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Atmospheric Measurements
at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
This research applies atomic and molecular physics (spectroscopy, light scattering, and chemical reactivity) to measurements of the Earth's atmosphere. The issues that are addressed include: (1) the determination of the details of the photochemistry of the stratospheric ozone layer. This includes effects from chlorofluorocarbons, halons, and nitrogen oxides from commercial aircraft; (2) The composition of the lower atmosphere (the troposphere) and its dynamics and evolution. This encompasses the issue of the greenhouse effect and of atmospheric radiation balance in general; (3) pollution in the lowest part of the atmosphere, the planetary boundary layer - where we live. Our research over recent years has included measurements from the ground, high-altitude scientific balloons, airplanes, and Earth satellites, as well as basic laboratory spectroscopic measurements of the properties of atmospheric molecules.
The work emphasized at this site is from satellite-based measurements of the atmosphere, where we have developed capabilities for making a number of key measurements of pollutants, with the eventual goal of contributing to the ability to monitor pollution continuously and globally from space.
GOME slant column spectral fits for O3, BrO, and HCHO are available from July 1995 through July 4, 2005.
GOME ozone profiles and tropospheric ozone
NEW! Check out one of our tropospheric ozone movies:
Sep. 1996 - Nov. 1997, with GEOS-CHEM comparison
