670

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