Vol. 16, issue 03, article # 1

Abstract:

The Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) experiment is operating on board the ENVISAT satellite and uses a Fourier-transform spectrometer to acquire for the first time high spectral resolution middle infrared emission limb sounding spectra of the Earth atmosphere from space. The measurement capabilities make it possible to determine every 75 s the vertical profile of several atmospheric trace constituents, during both day and night with an almost full coverage of the globe. This leads to a three dimensional measurement of the atmospheric composition. In order to handle the large data flow, an optimized code for the Level 2 near real time analysis of MIPAS data was developed by an international consortium of scientists under an ESA contract. The code is designed to provide, in an automated and continuous mode, atmospheric vertical profiles of temperature and pressure, as well as of concentrations of O₃, H₂O, CH₄, HNO₃, N₂O, and NO₂, in the altitude range from 6 to 68 km. The analysis and interpretation of the limb spectra require good knowledge of the molecular parameters of these species as well as of the interfering species. This paper describes the spectroscopic line parameters database compiled for the MIPAS experiment.