Validation of OMPS Limb Profiler Stratospheric Aerosol Measurements

Monday, 19 March 2018: 09:30
Salon Vilaflor (Hotel Botanico)
Ghassan Taha1, Pawan K Bhartia2, Zhong Chen3, Robert Paul Loughman4 and Glen Jaross2, (1)Universities Space Research Association Greenbelt, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (2)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (3)Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, MD, United States, (4)Ctr Atmospheric Sciences, Hampton, VA, United States
Abstract:
The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) on board Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) was launched on October 28, 2011. It consist of three instruments: Nadir Mapper (NM), Nadir Profiler (NP) and Limb Profiler (LP). The OMPS LP instrument is designed to provide high vertical resolution ozone and aerosol profiles from measurements of the scattered solar radiation in the 290-1000 nm spectral range. It collected its first Earth limb measurement in January 10, 2012, and continues to provide daily global measurements of ozone and aerosol profiles from the cloud top up to 60 km and 40 km respectively.

In this study we will compare OMPS measurements taken at similar location and time with different viewing geometry, so as to test the effect of the assumed aerosol size model (ASD) and phase function,. Comparison of ascending and descending aerosol extinction daily zonal means at high latitudes shows systematic bias that is well correlated with the solar scattering angle, indicating ASD uncertainties up to 30%. We will also validate OMPS LP aerosol data with OSIRIS and CALIPSO. Initial results shows good agreement with OSIRIS measurements to within 20%, with larger bias in the southern hemisphere. Agreement with CALIPSO is also good, within 25% between 50S to 50N, although this was dependent on the extinction-to-backscatter ratio used. Larger biases are also seen in the southern hemisphere. In addition, results showing latitudinal, and temporal variability of stratospheric aerosol extinction and optical depth for the three instruments will also be presented and compared. In addition, we will present OMPS LP aerosol observations at different altitudes, showing the dispersal of volcanic aerosols in the stratosphere following the eruptions of Kelut and Calbuco as well as the plumes from the Canadian boreal fires in 2017.

<< Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >>