Abstract
The Nimbus 7 limb infrared monitor of the stratosphere (LIMS) instrument operated from October 25, 1978, through May 28, 1979. Its Version 6 (V6) profiles and their Level 3 or zonal Fourier coefficient products have been characterized and archived in 2008 and in 2011, respectively. This paper focuses on the value and use of daily ozone maps from Level 3, based on a gridding of its zonal coefficients. We present maps of V6 ozone on pressure surfaces and compare them with several rocket-borne chemiluminescent ozone measurements that extend into the lower mesosphere. Daily, synoptic maps of V6 ozone and temperature illustrate that they are an important aid in interpreting satellite limb-infrared emission versus local measurements, especially when they occur during dynamically active periods of northern hemisphere winter. We then show a sequence of V6 maps of upper stratospheric ozone, spanning the minor stratospheric warmings of late January and early February 1979. The map sequence of V6 geopotential height reveals how ozone was changing in the vortex and at the centers of adjacent anticyclones. We also report on zonal variations of the tertiary ozone maximum of the upper mesosphere and its associated temperature fields during winter. These several examples provide a guide to researchers for further exploratory analyses of middle atmosphere ozone from LIMS.
Highlights
Introduction and objectivesThe historic Nimbus 7 Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) experiment provided data on middle atmosphere ozone from October 25, 1978, through May 28, 1979, for scientific analysis and for comparisons with atmospheric models (Gille and Russell, 1984)
Hitchman et al (1989) analyzed the temperature fields from LIMS and reported on Arctic observations of an elevated stratopause in late autumn to early winter that they associated with momentum forcings from gravity waves
Limb measurements in the ozone channel include radiance effects from cirrus particles that can occur along the view path, the retrieved ozone mixing ratio profiles were screened of those effects to first order (Remsberg et al, 2007)
Summary
The historic Nimbus 7 Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) experiment provided data on middle atmosphere ozone from October 25, 1978, through May 28, 1979, for scientific analysis and for comparisons with atmospheric models (Gille and Russell, 1984). Leovy et al (1985) showed how daily maps of the LIMS ozone fields correlate well with geopotential height (GPH) fields on the 10-hPa pressure surface They reported on the rapidly changing effects of wave activity on ozone, which led to a better understanding of stratospheric transport processes within models. Those profile comparisons are for December 15 and for January 27 and 28, when the temperature and ozone fields were affected by planetary wave forcings.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
