Measurements of water vapor and methane contents in the atmosphere using several modifications of the spectroscopic method and instrumentation

Abstract

Water vapor and methane containing in the atmosphere are minor gas constituents affecting its radiation properties causing a greenhouse effect. An increase of greenhouse gases contents enhances the greenhouse effect and results in climate warming as the observations have shown. The spectroscopic method and spectrometric instrumentation used for ground-base observations make it possible to measure total contents ofwater vapor and methane in the atmospheric column and to control the contents of these gases in the atmosphere. Systematic groundbased measurements ofwater vapor and methane contents in the atmosphere at the territory of Russia with the use of different modifications of the spectroscopic method and instrumentation are made in the Institute of Experimental Meteorology, SPA Typhoon (IEM) ' , inthe Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (lAP) 4-6 and in the Scientific and Research Institute of Physics, St. Petersburg State University (SRIP) .The measurements are carried out in observation sites sth different geographical location and local conditions. A most comprehensive experimental substantiation of reliability and relevance of long-term measurement results in different experimental sites obtained with the use of different methods and instrumentation are independent simultaneous comparative measurements in one site and joint measurements in different sites. Simultaneous spectroscopic measurements of methane content in the atmosphere carried out with research teams from IEM, lAP and SRIP were made in September 1997 and by the ffiM and lAP scientists in MarchApril 1998 in Zvenigorod at the lAP scientific station (55°42' N, 36° 48' E, 200 m above the sea ev8 .In September-December 1998 SimultaneOus measurements ofwater vapor and methane in the atmosphere were performed at the same site by IEM and lAP teams. At the same time the scientists from SRIP perfonned the measurements of water vapor and methane contents in Petrodvoretz at the SRIP scientific station (59°54' N, 29° 48' E, 20 m above the sea level). The results ofthese measurements are given and discussed below.