Abstract
Abstract. Due to a large vertical gradient and strong variability of water vapour, algorithms that are effectively applied for ground-based remote sensing of many different atmospheric trace gases can be insufficient for the retrieval of tropospheric water vapour profiles. We review the most important features of the retrieval and of the radiative transfer modelling required for accurate monitoring of tropospheric water vapour profiles by ground-based FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) experiments. These are: a fit of a variety of different water vapour lines with different strength, a logarithmic scale inversion, a speed dependent Voigt line shape model, and a joint temperature profile retrieval. Furthermore, the introduction of an interspecies constraint allows for a monitoring of HDO/H2O ratio profiles.
Highlights
Water vapour is the most important greenhouse gas and continuous observations of tropospheric water vapour amounts are essential for climate change research
In recent years at IMK-ASF, we continuously extended the standard FTIR analysis by several innovative features, which enables the analysis of water vapour profiles
This assures a proper constraint of tropospheric water vapour amounts (Schneider et al, 2006a; Worden et al, 2006a; Deeter et al, 2007)
Summary
Ground-based high quality remote sensing experiments have the potential to monitor atmospheric trace gases in a rather consistent manner. In the framework of NDACC (Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change, Kurylo, 2000), high quality solar absorption spectra have been measured over many years and at many different sites with the same type of instrument. These measurements disclose significant information about the distribution of many different atmospheric trace gases. Hase: Ground-based FTIR water vapour profile analyses has been continuously developed and improved (Schneider et al, 2006a,b; Schneider and Hase, 2009) These efforts made it possible to monitor tropospheric H2O profiles (including upper tropospheric amounts) and HDO/H2O ratio profiles by ground-based FTIR experiments.
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