The accuracy of determination of the vertical distribution of atmospheric ozone from emission spectrophotometry in the 1,043 cm−1 band at high resolution

✍ Scribed by C. D. Walshaw

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1960
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 784 KB
• Volume: 86
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0035-9009
• DOI: 10.1002/qj.49708637009

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

A method is outlined for obtaining the vertical distribution of atmospheric ozone from ground‐level measurements of the downcoming thermal radiation in the region of the 1,043 cm^−1^ (9·6 μ) band. The emission measurements are such as may be made with a grating spectrometer of the Goody type; the slit width is about 2·5 cm^−1^, enabling interference from water vapour and carbon‐dioxide lines to be eliminated.

Estimates are made of the various sources of error, using a model atmosphere having three ozone variables (which are the ozone contents of the layers 1,000–600, 600–300 and 300–50 mb), and basing the analysis on four combinations of wave number and zenith angle of observation.

It is concluded that results of useful accuracy may be obtained for the two tropospheric layers, but that the method is not sufficiently sensitive to give significant information on the upper layer. The continuous absorption over the region lowers the accuracy appreciably but does not affect the main conclusion.