HR: 11:00h
AN: A52A-02 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: The Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change: Tracking Changes in the Earth's Atmosphere
AU: * Kurylo, M J
EM: michael.j.kurylo@nasa.gov
AF: NASA Headquarters, Science Mission Directorate, Washington, DC 20546 United States
AU: Braathen, G O
EM: geir@nilu.no
AF: Norwegian Institute for Air Research, P.O.Box 100, Kjeller, N-2027 Norway
AB: The international Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) was formed to provide a consistent standardized set of long-term measurements of atmospheric trace gases, particles, and physical parameters via a suite of globally distributed research stations. Officially operational since 1991, the NDSC was incepted and formalized during the late1980s in response to the need to document and understand worldwide stratospheric perturbations resulting from increased anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere of long-lived halogenated source gases with strong ozone depletion and global warming potentials. The initial objective of the NDSC was to monitor, from pole to pole, the temporal evolution of the stratosphere, including its protective ozone layer, and to understand the causes (i.e., natural versus anthropogenic, chemical versus dynamical) of the observed changes and their impacts on the troposphere and at the ground. This dual goal of long-term global measurement and understanding has led to the implementation of a ground-based network of "primary" NDSC stations equipped with a suite of remote instruments (such as UV/Visible spectrometers, various types of lidars, Fourier transform infrared spectrometers, microwave radiometers, in situ radiosondes, etc.), allowing the quasi-simultaneous study of a large number of chemical compounds and physical parameters identified as priority targets for the Network. Over forty "complementary" sites, equipped with a subset of such instruments and/or operating less regularly than the primary stations, contribute to the global coverage of the Network and provide substantial support during coordinated campaigns targeted at special process studies, at calibration/validation phases of space-based sensors, and at more regional subtle atmospheric characteristics. During the past decade, the NDSC has contributed to the understanding of stratospheric ozone depletion in the polar regions and at mid-latitudes, and documented the increase and leveling-off of ozone-depleting chemicals in the atmosphere and the continued growth of greenhouse gases. Because of its worldwide dimension, the NDSC has been recognized as a major component of the international atmospheric research effort. As such, it has been endorsed by national and international scientific agencies, including the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the International Ozone Commission (IOC) of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics (IAMAP). It has also been recognized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as a major contributor to WMO's Global Ozone Observing System (GO3OS) within the frame of its Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme. While the NDSC remains committed to monitoring changes in the stratosphere, with an emphasis on the long-term evolution of the ozone layer (its decay, likely stabilization and expected recovery), it's priorities have broadened considerably to encompass - detecting trends in overall atmospheric composition and understanding their impacts on the stratosphere and troposphere,
- establishing links between climate change and atmospheric composition,
- calibrating and validating space-based measurements of the atmosphere,
- supporting process-focused scientific field campaigns, and
- testing and improving theoretical models of the atmosphere.
UR: http://www.ndsc.ws
DE: 0300 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly