Monitoring of the Stratosphere with SCIAMACHY Measurements of Limb-Scattered Solar Radiation

Christian von Savigny⁽¹⁾, Alexei Rozanov⁽¹⁾ , Heinrich Bovensmann⁽¹⁾ , Astrid Bracher⁽¹⁾ , Kai-Uwe Eichmann⁽¹⁾ , Guenter Rohen⁽¹⁾ , Heiko Schroeter⁽¹⁾ , Paul Ulasi⁽¹⁾ , Marco Vountas⁽¹⁾ , and John P. Burrows⁽¹⁾

⁽¹⁾ University of Bremen, Otto-Hahn-Allee 1, 28334 Bremen, Germany

Abstract

Scientific data processors for the retrieval of stratospheric profiles of O3, NO2, BrO and within the polar vortex also OClO, were developed at the Institute of Environmental Physics in Bremen. O3 and NO2 are retrieved between 15 and 40 km altitude. In terms of BrO the 15 30 km altitude range is covered. For O3 a separate upper stratospheric/lower mesospheric retrieval is available covering the 35 65 km altitude range. The retrieval results are graphically provided to the public via the scia-arc web-interface (http://www.iup.physik.uni-bremen.de/scia-arc/) as value-added data products. Apart from the minor constituent profiles SCIAMACHY provides PSC (polar stratospheric cloud) maps, which are also available on the scia-arc website.

In this contribution an overview of the stratospheric applications of SCIAMACHY Limb-Scatter measurements including the data retrieval processors, their error budgets and validation results is presented. Furthermore, scientific mission highlights and data usage examples will be presented.