Article (Scientific journals)
Validation of ACE-FTS N2O measurements
Strong, Kimberley; Wolff, Mareile A; Kerzenmacher, Tobias E et al.
2008In Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 8 (16), p. 4759-4786
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Keywords :
ACE-FTS; validation; nitrous oxide
Abstract :
[en] The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE), also known as SCISAT, was launched on 12 August 2003, carrying two instruments that measure vertical profiles of atmospheric constituents using the solar occultation technique. One of these instruments, the ACE Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS), is measuring volume mixing ratio (VMR) profiles of nitrous oxide (N2O) from the upper troposphere to the lower mesosphere at a vertical resolution of about 3-4 km. In this study, the quality of the ACE-FTS version 2.2 N2O data is assessed through comparisons with coincident measurements made by other satellite, balloon-borne, aircraft, and ground-based instruments. These consist of vertical profile comparisons with the SMR, MLS, and MIPAS satellite instruments, multiple aircraft flights of ASUR, and single balloon flights of SPIRALE and FIRS-2, and partial column comparisons with a network of ground-based Fourier Transform InfraRed spectrometers (FTIRs). Between 6 and 30 km, the mean absolute differences for the satellite comparisons lie between -42 ppbv and +17 ppbv, with most within +/- 20 ppbv. This corresponds to relative deviations from the mean that are within +/- 15%, except for comparisons with MIPAS near 30 km, for which they are as large as 22.5%. Between 18 and 30 km, the mean absolute differences for the satellite comparisons are generally within +/- 10 ppbv. From 30 to 60 km, the mean absolute differences are within +/- 4 ppbv, and are mostly between -2 and +1 ppbv. Given the small N2O VMR in this region, the relative deviations from the mean are therefore large at these altitudes, with most suggesting a negative bias in the ACE-FTS data between 30 and 50 km. In the comparisons with the FTIRs, the mean relative differences between the ACE-FTS and FTIR partial columns (which cover a mean altitude range of 14 to 27 km) are within +/- 5.6% for eleven of the twelve contributing stations. This mean relative difference is negative at ten stations, suggesting a small negative bias in the ACE-FTS partial columns over the altitude regions compared. Excellent correlation (R=0.964) is observed between the ACE-FTS and FTIR partial columns, with a slope of 1.01 and an intercept of -0.20 on the line fitted to the data.
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Author, co-author :
Strong, Kimberley
Wolff, Mareile A
Kerzenmacher, Tobias E
Walker, Kaley A.
Bernath, Peter
Blumenstock, Thomas
Boone, Christopher D.;  University of Waterloo > Department of Chemistry
Catoire, Valéry
Coffey, Michael
De Mazière, Martine
Demoulin, Philippe ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Groupe infra-rouge de phys. atmosph. et solaire (GIRPAS)
Dupuy, Eric
Hannigan, Jim
Hoepfner, Michael
Glatthor, N.
Griffith, Dave W. T.
Jin, J. J.
Jones, Nicholas
Jucks, Ken
Küllmann, Harry;  University of Bremen > Institute for Environmental Physics
Kuttippurath, Jayan;  University of Bremen > Institute for Environmental Physics
Lambert, A.
Mahieu, Emmanuel  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Groupe infra-rouge de phys. atmosph. et solaire (GIRPAS)
McConnell, John C.;  York University (Ontario, Canada) > Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science
Mellqvist, Johan;  Chalmers University of Technology (Göteborg) > Department of Radio and Space Science
Mikuteit, Sabine
Murtagh, Donal
Notholt, Justus
Piccolo, C.
Raspollini, P.
Ridolfi, M.
Robert, C.
Schneider, Matthias
Schrems, O.
Semeniuk, K.
Senten, Cindy
Stiller, G. P.
Strandberg, Anders
Taylor, Jeffrey R.
Tétard, Cédric
Toohey, M.
Urban, J.
Warneke, Thorsten
Wood, Stephen W.
More authors (35 more) Less
Language :
English
Title :
Validation of ACE-FTS N2O measurements
Publication date :
19 August 2008
Journal title :
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
ISSN :
1680-7316
eISSN :
1680-7324
Publisher :
Copernicus Publications, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
Volume :
8
Issue :
16
Pages :
4759-4786
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Available on ORBi :
since 17 December 2008

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