Validation of the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) version 2.2 temperature using ground-based and space-borne measurements
Year: 2008
Authors: Sica R. J., Izaw, MRM., Walker KA., Boone C., Petelina SV., Argall PS., Bernath P., Burns GB., Catoire V., Collins RL., Daffer WH., De Clercq C., Fan ZY., Firansk, BJ., French, WJR., Gerard P., Gerding M., Granville J., Innis JL., Keckhut P., Kerzenmacher T., Klekociuk AR., Kyro E., Lambert JC., Llewellyn EJ., Manney GL,, McDermid IS., Mizutani K., Murayama Y., Piccolo C., Raspollini P., Ridolfi M., Robert C., Steinbrecht W., Strawbridge KB., Strong K., Stuebi R., Thurairajah B.
Autors Affiliation: Univ Western Ontario, Dept Phys & Astron, London, ON, Canada
Univ Western Ontario, Dept Earth Sci, London, ON, Canada
Univ Waterloo, Dept Chem, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Univ Toronto, Dept Phys, Toronto, ON, Canada
Univ Saskatchewan, Inst Space & Atmospher Studies, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W0, Canada
La Trobe Univ, Dept Phys, Bundoora, Vic, Australia
Univ York, Dept Chem, York YO10 5DD, N Yorkshire, England
Australian Antarctic Div, Ice Ocean Atmosphere & Climate Program, Kingston, Tas, Australia
Univ Orleans, CNRS, Lab Phys Chim & Environm, F-45067 Orleans, France
Univ Alaska, Inst Geophys, Fairbanks, AK USA
Univ Alaska, Atmospher Sci Program, Fairbanks, AK USA
Columbus Technol Inc, Pasadena, CA USA
IASB BIRA, Brussels, Belgium
CARE, Environm Canada, Sci & Technol Branch, Egbert, ON, CanadaLeibniz Inst Atmospher Phys, Kuhlungsborn, Germany
UVSQ, Inst Pierre Simon Laplace, Serv Aeron, Verrieres Le Buisson, France
Arctic Environm Res Ctr, Finnish Meteorol Inst, Sodankyla, Finland
CALTECH, Jet Prop Lab, Pasadena, CA USA
New Mexico Inst Min & Technol, Socorro, NM 87801 USA
CALTECH, Jet Prop Lab, Table Mt Facil, Wrightwood, CA USA
Natl Inst Informat & Commun Technol, Tokyo, Japan
Univ Oxford, Clarendon Lab, Dept Atmospher Ocean & Planetary Phys, Oxford OX1 3PU, England
CNR, Ist Fis Applicata Nello Carrara, Florence, Italy
Univ Bologna, Dipartimento Chim Fis & Inorgan, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
Fed Off Meteorol & Climatol, MeteoSwiss Aerol Stn, Payerne, Switzerland
Abstract: An ensemble of space-borne and ground-based instruments has been used to evaluate the quality of the version 2.2 temperature retrievals from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS). The agreement of ACE-FTS temperatures with other sensors is typically better than 2 K in the stratosphere and upper troposphere and 5 K in the lower mesosphere. There is evidence of a systematic high bias (roughly 3-6 K) in the ACE-FTS temperatures in the mesosphere, and a possible systematic low bias (roughly 2 K) in ACE-FTS temperatures near 23 km. Some ACE-FTS temperature profiles exhibit unphysical oscillations, a problem fixed in preliminary comparisons with temperatures derived using the next version of the ACE-FTS retrieval software. Though these relatively large oscillations in temperature can be on the order of 10 K in the mesosphere, retrieved volume mixing ratio profiles typically vary by less than a percent or so. Statistical comparisons suggest these oscillations occur in about 10% of the retrieved profiles. Analysis from a set of coincident lidar measurements suggests that the random error in ACE-FTS version 2.2 temperatures has a lower limit of about +/- 2 K.
Journal/Review: ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS (PRINT)
Volume: 8 (1) Pages from: 35 to: 62
KeyWords: CANADIAN METEOROLOGICAL CENTER; RESOLUTION DOPPLER IMAGER; DATA ASSIMILATION SYSTEM; LIDAR MEASUREMENTS; MESOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE; MIDDLE ATMOSPHERE; STRATOSPHERIC TEMPERATURES; RESEARCH SATELLITE; LIMB-EMISSION; MIXING-RATIODOI: 10.5194/acp-8-35-2008