GACP Projects
Solar Mesosphere Explorer Measurements of El Chichón Aerosols
Cora Randall, PI
Frank Eparvier, Co-I
David Rusch, Co-I
Abstract: We propose to "resurrect" data from the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) satellite in order to provide the climate modeling community with information regarding stratospheric aerosol forcing after the eruption of El Chichón in 1982. The SME data are the only global satellite measurements of stratospheric aerosol profiles during the 2.5 years immediately following El Chichón. The goal is to provide the climate community with information necessary to derive the radiative effects of aerosols in the visible, near infrared and thermal infrared spectral regions. The database provided by this proposal will also enable climate modelers to subtract stratospheric aerosol effects from column measurements in order the El Chichón eruption. Specifically, SME radiance data from the 440 nm, 1.27 micron, 1.87 micron and 6.8 micron channels will be used. We will provide to the science community SME data that can be derived from existing algorithms, such as mass densities and extinction, in a convenient format. We also propose to improve previously published retrieval techniques in order to extract extinction and size distribution information over more extended spatial (in particular to lower altitudes) and temporal (later than 1984) regimes than previously possible.
At this first meeting we would like to obtain information on the precise format in which climate modelers would prefer the SME data. That is, would it be preferable for us to generate total vertical optical depths at the four wavelengths, mass or surface area, profiles of size distribution parameters, etc.??
