Abstract Book Atmospheric Science Conference 8 - 12 May 2006 ESA-ESRIN Frascati Italy Organised by: The European Space Agency Last Update: 07 April 2006 Session 1:Missions Overview/ Instrument and Product Status The Envisat Mission Henri Laur(1) (1) Envisat Mission Manager, ESA-ESRIN, Via Galileo Galilei, 00044 Frascati, Italy Abstract One of the first objectives of the Envisat mission is to provide data for atmospheric scientists. The status of Envisat's instruments used for measuring the atmosphere are described, as well as the status of the satellite and its data distribution schemes in the context of atmospheric research and applications. The expected lifetime of the Envisat mission as well as the current plan for ensuring data for the atmospheric scientific community will be also addressed. The unique contributions Envisat has made to atmospheric science since launch will also be presented. The ENVISAT Atmospheric Chemistry Mission: status and performance Thorsten Fehr(1) (1) ESA-ESRIN, Via Galileo Galilei, 00044 Frascati, Italy Abstract The ENVISAT Atmospheric Chemistry Mission: status and performance Thorsten Fehr (presenter), E. Attema, A. Dehn, J. Frerick, R.M. Koopman, H.Laur, M. De Laurentis, P. Lecomte, Fabrizio Niro, L. Saavedra de Miguel, P. Snoeij Three atmospheric-chemistry sensors form part of the ENVISAT payload that has been placed into orbit in March 2002.This contribution presents the ENVISAT mission status and data policy, and reviews the end-to-end performance of the GOMOS, MIPAS and SCIAMACHY observation systems. In particular, for each instrument, the review addresses mission planning, in-orbit performance, calibration, data processor algorithms and configuration, reprocessing strategy, and product quality control assessment. The evolution of each of the observation systems has been distinct during the mission history: the GOMOS instrument operation has undergone an important change, and its processing chain is subject of two upgrades. For MIPAS intervention on one of the on-board subsystems has proven necessary, and an important data processing improvement cycle has been completed through reconfiguration of the processing chain. SCIAMACHY operations have required only minor interventions, and the presentation will focus on the processing chain evolution. The ERS Mission/GOME Product Quality Status Wolfgang Lengert(1) (1) ERS Mission Manager, ESA-ESRIN, Via Galileo Galilei, 00044 Frascati, Italy Abstract The ERS missions constitute a landmark in atmospheric scientific research with the introduction of satellite-borne sensors such as GOME. The status and history of the two ERS missions with background on their use as supports for atmospheric science will be presented. The continued expected lifetimes of the missions is also outlined. Finally, the GOME instrument will be largely focussed on, with presentation of its different products and the quality status of each. ESA Third Party Missions Bianca Hoersch(1) (1) Third Party Mission Manager, ESA-ESRIN, Via Galileo Galilei, 00044 Frascati, Italy Abstract ESA has a long history of cooperation with other space agencies for the use of ESA multi- mission ground systems to acquire, process, archive and distribute data from other satellites, known as Third Party Missions. A brief history and update on Third Party missions will be given, along with some indications for future third party missions. The third party data products oriented to atmospheric science will be outlined along with their status. The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE): Mission Overview Peter Bernath(1) (1) University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada Abstract The ACE mission goals are: (1) to measure and to understand the chemical and dynamical processes that control the distribution of ozone in the upper troposphere and stratosphere, with a particular emphasis on the Arctic region; (2) to explore the relationship between atmospheric chemistry and climate change; (3) to study the effects of biomass burning in the free troposphere; (4) to measure aerosol number density, size distribution and composition in order to reduce the uncertainties in their effects on the global energy balance. ACE is making a comprehensive set of simultaneous measurements of trace gases, thin clouds, aerosols, and temperature by solar occultation from a satellite in low earth orbit. A high inclination (74 degrees) low earth orbit (650 km) gives ACE coverage of tropical, mid-latitudes and polar regions. A high-resolution (0.02 cm-1) infrared Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) operating from 2 to 13 microns (750-4400 cm-1) is measuring the vertical distribution of trace gases, and the meteorological variables of temperature and pressure. The ACE concept is derived from the now-retired ATMOS FTS instrument, which flew on the Space Shuttle in 1985, 1992, 1993, 1994. Aerosols and clouds are being monitored using the extinction of solar radiation at 0.525 and 1.02 microns as measured by two filtered imagers as well as by their infrared spectra. A dual spectrophotometer called MAESTRO was added to the mission to extend the wavelength coverage to the 280-1000 nm spectral region. The principal investigator for MAESTRO is T. McElroy of the Meteorological Service of Canada. The FTS and imagers have been built by ABB-Bomem in Quebec City, while the satellite bus has been made by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg. ACE was selected in the Canadian Space Agency's SCISAT-1 program, and was successfully launched by NASA on August 12, 2003 for a nominal 2 year mission. Selected results for ACE will be presented. Recent Validation Results for the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) Kaley A. Walker(1), Chris Boone(1), Randall Skelton(1), Sean D. McLeod(1), Peter F. Bernath(1), Kimberly Strong(2), and C. Thomas McElroy(3) (1) University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada (2) University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada (3) Environment Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, Ontario M3H 5T4, Canada Abstract The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE), also known as SCISAT-1, is a Canadian scientific satellite to perform remote sensing measurements of the Earth's atmosphere. It was launched on August 12, 2003 and has been making measurements since February 2004. The primary ACE instrument is a high-resolution (0.02 cm-1) Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) operating between 750 and 4400 cm-1. It also houses two filtered imagers to measure atmospheric extinction due to clouds and aerosols at 0.525 and 1.02 microns. The secondary instrument on-board SCISAT-1 is a dual UV-visible-NIR spectrophotometer called ACE-MAESTRO (Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation) which extends the wavelength coverage to the 280-1030 nm spectral region. The primary measurement technique for both instruments is solar occultation. Altitude profiles of atmospheric trace gas species, temperature and pressure are obtained from these measurements. The 650 km altitude, 74 degree circular orbit provides the mission with global coverage though the focus is on the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The primary goal of the ACE mission is to measure and to understand the chemical and dynamical processes that control the distribution of ozone in the upper troposphere and stratosphere, with a particular emphasis on the Arctic region. Current validation comparisons for both instruments will be presented in this paper. The AURA Mission Ernest Hilsenrath(1), M.S Schoeberl(2), A.R. Douglass(2), P.K Phartia(2), R. Beer(3), Waters J.(3), L. Froidevaux(3), M. Gunson(3), J. Barnett(4), P. Levlet(5), and J. Gille(6) (1) University of Maryland, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20723, United States (2) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 613.3, Greenbelt, MD 20723, United States (3) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States (4) Oxford University, Dept of Physics, Oxford, United Kingdom (5) KNMI, POB 201, NL-3730 AE De Bilt , Netherlands (6) University of Colorado, Dept of Atmosphere and Ocean Sciences, Boulder, CO, United States Abstract Aura, the last of the large EOS observatories, was launched on July 15, 2004. Aura is designed to make comprehensive stratospheric and tropospheric composition measurements from its four instruments, HIRDLS, MLS, OMI and TES. These four instruments work in synergy to provide data on ozone trends, air quality and climate change. The instruments observe in the nadir and limb and provide the best horizontal and vertical resolution ever achieved from space. After nearly two years in orbit the instruments are nearly operational and are undergoing a comprehensive validation program. Aura data products are now appearing in the Aura validation archive with many data available to the public. We summarize the mission, instruments, and initial results and give examples of how Aura is providing continuity to earlier stratospheric chemistry missions and new data on the connections between climate and air quality Overview of First Year's Results of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument Pieternel Levelt(1), Ernest Hilsenrath(2), Johanna Taminnen(3), Aapo Tanskanen(3), Bert van den Oord(4), and P.K. Bhartia(5) (1) KNMI, PO Box 201, 3730 AE De Bilt, Netherlands (2) NASA-GSFC, Code 916, Greenbelt, MD 20771, United States (3) FMI, PO Box 503, 00101 Helsinki, Finland (4) KNMI, PO Box 201, 3730 AE De Bilt, Netherlands (5) NASA-GSFC, Code 916, Greenbelt, MD 20771, United States Abstract The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is the Dutch-Finnish contribution to the NASA EOS- Aura platform, which was launched in July 2004. OMI is the first of a new generation of UV- Visible space borne spectrometers that use two-dimensional detectors. These detectors enable OMI to daily observe the entire Earth with small ground pixel size (13x24 km2 at nadir), which makes this instrument extremely suitable for tropospheric research. The scientific objectives of OMI concern the recovery of the ozone layer, tropospheric pollution, the contribution of tropospheric ozone and aerosols to climate change and changes in surface UV-B.