A wide-band nadir-sounding spectroradiometer for the characterization of the Earth\’s outgoing long-wave radiation
Year: 2006
Authors: Bianchini G., Palchetti L., Carli B.
Autors Affiliation: Istituto di Fisica Applicata Nello Carrara, CNR-IFAC, Via Madonna del Piano 10, Florence, Italy
Abstract: A balloon-borne wide-band Fourier transform spectrometer named REFIR-PAD (Radiation Explorer in the Far InfraRed – Prototype for Applications and Development) has been developed at CNR-IFAC to perform the characterisation of the Earth\’s outgoing long-wave radiation in the far-infrared region. The spectroscopic characterisation of this region is expected to increase greatly our level of knowledge of the radiative effects of water content in the upper troposphere. The REFIR-PAD instrument provides spectrally-resolved nadir-sounding radiance measurements in the 100-1400 cm-1 range, with a 0.5 cm-1 resolution, covering the most part of the Earth\’s long-wave emission and including both the far-infrared and the better known middle-infrared region. REFIR-PAD was flown as a piggy-back payload on the CNES IASI-LPMAA stratospheric balloon gondola in June 2005 from Teresina, Brazil. The data collected in this mission, will provide valuable information for the development of a future space mission aimed to the operational monitoring of the upper troposphere water vapour and clouds in order to identify their climate signatures.
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KeyWords: Data acquisition; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; Infrared radiation; Measurement theory; Troposphere, Emission sounding; Far infrared spectroscopy; Outgoing long wave radiation, Earth (planet)