Starting long-term stratospheric observations with RAMAS at Summit, Greenland

Author

Golchert, Sven H W ; Buschmann, Nicole ; Kleindienst, Axel ; Palm, Mathias ; Schneider, Nicola ; Jønch-Sørensen, Helge ; Notholt, Justus

Author_Institution

Inst. for Environ. Phys., Univ. of Bremen, Germany

Volume

43

Issue

5

fYear

2005

fDate

5/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1022

Lastpage

1027

Abstract

The new microwave Radiometer for Atmospheric Measurements at Summit (RAMAS) has started operation at Summit station, Greenland (72°N, 38°W, 3200 m), and is now being prepared for continuous measurements. RAMAS operates in the frequency band from 265-280 GHz with an instantaneous bandwidth of currently 1 GHz. It observes the emission of thermally induced rotational transitions of a variety of stratospheric trace gases, including O₃, ClO, N₂O, HNO₃, and HCN. Tropospheric water vapor content, a major constraint on ground-based microwave radiometry, is exceptionally low at Summit station. Initial measurements and retrieved profiles are presented, demonstrating the excellent measurement conditions.

Keywords

atmospheric composition; atmospheric techniques; microwave measurement; ozone; radiometry; remote sensing; stratosphere; troposphere; 265 to 280 GHz; ClO; Greenland; HCN; HNO₃; N₂O; O₃; RAMAS; Radiometer for Atmospheric Measurements at Summit; Summit station; ground based microwave radiometry; ozone; stratosphere; stratospheric trace gases; thermally induced rotational transitions; tropospheric water vapor content; Arctic; Atmospheric measurements; Gases; Instruments; Microwave measurements; Microwave radiometry; Remote monitoring; Remote sensing; Springs; Terrestrial atmosphere; Ground based; microwave radiometry; new instrument; ozone; stratosphere;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Geoscience and Remote Sensing, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0196-2892

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TGRS.2004.840660

Filename

1424278