INDIRECT MEASUREMENTS OF ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE PROFILES FROM SATELLITES: V. ATMOSPHERIC SOUNDINGS FROM INFRARED SPECTROMETER MEASUREMENTS AT THE GROUND

Abstract

The vertical downward spectral radiances for eight spectral intervals in the 15-µ CO2 band were measured with a spectrometer having a resolution of 5 cm.?1 This experiment was designed to be similar to the proposed experiment in which a satellite-borne spectrometer will measure the vertical upward spectral radiance of the atmosphere. The purpose of each experiment is to determine the temperature distribution in the earth's atmosphere as a function of pressure. The observations were obtained with an IR?7 spectrometer. The mathematical problem of inverting an integral equation for the case of measurements made from the ground is the same as that for satellite and balloon observations. The data and resulting temperature distributions are shown. The agreement between actual and deduced soundings is reasonably good near the ground, but deteriorates with height, as expected.