Remote sensing of atmospheric ozone using the 9.6-micron band

Abstract Spectral measurements made by a high resolution Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) aboard the Nimbus III satellite are used to deduce, remotely, atmospheric ozone content and distribution. This indirect method depends on the emission and absorption properties of ozone in the 9.6 μ region, as well as some gross climatological properties of the vertical ozone profile. Several IRIS spectra have been analyzed and the corresponding vertical ozone distributions are determined. A comparison of ozone soundings made by chemical sounders with those derived from the satellite data shows relatively good agreement of gross features. The total ozone estimated from the derived profiles compares well with the measured total. This study shows that the atmospheric total ozone content can be determined, with the help of IRIS spectra, over a large part of the globe, with an accuracy of about ±6% compared to values derived from Dobson measurements.