Infrared Heterodyne Earth Atmospheric Remote Spectrometer (IHEARS)
Abstract
We will describe the design and capability of the Goddard Space Flight Center Infrared Heterodyne Earth Atmospheric Remote Spectrometer (IHEARS) capable of unique altitude-resolved measurements of chemical and physical processes within the Earth's upper troposphere through the lower mesosphere. Ultra-high spectral resolving power (R>1,000,000) and frequency precision in the 7 to 11 μm wavelength band enables measuring true molecular spectral line shapes with no instrumental effects, thus retrieving small changes in major atmospheric gases, detecting trace species, retrieving temperatures, and measuring Doppler-shift due to winds. These parameters can be obtained from the same set of measurements, a unique capability for Earth remote-sensing. In solar occultation, e.g., from the International Space Station, measurements of abundance changes in <0.5 km layers can yield extremely high sensitivity, e.g., O3 (1ppb), CO2 (1ppm), H2O (<0.5ppm), all at >15-sigma confidence level, enhancing the study of transport and chemistry in upper-troposphere/lower-stratosphere and tropical-transition-layer regions, thereby addressing and constraining GCMs and climate-change models. The technique has a long heritage in ground-based instrumentation and measurements of planetary atmospheres, with proven results paralleling the capability for Earth observations. The proposed detection concept, instrument design and its remote operation and capabilities from Earth orbit will be presented. The proposed instrument will have lower volume, mass, and power requirements compared to existing Earth-science instruments, while enabling new and unique Earth observation measurements from a variety of space platforms. The ultimate projected space flight application will be on Earth Venture Class science missions, the ISS, and future Earth and planetary missions such as GACM.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AGUFM.A23F0392K
- Keywords:
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- 9805 GENERAL OR MISCELLANEOUS Instruments useful in three or more fields;
- 0340 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE Middle atmosphere: composition and chemistry;
- 0365 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE Troposphere: composition and chemistry