Retrieval and observations of atmospheric BrO from SCIAMACHY nadir Measurements [Elektronische Ressource] / by Oluyemi Temitayo Afe

Oluyemi Afe

Informations

• Publié par: universitat_bremen
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 40
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 12 Mo

Extrait

A dissertation submitted to the
Institute of Environmental Physics and Remote Sensing
Faculty of Physics and Electrical Engineering
University of Bremen, Germany
in partial fulfilment
for the award of the degree
Doctor of Natural Sciences





























by

Oluyemi Temitayo Afe
B.Sc. (Hons) Engineering Physics, M.Sc (Physics)


Bremen, October 2005







Retrieval and Observations of Atmospheric
BrO from SCIAMACHY nadir Measurements





































Front-page Image: BrO Explosion Event in Arctic Polar Spring
(Monthly mean for April 2003) as observed by SCIAMACHY onboard ENVISAT.
Upper photo: ESA’s ten-instrument ENVISAT in orbit has been observing the Earths
atmosphere for more than three years. Picture by EADS Astrium.
Credits: EADS Astrium, GmbH.

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…. He stretches out the north over empty space,
He hangs the world upon nothing. He binds up
the water in His thick clouds, yet the clouds are
not broken under it. He covers the face of His
throne, and spreads his clouds over it. He drew a
circular horizon on the face of the waters, at the
boundary of light and darkness. The pillars of
heaven tremble, and are astonished at his rebuke

Job 26: 7-11



















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Referees:

Prof. Dr. John P. Burrows
Institute of Environmental Physics
& Institute for Remote Sensing,
University of Bremen, Germany


Prof. Dr. Otto Schrems
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research,
Bremerhaven, Germany


Dr. Andreas Richter
Institute of Environmental Physics
& Institute for Remote Sensing,
University of Bremen, Germany
























The work described in this thesis was performed at the Institute of Environmental
Physics and Remote Sensing, University of Bremen, Germany. The research was
supported in parts by the European Union (THALOZ Project EVK2-2001-00104), the
German Ministry of Science and Education (BMBF), the German Aerospace Agency
(DLR) and the University of Bremen.
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Abstract

Measurements from the space-borne instrument SCIAMACHY launched in March
2002 onboard the ENVISAT platform, have been analysed for BrO absorption using
the Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) method. BrO is an
important atmospheric trace gas mainly responsible for the depletion of ozone in the
polar boundary layer, the free troposphere and the stratosphere. Since 1995, global
observations of BrO have been successfully demonstrated by the GOME instrument
in several publications. This work reports the retrieval of BrO columns from the
channel 2 UV/Visible spectral range of the SCIAMACHY nadir geometry. Although
data analysis of GOME and SCIAMACHY BrO is very similar, a UV-shifted spectral
range was employed to minimize the impact of residual structures from the
polarisation sensitivity of the instrument. From this analysis, excellent agreement was
obtained between the GOME and SCIAMACHY BrO columns. The impact of the
improved spatial resolution of SCIAMACHY has also been utilised to explore the
possibility for a volcanic source of BrO during major eruptions. In the polar regions
over sea ice, frost flowers have been implicated as a major source of bromine to the
atmosphere and BrO columns obtained from GOME and SCIAMACHY
measurements correlates with areas potentially covered with frost flowers.
















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Contents

1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1

1.1 Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere .............................................................................................. 1
1.2 General Dynamics ........................................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Radiation Balance of the Atmosphere: The Greenhouse Effect ...................................................... 5

2 Atmospheric Chemistry of Halogens Influencing Ozone .................................................................... 7

2.1 Atmospheric Ozone ......................................................................................................................... 7
2.1.1 The Ozone Hole ....................................................................................................................... 9
2.1.2 Ozone at Mid-Latitudes ........................................................................................................... 9
2.1.3 Tropospheric Ozone............................................................................................................... 10
2.2 Tropospheric Halogen Chemistry.................................................................................................. 13
2.2.1 Sources of Reactive Halogen Species in the Atmosphere...................................................... 13
2.2.2 Chlorine Chemistry in the Troposphere................................................................................. 19
2.2.3 Bromine Chemistry in thosphere 20
2.2.4 Iodine Chemistry in the Marine Boundary Layer .................................................................. 21
2.3 Stratospheric Halogen Chemistry 22
2.3.1 Chlorine Chemistry in the Stratosphere 23
2.3.2 Bromine Chemistry in the Stratosphere 27
2.3.3 Reactive Iodine in the Lower Stratosphere ............................................................................ 29
2.4 BrO in the Atmosphere.................................................................................................................. 30
2.4.1 Extra-Polar Boundary Layer .................................................................................................. 30
2.4.2 Ozone Depletion Events at Polar Sunrise – Bromine Explosion............................................ 30
2.4.3 Involvement with Atmospheric Mercury ............................................................................... 31
2.4.4 BrO in the Free Troposphere 31
2.4.5 BrO in the Stratosphere.......................................................................................................... 32

3 The Space-borne Instruments GOME and SCIAMACHY............................................................... 33

3.1 The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME).................................................................... 33
3.1.1 Instrumental Layout of GOME .............................................................................................. 33
3.1.2 Viewing mode, Spatial coverage and Resolution................................................................... 35
3.1.3 Instrumental Problems and Limitations ................................................................................. 37
3.2 The SCIAMACHY Instrument...................................................................................................... 38
3.2.1 Optical Layout of the Instrument ........................................................................................... 38
3.2.2 Viewing Geometries, Spatial coverage and Resolution ......................................................... 40
3.3 Data Products................................................................................................................................. 42
3.4 Instrumental Problems and Limitations ......................................................................................... 43

4 Radiative Transfer and Absorption Spectroscopy...................................................