PRECISION MEASUREMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC TRACE CONSTITUENTS USING A COMPACT FABRY-PEROT RADIOMETER

Abstract

To address the problem of sources and sinks of atmospheric CO 2, measurements are needed on a global scale. Satellite instruments show promise, but typically measure the total column. Since sources and sinks at the surface represent a small perturbation to the total column, a precision of better than 1% is required. No species has ever been measured from space at this level. Over the last three years, we have developed a small instrument based upon a Fabry-Perot interferometer that is highly sensitive to atmospheric CO 2. We have tested this instrument in a ground based configuration and from aircraft platforms simulating operation from a satellite. The instrument is characterized by high signal to noise ratio, fast response and great specificity. We have performed simulations and instrument designs for systems to detect, H 2 O , CO , 13 CO 2, CH 4, CH 2 O , NH 3, SO 2, N 2 O , NO 2, and O 3. The high resolution and throughput, and small size of this instrument make it adaptable to many other atmospheric species. We present results and discuss ways this instrument can be used for ground, aircraft or space based surveillance and the detection of pollutants, toxics and industrial effluents in a variety of scenarios including battlefields, industrial monitoring, or pollution transport.