Seminars

Seminars

Lecturer: J. Urban (Chalmers University of Technology)
Date: 2006-11-16 10:00
Place: Aniara

Odin/SMR Limb Observations of Strato-Mesospheric Trace Gases during 2001-2006

The Odin satellite was launched on February 2001 into a polar sun-synchronous orbit, carrying the Odin Sub-Millimetre Radiometer (SMR).

Stratospheric mode observations of key constituents relevant to stratospheric chemistry and dynamics such as ozone (O3), nitrous oxide (N2O), chlorine monoxide (ClO), and nitric acid (HNO3) are performed approximately on two days per week, allowing for example to study the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Arctic and Antarctic vortices during winter and spring by providing information on chlorine activation, denitrification, subsidence of vortex air, and on ozone loss.

In the water isotope mode, Odin/SMR observes several thermal emission lines of water vapour, an important species for the chemistry and dynamics of the atmosphere. The global distribution of water vapour and its isotopes H2O-18 and HDO in the stratosphere and mesosphere between ~20 and 70km is observed on four measurement days per month using bands centred at 488.9 and 490.4GHz. A strong water vapour line at 556.9GHz is simultaneously measured in a second band, providing information in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere between about 40 and 100 km. Moreover, profiles of the longer-lived species carbon monoxide (CO) are retrieved from measurements in a band around 576.3GHz, useful information for the study of transport and exchange processes in the middle atmosphere.

The presentation provides an overview on the Odin/SMR aeronomy measurements and presents a selection of results.

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Odin is a Swedish-led satellite project funded jointly by Sweden (SNSB), Canada (CSA), Finland (TEKES) and France (CNES).

J. Urban studied and received his PhD in atmospheric physics at the University Bremen. After his PhD he worked at the Bordeaux Observatory in France for 7 years where he developed part of the code to retrieve Odin data. Since 2004 he is with Chalmers University of Technology, Radio and Space Science Department, Gothenburg (Sweden). His presentation includes work of the entire Odin/SMR team.

Created 2006-10-16 15:44:34 by Uwe Raffalski
Last changed 2006-11-13 08:54:35 by Uwe Raffalski