NDACC Newsletter, Volume 6, July 2015

News from and developments within the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC).

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions

The Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) is an international global network of more than 80 stations making high quality measurements of atmospheric composition that began official operations in 1991 after five years of planning. Originally named the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC), the goal of NDACC is to observe changes in the chemical and physical state of the stratosphere and upper troposphere and to assess the impact of such changes on the lower troposphere and climate. NDACC’s origins, station locations, organizational structure and data archiving are described. NDACC is structured around categories of ground-based observational techniques, timely cross-cutting themes (ozone, water vapour, measurement strategies and emphases), satellite measurement systems, and theory and analyses. To widen its scope, NDACC has established formal collaborative agreements with eight other Cooperating Networks. A brief history is provided, ...

The NDACC Newsletter brings recent scientific results that stem from observations made in the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change. It also gives information about recent and upcoming meetings, relevant projects, as well as station highlights. The August 2015 issue includes: Report from the Absorption Cross Sections of Ozone (ACSO) Activity Highlights from the 2014 WMO/UNEP Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion Latitudinal difference of UVB and UVA radiation derived from NDACC measurements Intercomparison of NDACC UV spectroradiometers EuBrewNet – A European Brewer Network and its global impact on the Brewer community Ozonesonde Data Series Homogenisation Lagrangian trajectories applied to instrument comparisons between platforms Atmospheric circulation changes identified thanks to ground-based FTIR monitoring of hydrogen chloride (HCl) Identifying fire plumes in the Arctic with tropospheric FTIR measurements and transport models Report from the 7th Interna...

2000

Analysis of global and regional CO burdens measured from space between 2000 and 2009 and validated by ground-based solar tracking spectrometers

2012

Annals of Geophysics, 2014

During the last 18 years, the European Space Agency (ESA) has provided the scientific community with a large amount of valuable atmospheric composition data produced by a series of instruments, starting with GOME [Burrows et al., 1999], on-board the ERS-2 satellite (1995-2011), and followed by the GOMOS [Kyrola et al., 2004], MIPAS [Fischer et al., 2008], and the SCIAMACHY [Bovensmann et al., 1999], all flying on-board the Envisat satellite (2002-2012). These observations will be continued by the Sentinel-5 Precursor, Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5 and extended the EarthCARE and ADM missions for aerosols and clouds. […]

Boreal environment …, 2005

Change: overview of recent results. Boreal Env. In this paper we present research methods and recent results obtained within activities of the Research Unit of Physics Chemistry and Biology of Atmospheric Composition and Climate Change, which is one of the centres of excellence of the Academy of Finland. The centre forms an integrated attempt to understand various, but interlinked, biosphere-atmosphere interactions applying inter-and multidisciplinary approaches in a coherent manner. The main disciplines used cover aerosol and environmental physics, atmospheric chemistry and physics, micrometeorology, forest ecology and ecophysiology. The main objective of the centre is to study the importance of aerosol particles on climate change. Our scientific approach that starts from basic nucleation theories, is followed by detailed aerosol dynamic/atmospheric chemistry models and well-defined laboratory experiments, and ends with wide continuous field measurements in our research stations and 3D modelling. During the last years the joint efforts within our centre of excellence and the Nordic centres of excellence BACCI (devoted to atmospheric physics and chemistry) and NECC (devoted to carbon balance of northern ecosystems) have increased strongly. A thorough understanding of physical, meteorological, chemical and ecophysiological processes obtained by individual research groups lays the foundation of a unique possibility to study biosphere-aerosol-cloud-climate interactions, or the interplay between carbon exchange, BVOC emissions and formation of new aerosol particles. The necessary requirement is jointly working, real inter-, multi-and cross disciplinary teams. The core of activities is in continuous measurements and database of atmospheric and ecological mass fluxes and aerosol precursors and CO 2 -aerosol-trace gas interactions in SMEAR field stations. These are supported by models of particle thermodynamics, transport and dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, boundary layer meteorology and forest growth. 460 Kulmala et al. • BOREAL ENV. RES. Vol. 10

Atmospheric Environment, 2009

Scientific findings from the last decades have clearly highlighted the need for a more comprehensive approach to atmospheric change processes. In fact, observation of atmospheric composition variables has been an important activity of atmospheric research that has developed instrumental tools (advanced analytical techniques) and platforms (instrumented passenger aircrafts, ground-based in-situ and remote sensing stations, earth observation satellite instruments) providing essential information on the composition of the atmosphere. The variability of the atmospheric system and the extreme complexity of the atmospheric cycles for short-lived gaseous and aerosol species have led to the development of complex models to interpret observations, test our theoretical understanding of atmospheric chemistry and predict future atmospheric composition. The validation of numerical models requires accurate information concerning the variability of atmospheric composition for targeted species via comparison with observations and measurements. In this paper, we provide an overview of recent advances in instrumentation and methodologies for measuring atmospheric composition changes from space, aircraft and the surface as well as recent improvements in laboratory techniques that permitted scientific advance in the field of atmospheric chemistry. Emphasis is given to the most promising and innovative technologies that will become operational in the near future to improve knowledge of atmospheric composition. Our current observation capacity, however, is not satisfactory to understand and predict future atmospheric composition changes, in relation to predicted climate warming. Based on the limitation of the current European observing system, we address the major gaps in a second part of the paper to explain why further developments in current observation strategies are still needed to strengthen and optimise an observing system not only capable of responding to the requirements of atmospheric services but also to newly open scientific questions.

is capable of covering the spectral range from the UV to the near infrared (290 -1050 nm) with relatively fine resolution. The instrument fulfils the stringent requirements set up by the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC). Furthermore the data of this instru-ment showed little deviation over a wide range of atmospheric conditions compared to an NDSC spectroradiometer operated by New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) during the 5 th North American Intercomparison for UV spectroradiometers. The UV Intercomparison for spectroradiometers was held at Table mountain, near Boulder, Colorado, and the results have been compared to the NDSC instrument operated by NIWA/CMDL. The intercomparison took place on 22 June 2003; this day was nearly ideal, only few clouds were present during the afternoon and provided a large range of solar zenith angles where the performance of the instruments could be tested. 4