Engineering topics

Bailey, P. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Bailey, P. L..

27 records · Page 2

NASA NTRS1981

The Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere /LIMS/ experiment - Temperature and nitrogen dioxide results

The Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) is a satellite-borne radiometer which scans across the earth's limb, measuring infrared radiation emitted by specific atmospheric gases in a number of broad channels. Instrumentation includes a folded telescope, which focuses the radiation from the limb onto an array of six mercury-cadmium-telluride detectors. A scan mirror within the telescope sweeps the fields of view across the horizon, with each up or down scan lasting 12 seconds. The measurements are inverted to yield distributions of temperature and nitrogen dioxide. The temperature is determined from two channels covering the intervals 595-739 per cm and 645-673 per cm of the 15 micron bands of CO2, with maximum signal to noise ratio of 500-1000. Nitrogen dioxide is determined from measurements in a channel from 1580-1613 per cm, with an S/N of approximately 100. Results show that the LIMS temperature and nitrogen dioxide data are characterized by high precision.

Gille, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1981

The validation of LIMS ozone profiles using correlative rocket, ECC, and Dobson data sets

The Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) experiment is a limb scanning infrared sounder designed to measure vertical temperature profiles and the concentrations of key chemical compounds which are important in the stratospheric ozone-nitrogen photochemistry. Preliminary ozone profiles are being intercompared with correlative rocket and balloonsonde ozone data sets as part of the Nimbus 7 LIMS data validation activity. The LIMS ozone retrievals extend from the lower mesosphere to the tropopause (or cloud-top altitudes). In this paper, preliminary statistics of comparisons of ECC (electrochemical concentration cell) ozonesonde and rocket ozone profiles with LIMS ozone profiles are presented. ECC ozonesonde data taken at times of LIMS overpasses are also used to extend the LIMS retrieval down to ground level. Each combined profile is then integrated to obtain total column ozone. These integrated results are compared to Dobson data obtained at approximately the same time and location.

Remsberg, E. E.↗

NASA NTRS1981

LRIR observations of diurnal ozone variation in the mesosphere

The Limb Radiance Inversion Radiometer (LRIR) on the Nimbus 6 spacecraft obtained measurements of atmospheric infrared emission from which vertical profiles of temperature and ozone mixing ratio can be deduced. A three day sequence of data on either side of the evening terminator has been analyzed as a function of solar zenith angle (35 deg to 105 deg) and pressure level (2 mb to .1 mb). The response of the ozone field to solar flux extinction, temperature variability, and nighttime recombination are readily detected.

Anderson, G. P.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Observations of the interaction of ozone and dynamics

Data on the global distribution of temperature and ozone obtained with the Limb Radiance Inversion Radiometer which flew on the Nimbus 6 spacecraft are analyzed within the conceptual framework of Hartmann and Garcia (1979). The analysis supports the conclusion that ozone perturbations are dynamically controlled when the photochemical time constant is much greater than the dynamical time constant; when the photochemical constant is much less than the dynamical constant, ozone perturbations are photochemically controlled. It is also shown that the transports of planetary waves, or eddy transports, appear to be strongly localized in the region between the regimes in which dynamical and photochemical controls operate.

Gille, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Comparison of near coincident LRIR and OAO-3 measurements of equatorial night ozone profiles

The Limb Radiance Inversion Radiometer (LRIR), the infrared limb scanner on Nimbus 6, obtained equatorial night ozone profiles on 25 and 28 July, 1975, at nearly the same longitudes as the UV stellar occultation measurements made from the OAO-3 Copernicus observatory on 26 July, 1975. The LRIR determinations agree with many other data sources, but average roughly a factor of 3 lower than the Copernicus results. The LRIR results do not support the suggestion that there are serious gaps in understanding the chemistry of mesospheric ozone.

Gille, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Rugged fast-response temperature probe

Very-sensitive probe uses tungsten sensor wire wrapped around to notched electrodes. Design combines ruggedness of earlier but less sensitive probe using very-short sensor wire with very-sensitive but fragile version with sensor wires wrapped around non-conducting frames.

Bailey, P. L.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Sounding the stratosphere and mesosphere by infrared limb scanning from space

Inversion of the measurements obtained by the infrared limb scanner on the Nimbus 6 satellite has demonstrated that the stratospheric and mesospheric temperatures and ozone concentrations may be obtained remotely from space with accuracy and precision comparable to in situ methods. Such global data have many applications in middle atmospheric research and operational temperature sounding.

Gille, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Temperature and composition measurements from the l.r.i.r. and l.i.m.s. experiments on Nimbus 6 and 7

The limb radiance inversion radiometer (LRIR) on Nimbus 6 was the first orbiting infrared limb scanner; it has four channels with which to determine temperature, O3, and H2O in the stratosphere and low mesosphere. The limb infrared monitor of the stratosphere (LIMS) is a similar six-channel instrument which was launched on Nimbus 7 in October 1978 in order to measure O3, H2O, NO2, and HNO3. The instrumentation and inversion techniques are briefly described, and the application of limb scanner data to the study of photochemical, dynamical, and transport problems is discussed.

Gille, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Inversion of infrared limb emission measurements for temperature and trace gas concentrations

Limb emission measurements are characterized by sharp weighting functions at high altitudes, and for temperature determinations, strongly nonlinear dependence of the weighting function on the temperature. Several methods for inverting this type of measurement have been described and used, including iterative, statistical, nonlinear and approximate direct approaches. These approaches are described and advantages and disadvantages of each are outlined.

Gille, J. C.↗