Optical remote sensing of ozone, clouds, and surface effects from the ER-2 platform during the NASA ASHOE/MAESA campaign

During the ASHOE/MAESA campaign a series of observations of the UV-visible radiation field were obtained from the ER-2 aircraft with the composition and photodissociative flux measurement (CPFM) instrument. Observations were made at the limb and in the zenith and nadir directions over the spectral range 300 - 775 nm at 1 nm spectral resolution. Analysis of these data yield surface and cloud effects on the radiation field as well as the effects of polar stratospheric clouds and changes in column ozone. We have conducted model-data comparisons of the direct and scattered radiation field and compared these results to TOMS satellite overflights. The radiation field models used in the data analysis include the integral equation solution described by Anderson et al., DISORT and MODTRAN3. In addition, the resultant radiation field observations are utilized in photochemical models for comparison to the in situ trace constituent measurements. Finally, we have found that the CPFM oxygen atmospheric band observations can be used to detect effective cloud heights.