HR: 1340h
AN: SA53A-1162    [Abstracts]
TI: Retrieval of ozone column densities and PMC microphysical properties from the CIPS instrument on the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere Satellite Mission
AU: * Bailey, S M
EM: scott.bailey@gi.alaska.edu
AF: Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Ak 99775-7320 United States
AU: Thomas, G E
EM: gary.thomas@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Co 80303 United States
AU: Rusch, D W
EM: david.rusch@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Co 80303 United States
AB: The NASA Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite mission will launch in September 2006, with the primary goal of determining how Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs) form and why they vary. The Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS) instrument on AIM will image cloud morphology and determine the size distribution of the cloud particles by obtaining sequences of overlapping UV (265 nm) wide-angle images of terrestrial albedo. The variation of observed PMC brightness with scattering angle will be used to infer cloud particle size distributions and ice mass. In addition to measuring mesospheric cloud patterns at 83 km height, the CIPS experiment also images a brighter background contribution from Rayleigh scattering that is significantly attenuated by mesospheric ozone. A technique has been developed to use the observed angular variation of the cloud-free atmospheric albedo to infer the column ozone distribution, as well as derive the optical properties of PMC in contiguous regions of the images. The CIPS observation method is a generalization of a technique devised by R. McPeters to infer ozone from SBUV/2 data. We will also discuss how the unprecedented spatial resolution and high S/N of the CIPS images will allow the observation of the effects of large-amplitude gravity waves on ozone in the lower mesosphere.
DE: 0319 Cloud optics
DE: 0340 Middle atmosphere: composition and chemistry
DE: 0360 Radiation: transmission and scattering
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005