Solar Occultation Data Available From the Atmospheric Sciences Data Center

The Atmospheric Sciences Data Center (ASDC) at NASA Langley Research Center archives data from five solar occultation instruments. Since these data cover a time span of approximately 25 years, these data can be used to study long term trends such as the effects of volcanic eruptions and changes in ozone levels. These are the solar occultation data projects. The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) I, II, and III projects cover the time span October 1978 through the present and provide vertical distributions of nitrogen dioxide, ozone, water vapor and aerosols. SAGE III which was launched on December 10, 2001 also obtains profile measurements of aerosol extinction at eight wavelengths, nitrogen trioxide, chlorine dioxide, clouds, temperature and pressure in the mesosphere, stratosphere, and upper troposphere with a vertical resolution of 0.5 - 1 km resolution. The Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) II instrument measures the vertical distribution of atmospheric ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and aerosol extinction and covers the time span October 1993 through November 1996. The Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement (SAM) II project measures vertical distribution of stratospheric aerosols in the polar regions of both hemispheres and covers the time span October 1978 through December 1993. All of these solar occultation data along with documentation and read software are available from the NASA Langley ASDC at http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov.