Location
University of Utah
Start Date
5-8-2000 10:00 AM
Description
The downward infrared radiance spectrum was measured with a Michelson Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) spectrometer at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Spectra were collected year-round at the South Pole in 1998. This research focuses on the atmospheric water emission lines between 250 and 800 cm-1 (40 to 12.5 μm) region. The spectral resolution is 1 cm-1. The atmosphere over the South Pole is the driest and coldest on Earth. Winter surface temperatures average approximately -60°C, while the total column water vapor is about 300 μm of precipitable water. Measured clear sky cases were selected for summer and winter months to represent and investigate water in the seasonal extremes. The LWIR spectra are modeled using the Line-By-Line Radiative Transfer Model (LBLRTM) software, the HITRAN database, and NMC temperature and pressure profiles. These spectra are then fitted as closely as possible to the measured spectra to retrieve water column amounts, and to obtain other important information about the atmosphere.
Atmospheric Longwave Infrared Emission Spectroscopy of Water Vapor at the South Pole
University of Utah
The downward infrared radiance spectrum was measured with a Michelson Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) spectrometer at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Spectra were collected year-round at the South Pole in 1998. This research focuses on the atmospheric water emission lines between 250 and 800 cm-1 (40 to 12.5 μm) region. The spectral resolution is 1 cm-1. The atmosphere over the South Pole is the driest and coldest on Earth. Winter surface temperatures average approximately -60°C, while the total column water vapor is about 300 μm of precipitable water. Measured clear sky cases were selected for summer and winter months to represent and investigate water in the seasonal extremes. The LWIR spectra are modeled using the Line-By-Line Radiative Transfer Model (LBLRTM) software, the HITRAN database, and NMC temperature and pressure profiles. These spectra are then fitted as closely as possible to the measured spectra to retrieve water column amounts, and to obtain other important information about the atmosphere.