ALBERT

Beschreibung: The Level 2 research product algorithms for the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3593-3645, 2011 Author(s): P. Baron, J. Urban, H. Sagawa, J. Möller, D. P. Murtagh, J. Mendrok, E. Dupuy, T. O. Sato, S. Ochiai, K. Suzuki, T. Manabe, T. Nishibori, K. Kikuchi, R. Sato, M. Takayanagi, Y. Murayama, M. Shiotani, and Y. Kasai This paper describes the algorithms of the level-2 research (L2r) processing chain developed for the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES). The chain has been developed in parallel to the operational chain for conducting researches on calibration and retrieval algorithms. L2r chain products are available to the scientific community. The objective of version 2 is the retrieval of the vertical distribution of trace gases in the altitude range of 18–90 km. An theoretical error analysis is conducted to estimate the retrieval feasibility of key parameters of the processing: line-of-sight elevation tangent altitudes (or angles), temperature and O 3 profiles. The line-of-sight tangent altitudes are retrieved between 20 and 50 km from the strong ozone (O 3 ) line at 625.371 GHz, with low correlation with the O 3 volume-mixing ratio and temperature retrieved profiles. Neglecting the non-linearity of the radiometric gain in the calibration procedure is the main systematic error. It is large for the retrieved temperature (between 5–10 K). Therefore, atmospheric pressure can not be derived from the retrieved temperature, and, then, in the altitude range where the line-of-sight tangent altitudes are retrieved, the retrieved trace gases profiles are found to be better represented on pressure levels than on altitude levels. The error analysis for the retrieved HOCl profile demonstrates that best results for inverting weak lines can be obtained by using narrow spectral windows. Future versions of the L2r algorithms will improve the temperature/pressure retrievals and also provide information in the upper tropospheric/lower stratospheric region (e.g., water vapor, ice content, O 3 ) and on stratospheric and mesospheric line-of-sight winds.

Beschreibung: Near infrared nadir sounding of vertical column densities: methodology and application to SCIAMACHY Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3685-3737, 2011 Author(s): S. Gimeno García, F. Schreier, G. Lichtenberg, and S. Slijkhuis Nadir observations with the shortwave infrared channels of SCIAMACHY onboard the ENVISAT satellite can be used to derive information on atmospheric gases such as CO, CH 4 , N 2 O, CO 2 , and H 2 O. For the operational level 1b–2 processing of SCIAMACHY data a new retrieval code BIRRA (Beer InfraRed Retrieval Algorithm) has been developed: BIRRA performs a nonlinear least squares fit of the measured radiance, where molecular concentration vertical profiles are scaled to fit the observed data. Here we present the forward modeling (radiative transfer) and inversion (least squares optimization) fundamentals of the code along with the further processing steps required to generate higher level products such as global distributions and time series. Moreover, various aspects of level 1 (observed spectra) and auxiliary input data relevant for successful retrievals are discussed. BIRRA is currently used for operational analysis of carbon monoxide vertical column densities from SCIAMACHY channel 8 observations, and is being prepared for methane retrievals using channel 6 spectra. A set of representative CO retrievals and first CH 4 results are presented to demonstrate BIRRA's capabilities.

Beschreibung: Volatilizable biogenic organic compounds (VBOCs) with two dimensional gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOFMS): sampling methods, VBOC complexity, and chromatographic retention data Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3647-3684, 2011 Author(s): J. F. Pankow, W. Luo, A. N. Melnychenko, K. C. Barsanti, L. M. Isabelle, C. Chen, A. B. Guenther, and T. N. Rosenstiel Two dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) with detection by time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) was applied in the rapid analysis of air samples containing highly complex mixtures of volatilizable biogenic organic compounds (VBOCs). VBOC analytical methodologies are briefly reviewed, and optimal conditions are discussed for sampling with both adsorption/thermal desorption (ATD) cartridges and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers. Air samples containing VBOC emissions from leaves of two tree species ( Cedrus atlantica and Calycolpus moritzianus ) were obtained by both ATD and SPME. The optimized gas chromatographic conditions utilized a 45 m, 0.25 mm I.D. low-polarity primary column (DB-VRX, 1.4 μm film) and a 1.5 m, 0.25 mm I.D. polar secondary column (Stabilwax® 0.25 μm film). Excellent separation was achieved in a 36 min temperature programmed GC × GC chromatogram. Thousands of VBOC peaks were present in the sample chromatograms; hundreds of tentative identifications by NIST mass spectral matching are provided. Very few of the tentatively identified compounds are currently available as authentic standards. Method detection limit values for a 5 l ATD sample were 3.5 pptv (10 ng m −3 ) for isoprene, methyl vinyl ketone, and methacrolein, and ~1.5 pptv (~10 ng m −3 ) for monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Kovats-type chromatographic retention index values on the primary column and relative retention time values on the secondary column are provided for 21 standard compounds and for 417 tentatively identified VBOCs. 19 of the 21 authentic standard compounds were found in one of the Cedrus atlantica SPME samples. In addition, easily quantifiable levels of at least 13 sesquiterpenes were found in an ATD sample obtained from a branch enclosure of Calycolpus moritzianus . Overall, the results obtained via GC × GC-TOFMS highlight an extreme, and largely uncharacterized diversity of VBOCs, consistent with the hypothesis that sesquiterpenes and other compounds beyond the current list of typically determined VBOC analytes may well be important contributors to global atmospheric levels of organic particulate matter.

Beschreibung: Correcting orbital drift signal in the time series of AVHRR derived convective cloud fraction using rotated empirical orthogonal function Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3877-3890, 2011 Author(s): A. Devasthale, K. Karlsson, J. Quaas, and H. Grassl The AVHRRs instruments onboard the series of NOAA satellites offer the longest available meteorological data records from space. These satellites have drifted in orbit resulting in shifts in the local time sampling during the life span of sensors onboard. Depending on the amplitude of a diurnal cycle of the geophysical parameters derived, orbital drift may cause spurious trends in their time series. We investigate tropical deep convective clouds, which show pronounced diurnal cycle amplitude, to bracket an upper bound of the impact of orbital drift on their time series. We carry out a rotated empirical orthogonal function analysis and show that the REOFs are useful in delineating orbital drift signal and, more importantly, in correcting this signal in the time series of convective cloud amount. These results will help facilitate the derivation of homogenized data series of cloud amount from NOAA satellite sensors and ultimately analyzing trends from them. However, we suggest detailed comparison of various methods and their rigorous testing before applying final orbital drift corrections.

Beschreibung: Brief communication "Snow profile associated measurements (SPAM) – a new instrument for quick snow profile measurements" The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 1737-1748, 2011 Author(s): P. Lahtinen A new instrument concept (SPAM) for snow profile associated measurements is presented. The potential of the concept is demonstrated by presenting preliminary results obtained with the prototype instrument. With this concept it is possible to retrieve rapid snow profiles of e.g. light extinction, reflectance, temperature and snow layer structure with high vertical resolution. As a side-product, also snow depth is retrieved.

Beschreibung: Sensitivity studies for a space-based methane lidar mission Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3545-3592, 2011 Author(s): C. Kiemle, M. Quatrevalet, G. Ehret, A. Amediek, A. Fix, and M. Wirth Methane is the third most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere after water vapour and carbon dioxide. A major handicap to quantify the emissions at the Earth's surface in order to better understand biosphere-atmosphere exchange processes and potential climate feedbacks is the lack of accurate and global observations of methane. Space-based integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) lidar has potential to fill this gap, and a Methane Remote Lidar Mission (MERLIN) on a small satellite in Polar orbit was proposed by DLR and CNES in the frame of a German-French climate monitoring initiative. System simulations are used to identify key performance parameters and to find an advantageous instrument configuration, given the environmental, technological, and budget constraints. The sensitivity studies use representative averages of the atmospheric and surface state to estimate the measurement precision, i.e. the random uncertainty due to instrument noise. Key performance parameters for MERLIN are average laser power, telescope size, orbit height, surface reflectance, and detector noise. A modest-size lidar instrument with 0.45 W average laser power and 0.55 m telescope diameter on a 506 km orbit could provide 50-km averaged methane column measurement along the sub-satellite track with a precision of about 1 % over vegetation. The use of a methane absorption trough at 1.65 μm improves the near-surface measurement sensitivity and vastly relaxes the wavelength stability requirement that was identified as one of the major technological risks in the pre-phase A studies for A-SCOPE, a space-based IPDA lidar for carbon dioxide at the European Space Agency. Minimal humidity and temperature sensitivity at this wavelength position will enable accurate measurements in tropical wetlands, key regions with largely uncertain methane emissions. In contrast to actual passive remote sensors, measurements in Polar Regions will be possible and biases due to aerosol layers and thin ice clouds will be minimised.

Beschreibung: Information operator approach applied to the retrieval of the vertical distribution of atmospheric constituents from ground-based high-resolution FTIR measurements Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3739-3785, 2011 Author(s): C. Senten, M. De Mazière, G. Vanhaelewyn, and C. Vigouroux The analysis of high spectral resolution Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) solar absorption spectra is an important issue in remote sensing. If this is done carefully, one can obtain information, not only about the total column abundances, but also about the vertical distribution of various constituents in the atmosphere. This work introduces the application of the information operator approach for extracting vertical profile information from ground-based FTIR measurements. The algorithm is implemented and tested within the well-known retrieval code SFIT2, adapting the optimal estimation method such as to take into account only the significant contributions to the solution. In particular, we demonstrate the feasibility of the method in an application to ground-based FTIR spectra taken in the frame of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) at Ile de La Réunion (21° S, 55° E). A thorough comparison is made between the original optimal estimation method and this alternative retrieval algorithm, regarding information content, retrieval robustness and corresponding full error budget evaluation for the target species ozone (O 3 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), methane (CH 4 ), and carbon monoxide (CO). For O 3 and CH 4 , a comparison with the Tikhonov regularization method has also been made. It is shown that the information operator approach performs well and in most cases yields both a better accuracy and stability than the optimal estimation method. Additionally, the information operator approach has the advantage of being less sensitive to the choice of a priori information. The Tikhonov regularization results seem to be situated between both methods' results, as to profile retrievals, error budgets and column stability.

Beschreibung: Modeling the impact of wintertime rain events on the thermal regime of permafrost The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 1697-1736, 2011 Author(s): S. Westermann, J. Boike, M. Langer, T. V. Schuler, and B. Etzelmüller In this study, we present field measurements and numerical process modeling from Western Svalbard showing that the ground surface temperature below the snow is impacted by strong wintertime rain events. During such events, rain water percolates to the bottom of the snow pack, where it freezes and releases latent heat. In the winter season 2005/2006, on the order of 20 to 50 % of the wintertime precipitation fell as rain, thus confining the surface temperature to close to 0 °C for several weeks. The measured average ground surface temperature during the snow-covered period is −0.6 °C, despite of a snow surface temperature of on average −8.5 °C. For the considered period, the temperature threshold below which permafrost is sustainable on long timescales is exceeded. We present a simplified model of rain water infiltration in the snow coupled to a transient permafrost model. While small amounts of rain have only minor impact on the ground surface temperature, strong rain events have a long-lasting impact. We show that consecutively applying the conditions encountered in the winter season 2005/2006 results in the formation of an unfrozen zone in the soil after three to five years, depending on the prescribed soil properties. If water infiltration in the snow is disabled in the model, more time is required for the permafrost to reach a similar state of degradation.

Beschreibung: Opportunistic validation of sulfur dioxide in the Sarychev Peak volcanic eruption cloud Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3861-3875, 2011 Author(s): S. A. Carn and T. M. Lopez We report attempted validation of Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) retrievals in the stratospheric volcanic cloud from Sarychev Peak (Kurile Islands) in June 2009, through opportunistic deployment of a ground-based ultraviolet (UV) spectrometer (FLYSPEC) as the volcanic cloud drifted over Central Alaska. The volcanic cloud altitude (~12–14 km) was constrained using coincident CALIPSO lidar observations. By invoking some assumptions about the spatial distribution of SO 2 , we derive averages of FLYSPEC vertical SO 2 columns for comparison with OMI SO 2 measurements. Despite limited data, we find minimum OMI-FLYSPEC differences of ~5–6 % which support the validity of the operational OMI SO 2 algorithm. These measurements represent the first attempt to validate SO 2 in a stratospheric volcanic cloud using a mobile ground-based instrument, and demonstrate the need for a network of rapidly deployable instruments for validation of space-based volcanic SO 2 measurements.

Beschreibung: Inversion of tropospheric profiles of aerosol extinction and HCHO and NO 2 mixing ratios from MAX-DOAS observations in Milano during the summer of 2003 and comparison with independent data sets Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3891-3964, 2011 Author(s): T. Wagner, S. Beirle, T. Brauers, T. Deutschmann, U. Frieß, C. Hak, J. D. Halla, K. P. Heue, W. Junkermann, X. Li, U. Platt, and I. Pundt-Gruber We present aerosol and trace gas profiles derived from MAX-DOAS observations. Our inversion scheme is based on simple profile parameterisations used as input for an atmospheric radiative transfer model (forward model). From a least squares fit of the forward model to the MAX-DOAS measurements, two profile parameters are retrieved including integrated quantities (aerosol optical depth or trace gas vertical column density), and parameters describing the height and shape of the respective profiles. From these results, the aerosol extinction and trace gas mixing ratios can also be calculated. We apply the profile inversion to MAX-DOAS observations during a measurement campaign in Milano, Italy, September 2003, which allowed simultaneous observations from three telescopes (directed to north, west, south). Profile inversions for aerosols and trace gases were possible on 23 days. Especially in the middle of the campaign (17–20 September 2003), enhanced values of aerosol optical depth and NO 2 and HCHO mixing ratios were found. The retrieved layer heights were typically similar for HCHO and aerosols. For NO 2 , lower layer heights were found, which increased during the day. The MAX-DOAS inversion results are compared to independent measurements: (1) aerosol optical depth measured at an AERONET station at Ispra; (2) near-surface NO 2 and HCHO (formaldehyde) mixing ratios measured by long path DOAS and Hantzsch instruments at Bresso; (3) vertical profiles of HCHO and aerosols measured by an ultra light aircraft. Depending on the viewing direction, the aerosol optical depths from MAX-DOAS are either smaller or larger than those from AERONET observations. Similar comparison results are found for the MAX-DOAS NO 2 mixing ratios versus long path DOAS measurements. In contrast, the MAX-DOAS HCHO mixing ratios are generally higher than those from long path DOAS or Hantzsch instruments. The comparison of the HCHO and aerosol profiles from the aircraft showed reasonable agreement with the respective MAX-DOAS layer heights. From the comparison of the results for the different telescopes, it was possible to investigate the internal consistency of the MAX-DOAS observations. As part of our study, a cloud classification algorithm was developed (based on the MAX-DOAS zenith viewing directions), and the effects of clouds on the profile inversion were investigated. Different effects of clouds on aerosols and trace gas retrievals were found: while the aerosol optical depth is systematically underestimated and the HCHO mixing ratio is systematically overestimated under cloudy conditions, the NO 2 mixing ratios are only slightly affected. These findings are in basic agreement with radiative transfer simulations.

Beschreibung: Modeling the ascent of sounding balloons: derivation of the vertical air motion Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3965-4012, 2011 Author(s): A. Gallice, F. G. Wienhold, C. R. Hoyle, F. Immler, and T. Peter A new model to describe the ascent of sounding balloons in the troposphere and lower stratosphere (up to ~30–35 km altitude) is presented. Contrary to previous models, detailed account is taken of both the variation of the drag coefficient with altitude and the heat imbalance between the balloon and the atmosphere. To compensate for the lack of data on the drag coefficient of sounding balloons, a reference curve for the relationship between drag coefficient and Reynolds number is derived from a dataset of flights launched during the Lindenberg Upper Air Methods Intercomparisons (LUAMI) campaign. The transfer of heat from the surrounding air into the balloon is accounted for by solving the radial heat diffusion equation inside the balloon. The potential applications of the model include the forecast of the trajectory of sounding balloons, which can be used to increase the accuracy of the match technique, and the derivation of the air vertical velocity. The latter is obtained by subtracting the ascent rate of the balloon in still air calculated by the model from the actual ascent rate. This technique is shown to provide an approximation for the vertical air motion with an uncertainty error of 0.5 m s −1 in the troposphere and 0.2 m s −1 in the stratosphere. An example of extraction of the air vertical velocity is provided in this paper. We show that the air vertical velocities derived from the balloon soundings in this paper are in general agreement with small-scale atmospheric velocity fluctuations related to gravity waves, mechanical turbulence, or other small-scale air motions measured during the SUCCESS campaign (Subsonic Aircraft: Contrail and Cloud Effects Special Study) in the orographically unperturbed mid-latitude middle troposphere.

Beschreibung: Potential and limitations of the MAX-DOAS method to retrieve the vertical distribution of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 4013-4072, 2011 Author(s): T. Vlemmix, A. J. M. Piters, A. J. C. Berkhout, L. F. L. Gast, P. Wang, and P. F. Levelt Muliple Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instruments can measure from the ground the absorption by nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) of scattered sunlight seen in multiple viewing directions. This paper studies the potential of this technique to derive the vertical distribution of NO 2 in the troposphere. Such profile information is essential in validation studies in which MAX-DOAS retrievals play a role. The retrieval algorithm used is based on a pre-calculated look-up table and assumes homogeneous mixing of aerosols and NO 2 in layers extending from the surface to a variable height. Two retrieval models are compared: one including and one excluding an elevated NO 2 layer at a fixed altitude in the free troposphere. An ensemble technique is applied to derive retrieved model uncertainties. Sensitivity studies demonstrate that MAX-DOAS based retrievals can make a distinction between an NO 2 layer that extends from the surface to a certain height (having a constant mixing ratio, or a mixing ratio that decreases with altitude) and an elevated NO 2 layer. The height of the elevated NO 2 layer can only be retrieved accurately when the aerosol extinction profile is known and the measurement noise is low. The uncertainty in this elevated NO 2 layer height provides the main source of uncertainty in the retrieval of the free tropospheric contribution to the tropospheric NO 2 column. A comparison was performed with independent data, based on observations done at the CINDI campaign, held in the Netherlands in 2009. Comparison with lidar partial tropospheric NO 2 columns showed a correlation of 0.78, and an average difference of 0.1× 10 15 molec cm −2 . The diurnal evolution of the NO 2 volume mixing ratio measured by in-situ monitors at the surface and averaged over five days with cloud-free mornings, compares quite well to the MAX-DOAS retrieval: a correlation was found of 0.8, and an average difference of 0.2 ppb.

Beschreibung: Water isotopic ratios from a continuously melted ice core sample Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 4073-4104, 2011 Author(s): V. Gkinis, T. J. Popp, T. Blunier, M. Bigler, S. Schüpbach, and S. J. Johnsen A new technique for on-line high resolution isotopic analysis of liquid water, tailored for ice core studies is presented. We build an interface between an Infra Red Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (IR-CRDS) and a Continuous Flow Analysis (CFA) system. The system offers the possibility to perform simultaneuous water isotopic analysis of δ 18 O and δD on a continuous stream of liquid water as generated from a continuously melted ice rod. Injection of sub μl amounts of liquid water is achieved by pumping sample through a fused silica capillary and instantaneously vaporizing it with 100 % efficiency in a home made oven at a temperature of 170 °C. A calibration procedure allows for proper reporting of the data on the VSMOW scale. We apply the necessary corrections based on the assessed performance of the system regarding instrumental drifts and dependance on humidity levels. The melt rates are monitored in order to assign a depth scale to the measured isotopic profiles. Application of spectral methods yields the combined uncertainty of the system at below 0.1 ‰ and 0.5 ‰ for δ 18 O and δD, respectively. This performance is comparable to that achieved with mass spectrometry. Dispersion of the sample in the transfer lines limits the resolution of the technique. In this work we investigate and assess these dispersion effects. By using an optimal filtering method we show how the measured profiles can be corrected for the smoothing effects resulting from the sample dispersion. Considering the significant advantages the technique offers, i.e. simultaneuous measurement of δ 18 O and δD, potentially in combination with chemical components that are traditionally measured on CFA systems, notable reduction on analysis time and power consumption, we consider it as an alternative to traditional isotope ratio mass spectrometry with the possibility to be deployed for field ice core studies. We present data acquired in the framework of the NEEM deep ice core drilling project in Greenland, during the 2010 field season.

Beschreibung: A 3-D tomographic trajectory retrieval for the air-borne limb-imager GLORIA Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3805-3859, 2011 Author(s): J. Ungermann, J. Blank, J. Lotz, K. Leppkes, T. Guggenmoser, M. Kaufmann, P. Preusse, U. Naumann, and M. Riese Infrared limb sounding from aircraft can provide 2-D curtains of multiple trace gas species. However, conventional limb sounders view perpendicular to the aircraft axis and are unable to resolve the observed airmass along their line-of-sight. GLORIA (Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere) is a new remote sensing instrument able to adjust its horizontal view angle with respect to the aircraft flight direction from 45° to 135°. This will allow for tomographic measurements of mesoscale structures for a wide variety of atmospheric constituents. Many flights of the GLORIA instrument will not follow closed curves that allow measuring an airmass from all directions. Consequently, it is examined by means of simulations, what results can be expected from tomographic evaluation of measurements made during a straight flight. It is demonstrated that the achievable resolution and stability is enhanced compared to conventional retrievals. In a second step, it is shown that the incorporation of channels exhibiting different optical depth can greatly enhance the 3-D retrieval quality enabling the exploitation of previously unused spectral samples. A second problem for tomographic retrievals is that advection, which can be neglected for conventional retrievals, plays an important role for the time-scales involved in a tomographic measurement flight. This paper presents a method to diagnose the effect of a time-varying atmosphere on a 3-D retrieval and demonstrates an effective way to compensate for effects of advection by incorporating wind-fields from meteorological datasets as a priori information.

Beschreibung: High-resolution air quality monitoring from space: a fast retrieval scheme for CO from hyperspectral infrared measurements Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3787-3803, 2011 Author(s): N. Smith, H.-L. Huang, E. Weisz, H. J. Annegarn, and R. B. Pierce The first results of the Fast Linear Inversion Trace gas System (FLITS) retrieval scheme are presented here for CO from IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) measurements using RAQMS (Real time Air Quality Modelling System) as atmospheric background. FLITS is a simple linear inversion scheme with a stable performance that retrieves total column CO concentrations (molec cm −2 ) at single field-of-view (FOV) irrespective of cloud cover. A case study is presented here for a biomass burning plume over the Pacific on 29 March 2010. For each FOV a single tropospheric CO density, vertically integrated over 200–800 hPa, is retrieved with 12 channels in the spectral range 2050–2225 cm −1 . Despite variations in cloud cover and temperature, the degrees of freedom for signal (DFS) of the solution ranges between 0.8 and 0.95. In addition, the retrieval error is at least half the background error of 10 %, with dominant contribution from uncertainty in the measurement and temperature. With its stability and processing speed, FLITS meet two of the key requirements for operational processing. We conclude that the linear combination of space-borne measurements with a chemical transport model in the FLITS retrieval scheme holds potential for real-time air quality monitoring and evaluation of pollutant transport at high spatial resolution.

Beschreibung: Investigating changes in basal conditions of Variegated Glacier prior and during its 1982–1983 surge The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 1461-1494, 2011 Author(s): M. Jay-Allemand, F. Gillet-Chaulet, O. Gagliardini, and M. Nodet The Variegated Glacier (Alaska) is known to surge periodically after a sufficient amount of cumulative mass balance is reached, but this observation is difficult to link with changes in the basal conditions. Here, using a 10-year dataset, consisting in surface topography and surface velocity observations along a flow line for 25 dates, we have reconstructed the evolution of the basal conditions prior and during the 1982–1983 surge. The model solves the full-Stokes problem along the central flow line using the finite element method. For the 25 dates of the dataset, the basal friction parameter distribution is inferred using the inverse method proposed by Arthern and Gudmundson (2010). This method is here slightly modified by incorporating a regularisation term in the cost function to avoid short wave length changes in the friction parameter. Our results indicate that dramatic changes in the basal conditions occurred between 1973 to 1983. Prior to the surge, periodical changes can be observed between winter and summer, with a regular increase of the sliding from 1973 to 1982. During the surge, the basal friction decreased dramatically and an area of very low friction moved from the upper part of the glacier to its terminus. Using a more complex friction law, these changes in basal sliding are then interpreted in terms of basal water pressure. It confirms that dramatic changes took place in the subglacial drainage system of Variegated Glacier, moving from a relatively efficient drainage system prior to the surge to an inefficient one during the surge. By reconstructing the water pressure evolution at the base of the glacier it is possible to infer realistic scenarios for the hydrological history leading to the occurrence of a surge.

Beschreibung: Early in-flight detection of SO 2 via Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy: a feasible aviation safety measure to prevent potential encounters with volcanic plumes Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 2827-2881, 2011 Author(s): L. Vogel, B. Galle, C. Kern, H. Delgado Granados, V. Conde, P. Norman, S. Arellano, O. Landgren, P. Lübcke, J. M. Alvarez Nieves, L. Cárdenas Gonzáles, and U. Platt Volcanic ash constitutes a risk to aviation, mainly due to its ability to cause jet engines to fail. Other risks include the possibility of abrasion of windshields and potentially serious damage to avionic systems. These hazards have been widely recognized since the early 1980s, when volcanic ash provoked several incidents of engine failure in commercial aircraft. In addition to volcanic ash, volcanic gases also pose a threat. Prolonged and/or cumulative exposure to sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) or sulphuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) aerosols potentially affects e.g. windows, air frame and may cause permanent damage to engines. SO 2 receives most attention among the gas species commonly found in volcanic plumes because its presence above the lower troposphere is a clear proxy for a volcanic cloud and indicates that fine ash could also be present. Up to now, remote sensing of SO 2 via Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) in the ultraviolet spectral region has been used to measure volcanic clouds from ground based, airborne and satellite platforms. Attention has been given to volcanic emission strength, chemistry inside volcanic clouds and measurement procedures were adapted accordingly. Here we present a set of experimental and model results, highlighting the feasibility of DOAS to be used as an airborne early detection system of SO 2 in two spatial dimensions. In order to prove our new concept, simultaneous airborne and ground-based measurements of the plume of Popocatépetl volcano, Mexico, were conducted in April 2010. The plume extended at an altitude around 5250 m above sea level and was approached and traversed at the same altitude with several forward looking DOAS systems aboard an airplane. These DOAS systems measured SO 2 in the flight direction and at ± 40 mrad (2.3°) angles relative to it in both, horizontal and vertical directions. The approaches started at up to 25 km distance to the plume and SO 2 was measured at all times well above the detection limit. In combination with radiative transfer studies, this study indicates that an extended volcanic cloud with a concentration of 10 12 molecules cm −3 at typical flight levels of 10 km can be detected unambiguously at distances of up to 80 km away. This range provides enough time (approx. 5 min) for pilots to take action to avoid entering a volcanic cloud in the flight path, suggesting that this technique can be used as an effective aid to prevent dangerous aircraft encounters with potentially ash rich volcanic clouds.

Beschreibung: Catalytic oxidation of H 2 on platinum: a method for in situ calibration of hygrometers Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3083-3095, 2011 Author(s): A. W. Rollins, T. D. Thornberry, R.-S. Gao, B. D. Hall, and D. W. Fahey Standard reference samples of water vapor suitable for in situ calibration of atmospheric hygrometers are not currently widespread, leading to difficulties in unifying the calibrations of these hygrometers and potentially contributing to measurement discrepancies. We describe and evaluate a system for reliably and quantitatively converting mixtures of H 2 in air to H 2 O on a heated platinum (Pt) surface, providing a compact, portable, adjustable source of water vapor. The technique is shown to be accurate and can be used to easily and predictably produce a wide range of water vapor concentrations (≈1 ppm−2 %) on demand. The result is a H 2 O standard that is suitable for in situ calibration of hygrometers, with an accuracy nearly that of the available H 2 standards (≈±2 %).

Beschreibung: A versatile and reproducible automatic injection system for liquid standard introduction: application to in-situ calibration Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3233-3249, 2011 Author(s): G. Isaacman, N. M. Kreisberg, D. R. Worton, S. V. Hering, and A. H. Goldstein The quantitation of trace organic compounds in ambient organic aerosol is difficult due to the chemical complexity of these mixtures, but is needed to provide insight into their sources and formation processes. Compound-level characterization of organic aerosols is typically performed through sample collection followed by gas or liquid chromatography. With these methods, introduction of liquid standards has long been used as an effective means of quantifying trace compounds, but automating this technique for use with in-situ instrumentation has not previously been achieved. Here we develop an automatic injection system (AutoInject) for the introduction of liquids into a custom collection and analysis cell for improved quantitation in chromatographic measurements. The system consists of chilled reservoirs containing liquid standards from which a sample loop is loaded and then injected into the cell. The AutoInject is shown to have reproducibility over 106 injections with a relative standard deviation of 1.5 %, and have negligible injection-to-injection carryover. A 6-port selector allows injection of different liquid standards separately or simultaneously. Additionally, automatic injection of multiple sample loops is shown to generate a linear multi-point calibration curve. Tests conducted in this work focus on use with the T hermal desorption A erosol G as chromatograph (TAG), but the flexibility of the system allows it to be used for a variety of applications.

Beschreibung: Spatial resolution of tropical terrestrial CO 2 fluxes inferred using space-borne column CO 2 sampled in different earth orbits: the role of spatial error correlations Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3251-3276, 2011 Author(s): P. I. Palmer, L. Feng, and H. Bösch We use realistic numerical experiments to assess the sensitivity of 8-day CO 2 flux estimates, inferred from space-borne short-wave infrared measurements of column-averaged CO 2 dry air mixing ratio X CO 2 , to the choice of Earth observing orbit. We focus on three orbits: (1) a low-inclination circular orbit used by the NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM); (2) a sun-synchronous orbit used by the Japanese Greenhouse Gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) and proposed for the NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) instrument; and (3) a precessing orbit used by the International Space Station (ISS). For each orbit, we assume an instrument based on the specification of the OCO-2; for GOSAT we use the relevant instrument specification. Sun-synchronous orbits offer near global coverage within a few days but have implications for the density of clear-sky measurements. The TRMM and ISS orbits intensively sample tropical latitudes, with sun-lit clear-sky measurements evenly distributed between a.m./p.m. For a specified spatial resolution for inferred fluxes, we find there is a critical number of measurements beyond which there is a disproportionately small decrease in flux uncertainty. We also find that including spatial correlations for measurements and model errors (of length 300 km) reduces the effectiveness of high measurement density for flux estimation and so should be considered when deciding sampling strategies. We show that cloud-free data from the TRMM orbit generally can improve the spatial resolution of CO 2 fluxes achieved by OCO-2 over tropical South America, for example, from 950 km to 630 km, and that combining data from these low-inclination and sun-synchronous orbits have the potential to reduce this spatial length further. Decreasing the length of the error correlations to 50 km, reflecting anticipated future improvements to transport models, results in CO 2 flux estimates on spatial scales that approach those observed by regional aircraft.

Beschreibung: A method to improve the determination of wave perturbations close to the tropopause by using a digital filter Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 1181-1197, 2011 Author(s): P. Alexander, A. de la Torre, P. Llamedo, R. Hierro, T. Schmidt, A. Haser, and J. Wickert Calculations of gravity wave activity all over the globe derived from GPS radio occultation temperature profiles led some years ago to the following question: are the wave amplitude enhancements systematically observed around tropopause levels due to physical processes or are they a simple artifact generated by any digital filter used to isolate the wave components? The latter alternative has been found to be the correct one. This has been concluded after almost a decade of work on global wave climatologies obtained from GPS radio occultation satellite data, which allowed to analyze, for the first time, a large amount of atmospheric profiles including both the troposphere and the stratosphere. We present a new filtering method which can be equally applied to temperature or refractivity profiles. The suggested technique significantly reduces artificial enhancements around the tropopause, which represents an improvement in comparison to previous applications of standard filters.

Beschreibung: An algorithm for retrieving black carbon optical parameters from thermal-optical (OC/EC) instruments Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 1233-1254, 2011 Author(s): A. Andersson, R. J. Sheesley, E. N. Kirillova, and Ö. Gustafsson Through absorption of sun light atmospheric black carbon (BC) is expected to influence regional/global climate by warming the atmosphere and dimming the surface. To evaluate the impact of these effects it is of interest to examine both the radiative properties of BC and the concentrations in air. Building on recent developments we present a novel application for combining these two aspects using the common thermal-optical (OC/EC) instrument. By correlating the OC/EC laser transmission with the FID-carbon detection non-carbon contributions to the light attenuation are detected. Such analysis allows the calculation of mass absorption cross-sections (MACs) for BC, corrected for certain in-organic components. This approach has been applied to data from two S S Asian and two SN S European sites, including a time series analysis for one of the SN S European sites. Taken together this study demonstrates broad applicability for this method while providing new insights into the optical properties of BC.

Beschreibung: Warming of waters in an East Greenland fjord prior to glacier retreat: mechanisms and connection to large-scale atmospheric conditions The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 1335-1364, 2011 Author(s): P. Christoffersen, R. I. Mugford, K. J. Heywood, I. Joughin, J. A. Dowdeswell, J. P. M. Syvitski, A. Luckman, and T. J. Benham Hydrographic data acquired in Kangerlugssuaq Fjord and adjacent seas in 1993 and 2004 are used together with ocean reanalysis to elucidate water mass change and ice-ocean-atmosphere interactions in East Greenland. The hydrographic data show substantial warming of fjord waters between 1993 and 2004 and warm subsurface conditions coincide with the rapid retreat of Kangerlugssuaq Glacier in 2004–2005. The ocean reanalysis shows that the warm properties of fjord waters in 2004 are related to a major peak in oceanic shoreward heat flux into a cross-shelf trough on the outer continental shelf. The heat flux into this trough varies according to seasonal exchanges with the atmosphere as well as from deep seasonal intrusions of subtropical waters. Both mechanisms contribute to high (low) shoreward heat flux when winds from the northeast are weak (strong). The combined effect of surface heating and inflow of subtropical waters is seen in the hydrographic data, which were collected after periods when along-shore coastal winds from the north were strong (1993) and weak (2004). We show that coastal winds vary according to the pressure gradient defined by a semi-permanent atmospheric pressure system over Greenland and a persistent atmospheric low situated near Iceland. The magnitude of this pressure gradient is controlled by longitudinal variability in the position of the Icelandic Low.

Beschreibung: Recent wind driven high sea ice export in the Fram Strait contributes to Arctic sea ice decline The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 1311-1334, 2011 Author(s): L. H. Smedsrud, A. Sirevaag, K. Kloster, A. Sorteberg, and S. Sandven Arctic sea ice area decrease has been visible for two decades, and continues at a steady rate. Apart from melting, the southward drift through Fram Strait is the main loss. We present high resolution sea ice drift across 79° N from 2004 to 2010. The ice drift is based on radar satellite data and correspond well with variability in local geostrophic wind. The underlying current contributes with a constant southward speed close to 5 cm s −1 , and drives about 33 % of the ice export. We use geostrophic winds derived from reanalysis data to calculate the Fram Strait ice area export back to 1957, finding that the sea ice area export recently is about 25 % larger than during the 1960's. The increase in ice export occurred mostly during winter and is directly connected to higher southward ice drift velocities, due to stronger geostrophic winds. The increase in ice drift is large enough to counteract a decrease in ice concentration of the exported sea ice. Using storm tracking we link changes in geostrophic winds to more intense Nordic Sea low pressure systems. Annual sea ice export likely has a significant influence on the summer sea ice variability and we find low values in the 60's, the late 80's and 90's, and particularly high values during 2005–2008. The study highlight the possible role of variability in ice export as an explanatory factor for understanding the dramatic loss of Arctic sea ice the last decades.

Beschreibung: Determination of field scale ammonia emissions for common slurry spreading practice with two independent methods Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 2635-2687, 2011 Author(s): J. Sintermann, C. Ammann, U. Kuhn, C. Spirig, R. Hirschberger, A. Gärtner, and A. Neftel At a cropland and a grassland site field scale ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions from slurry application were determined simultaneously by two approaches based on (i) eddy covariance (EC) flux measurements using high temperature Chemical Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (HT-CIMS) and on (ii) backward Lagrangian Stochastic (bLS) dispersion modelling using concentration measurements by three optical open path Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) systems. Slurry was spread on the fields in sequential tracks over a period of one to two hours. In order to calculate field emissions, measured EC/HT-CIMS fluxes were combined with flux footprint analysis of individual slurry spreading tracks to parameterise the NH 3 volatilisation with a bi-exponential time dependence. Accordingly, track-resolved concentration footprints for the FTIR measurements were calculated using bLS. Comparison of concentrations calculated from the parameterised fluxes with concentrations measured by impingers showed that the EC/HT-CIMS emissions on the two fertilisations corresponded to the impinger concentrations within 10 % while the bLS/FTIR results showed larger deviations. For both events, the period during fertilisation and the subsequent two hours contributed by more than 80 % to the total field emissions. Averaged over the two measurement methods, the cumulated emissions of the first day amounted to 17 ± 3 % loss of applied total ammoniacal nitrogen over the cropland and 16 ± 3 % over the grassland field.

Beschreibung: Empirical analysis and modeling of errors of atmospheric profiles from GPS radio occultation Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 2599-2633, 2011 Author(s): B. Scherllin-Pirscher, A. K. Steiner, G. Kirchengast, Y.-H. Kuo, and U. Foelsche The utilization of radio occultation (RO) data in atmospheric studies requires precise knowledge of error characteristics. We present results of an empirical error analysis of GPS radio occultation (RO) bending angle, refractivity, dry pressure, dry geopotential height, and dry temperature. We find very good agreement between data characteristics of different missions (CHAMP, GRACE-A, and Formosat-3/COSMIC (F3C)). In the global mean, observational errors (standard deviation from "true" profiles at mean tangent point location) agree within 0.3 % in bending angle, 0.1 % in refractivity, and 0.2 K in dry temperature at all altitude levels between 4 km and 35 km. Above ≈20 km, the observational errors show a strong seasonal dependence at high latitudes. Larger errors occur in hemispheric wintertime and are associated mainly with background data used in the retrieval process. The comparison between UCAR and WEGC results (both data centers have independent inversion processing chains) reveals different magnitudes of observational errors in atmospheric parameters, which are attributable to different background fields used. Based on the empirical error estimates, we provide a simple analytical error model for GPS RO atmospheric parameters and account for vertical, latitudinal, and seasonal variations. In the model, which spans the altitude range from 4 km to 35 km, a constant error is adopted around the tropopause region amounting to 0.8 % for bending angle, 0.35 % for refractivity, 0.15 % for dry pressure, 10 m for dry geopotential height, and 0.7 K for dry temperature. Below this region the observational error increases following an inverse height power-law and above it increases exponentially. The observational error model is the same for UCAR and WEGC data but due to somewhat different error characteristics below about 10 km and above about 20 km some parameters have to be adjusted. Overall, the observational error model is easily applicable and adjustable to individual error characteristics.

Beschreibung: Spatio-temporal measurements and analysis of snow depth in a rock face The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 1383-1418, 2011 Author(s): V. Wirz, M. Schirmer, S. Gruber, and M. Lehning Snow in rock faces plays a key role in the alpine environment for permafrost distribution, snow water storage or run off in spring. However, a detailed assessment of snow depths in steep rock walls has never been attempted. To understand snow distribution in rock walls a high-resolution terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), including a digital camera, was used to obtain snow depth (HS) data with a resolution of one metre. The mean HS, the snow covered area and their evolution in the rock face were compared to a neighbouring smoother catchment and a flat field station at similar elevation. Further we analyzed the patterns of HS distribution in the rock face after different periods and investigated the main factors contributing to them. In a first step we could show that with TLS reliable information on surface data of a steep rocky surface can be obtained. In comparison to the flatter sites in the vicinity, mean HS in the rock face was lower during the entire winter, but trends of snow depth changes were similar. We observed repeating accumulation and ablation patterns in the rock face, while maximum snow depth loss always occurred at those places with maximum snow depth gain. Further analysis of the main factors contributing to the snow depth distribution in the rock face revealed terrain-wind-interaction processes to be dominant. Processes related to slope angle seem to play a role, but no linear function of slope angle and snow depth was found. Further analyses should involve measurements in rock faces with other characteristics and higher temporal resolutions to be able to distinguish individual processes better. Additionally the relation of spatial and temporal distribution of snow depth to terrain-wind interactions should be tested.

Beschreibung: Utility of late summer transient snowline migration rate on Taku Glacier, Alaska The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 1365-1382, 2011 Author(s): M. Pelto On Taku Glacier, Alaska a combination of field observations of snow water equivalent (SWE) from snowpits and probing in the vicinity of the transient snowline (TSL) are used to quantify the mass balance gradient. The balance gradient is determined from the difference in elevation and SWE from the TSL to snowpits at 1000 m from 1998–2010 and ranges from 2.6–3.8 mm m −1 . Probing transects from 950 m–1100 m directly measure SWE and yield a slightly higher balance gradient of 3.3–3.8 mm m −1 . TSL is identified in MODIS and Landsat 4 and 7 Thematic Mapper imagery for 31 dates during the 2004–2010 period on Taku Glacier to assess the consistency of its rate of rise and usefulness in assessing mass balance. In 2010, the TSL rose from 750 m on 28 July, 800 m on 5 August, 875 m on 14 August, 925 m on 30 August, and to 975 m on 20 September. The mean observed probing balance gradient was 3.3 mm m −1 and TSL rise was 3.7 m day −1 , yielding an ablation rate of 12.2 mm day −1 on Taku Glacier from mid-July to mid-September. A comparison of the TSL rise in the region from 750–1100 m on Taku Glacier during eleven different periods of more than 14 days during the ablation season with repeat imagery indicates a mean TSL rise of 3.7 m day −1 on Taku Glacier, the rate of rise is relatively consistent ranging from 3.0 to 4.8 m day −1 . This is useful for ascertaining the final ELA if imagery or observations are not available within a week or two of the end of the ablation season. From mid-July-mid-September the mean ablation from 750–1100 m determined from the TSL rise and the observed balance gradient varied from 11 to 18 mm day −1 on Taku Glacier during the 2004–2010 period.

Beschreibung: Remote sensing of aerosols by using polarized, directional and spectral measurements within the A-Train: the PARASOL mission Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 2037-2069, 2011 Author(s): D. Tanré, F. M. Bréon, J. L. Deuzé, O. Dubovik, F. Ducos, P. François, P. Goloub, M. Herman, A. Lifermann, and F. Waquet The aerosol remote sensing from space has started in the 1980's using observations provided by geostationary satellites or by polar orbiting platforms not specifically designed for observing aerosols. As a result, the number of retrieved parameters was limited and retrievals in the visible restricted over ocean. Over land, because of the important surface contribution, the aerosol detection was performed in the UV (or in the dark blue) where most of the earth surfaces are dark enough but with overlap of multiple aerosols parameters, content, altitude and absorption. Instruments dedicated to aerosol monitoring are recently available and the POLDER instrument on board the PARASOL mission is one of them. By measuring the wavelength, angular and polarization properties of the radiance at the top of the atmosphere, in coordination with the other A-Train instruments, PARASOL can better quantify aerosol optical depths (AOD) and improve the derivation of the radiative and physical properties. The instrument, the inversion schemes and the list of aerosol parameters are described. Examples of retrieved aerosol parameters are provided as well as innovative approaches and further inversion techniques.

Beschreibung: Atmospheric influences on infrared-laser signals used for occultation measurements between Low Earth Orbit satellites Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 2689-2747, 2011 Author(s): S. Schweitzer, G. Kirchengast, and V. Proschek LEO-LEO infrared-laser occultation (LIO) is a new occultation technique between Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, which applies signals in the short wave infrared spectral range (SWIR) within 2 μm to 2.5 μm. It is part of the LEO-LEO microwave and infrared-laser occultation (LMIO) method, recently introduced by Kirchengast and Schweitzer (2011), that enables to retrieve thermodynamic profiles (pressure, temperature, humidity) and accurate altitude levels from microwave signals and profiles of greenhouse gases and further variables such as line-of-sight wind speed from simultaneously measured LIO signals. For enabling trace species retrieval based on differential transmission, the LIO signals are spectrally located as pairs, one in the centre of a suitable absorption line of a target species (absorption signal) and one close by but outside of any absorption lines (reference signal). Due to the novelty of the LMIO method, detailed knowledge of atmospheric influences on LIO signals and of their suitability for accurate trace species retrieval did not yet exist. Here we discuss the atmospheric influences on the transmission and differential transmission of LIO signals. Refraction effects, trace species absorption (by target species, and cross-sensitivity to foreign species), aerosol extinction and Rayleigh scattering are studied in detail. The influences of clouds, turbulence, wind, scattered solar radiation and terrestrial thermal radiation are discussed as well. We show that the influence of defocusing, foreign species absorption, aerosols and turbulence is observable, but can be rendered small to negligible by use of the differential transmission principle and by a design with close frequency spacing of absorption and reference signals within 0.5 %. The influences of Rayleigh scattering and thermal radiation on the received signal intensities are found negligible. Cloud-scattered solar radiation can be observable under bright-day conditions but this influence can be as well made negligible by a design with a close time spacing (within 5 ms) of interleaved laser-pulse and background signals. Cloud extinction loss generally blocks SWIR signals, except very thin or sub-visible cirrus clouds, which can be addressed by a design allowing retrieval of a cloud layering profile from reference signals and its use in trace species retrieval when scanning through intermittent upper tropospheric cloudiness. Wind can have a small influence via Doppler shift resulting in a slightly modified trace species absorption in comparison to calm air, which can be made negligible by using a simultaneously retrieved wind speed profile or a moderately accurate (to about 10 m s −1 ) background wind profile. Considering all these influences, we conclude that the set of SWIR channels proposed for implementing the LMIO method (Kirchengast et al., 2010; Kirchengast and Schweitzer, 2011) provides adequate sensitivity to accurately retrieve eight greenhouse gas/isotope trace species of key importance to climate and atmospheric chemistry (H 2 O, 12 CO 2 , 13 CO 2 , C 18 OO, CH 4 , N 2 O, O 3 , CO) in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere region outside clouds under all atmospheric conditions. Two further isotope species (HDO, H 2 18 O) can be retrieved in the upper troposphere.

Beschreibung: Effective density of Aquadag and fullerene soot black carbon reference materials used for SP2 calibration Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 4937-4955, 2011 Author(s): M. Gysel, M. Laborde, J. S. Olfert, R. Subramanian, and A. J. Gröhn The mass and effective density of black carbon (BC) particles generated from aqueous suspensions of Aquadag and fullerene soot was measured and parametrized as a function of their mobility diameter. The measurements were made by two independent research groups by operating a differential mobility analyser (DMA) in series with an aerosol particle mass analyser (APM) or a Couette centrifugal particle mass analyser (CPMA). Consistent and reproducible results were found in this study for different production lots of Aquadag, indicating that the effective density of these particles is a stable quantity and largely unaffected by differences in aerosol generation procedures and suspension treatments. The effective density of fullerene soot particles from one production lot was also found to be stable and independent of suspension treatments. Some difference to previous literature data was observed for both Aquadag and fullerene soot at larger particle diameters. Knowledge of the exact relationship between mobility diameter and particle mass is of great importance, as DMAs are commonly used to size-select particles from BC reference materials for calibration of single particle soot photometers (SP2), which quantitatively detect the BC mass in single particles.

Beschreibung: Two instruments based on differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) to measure accurate ammonia concentrations in the atmosphere Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 5037-5078, 2011 Author(s): H. Volten, J. B. Bergwerff, M. Haaima, D. E. Lolkema, A. J. C. Berkhout, G. R. van der Hoff, C. J. M. Potma, R. J. Wichink Kruit, W. A. J. van Pul, and D. P. J. Swart We present two Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) instruments built at RIVM, the RIVM DOAS and the miniDOAS. Both instruments provide virtually interference free measurements of NH 3 concentrations in the atmosphere, since they measure over an open path, without suffering from inlet problems or interference problems by ammonium aerosols dissociating on tubes or filters. They measure concentrations up to at least 200 μg m −3 , have a fast response, low maintenance demands, and a high up-time. The RIVM DOAS has a high accuracy of typically 0.15 μg m −3 for ammonia over 5-min averages and over a total light path of 100 m. The miniDOAS has been developed for application in measurement networks such as the Dutch National Air Quality Monitoring Network (LML). Compared to the RIVM DOAS it has a similar accuracy, but is significantly reduced in size, costs, and handling complexity. The RIVM DOAS and miniDOAS results showed excellent agreement ( R 2 = 0.996) during a field measurement campaign in Vredepeel, the Netherlands. This measurement site is located in an agricultural area and is characterized by highly variable, but on average high ammonia concentrations in the air. The RIVM-DOAS and miniDOAS results were compared to the results of the AMOR instrument, a continuous-flow wet denuder system, which is currently used in the LML. Averaged over longer time spans of typically a day the (mini)DOAS and AMOR results agree reasonably well, although an offset of the AMOR values compared to the (mini)DOAS results exists. On short time scales the (mini)DOAS shows a faster response and does not show the memory effects due to inlet tubing and transport of absorption fluids encountered by the AMOR. Due to its high accuracy, high uptime, low maintenance and its open path, the (mini)DOAS shows a good potential for flux measurements by using two (or more) systems in a gradient set-up and applying the aerodynamic gradient technique.

Beschreibung: Spatial and temporal variability of snow accumulation in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, including two deep ice coring sites at Dome Fuji and EPICA DML The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2061-2114, 2011 Author(s): S. Fujita, P. Holmlund, I. Andersson, I. Brown, H. Enomoto, Y. Fujii, K. Fujita, K. Fukui, T. Furukawa, M. Hansson, K. Hara, Y. Hoshina, M. Igarashi, Y. Iizuka, S. Imura, S. Ingvander, T. Karlin, H. Motoyama, F. Nakazawa, H. Oerter, L. E. Sjöberg, S. Sugiyama, S. Surdyk, J. Ström, R. Uemura, and F. Wilhelms To better understand the spatio-temporal variability of the glaciological environment in Dronning Maud Land (DML), East Antarctica, investigations were carried out along the 2800-km-long Japanese-Swedish IPY 2007/2008 traverse. The route covers ice sheet ridges and two deep ice coring sites at Dome Fuji and EPICA DML. The surface mass balance (SMB) distribution was derived based on analysis of isochrones within snow pits, firn cores and subsurface radar signals. The SMB averaged over various time scales in the Holocene was determined. This was then compared with various glaciological data. We find that the large-scale distribution of the SMB depends on the surface elevation, continentality and interactions between ice sheet ridges and the prevailing counterclockwise windfield in DML. A different SMB is found for the windward and leeward sides of the ridges. Local-scale variability in the SMB is essentially governed by bedrock topography which determines the local surface topography. In the eastern part of DML, the accumulation rate in the second half of the 20th century is found to be higher by 15 % compared to averages over longer periods of 722 a or 7.9 ka before AD 2008. A similar trend has been reported for many inland plateau sites in East Antarctica.

Beschreibung: Towards space based verification of CO 2 emissions from strong localized sources: fossil fuel power plant emissions as seen by a CarbonSat constellation Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 5147-5182, 2011 Author(s): V. A. Velazco, M. Buchwitz, H. Bovensmann, M. Reuter, O. Schneising, J. Heymann, T. Krings, K. Gerilowski, and J. P. Burrows Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is the most important man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) that cause global warming. With electricity generation through fossil-fuel power plants now as the economic sector with the largest source of CO 2 , power plant emissions monitoring has become more important than ever in the fight against global warming. In a previous study done by Bovensmann et al. (2010), random and systematic errors of power plant CO 2 emissions have been quantified using a single overpass from a proposed CarbonSat instrument. In this study, we quantify errors of power plant annual emission estimates from a hypothetical CarbonSat and constellations of several CarbonSats while taking into account that power plant CO 2 emissions are time-dependent. Our focus is on estimating systematic errors arising from the sparse temporal sampling as well as random errors that are primarily dependent on wind speeds. We used hourly emissions data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) combined with assimilated and re-analyzed meteorological fields from the National Centers of Environmental Prediction (NCEP). CarbonSat orbits were simulated as a sun-synchronous low-earth orbiting satellite (LEO) with an 828-km orbit height, local time ascending node (LTAN) of 13:30 (01:30 p.m.) and achieves global coverage after 5 days. We show, that despite the variability of the power plant emissions and the limited satellite overpasses, one CarbonSat can verify reported US annual CO 2 emissions from large power plants (≥5 Mt CO 2 yr −1 ) with a systematic error of less than ~4.9 % for 50 % of all the power plants. For 90 % of all the power plants, the systematic error was less than ~12.4 %. We additionally investigated two different satellite configurations using a combination of 5 CarbonSats. One achieves global coverage everyday but only samples the targets at fixed local times. The other configuration samples the targets five times at two-hour intervals approximately every 6th day but only achieves global coverage after 5 days. From the statistical analyses, we found, as expected, that the random errors improve by approximately a factor of two if 5 satellites are used. On the other hand, more satellites do not result in a large reduction of the systematic error. The systematic error is somewhat smaller for the CarbonSat constellation configuration achieving global coverage everyday. Finally, we recommend the CarbonSat constellation configuration that achieves daily global coverage.

Beschreibung: Tropospheric and total ozone columns over Paris (France) measured using medium-resolution ground-based solar-absorption Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3337-3358, 2011 Author(s): C. Viatte, B. Gaubert, M. Eremenko, F. Hase, M. Schneider, T. Blumenstock, M. Ray, P. Chelin, J.-M. Flaud, and J. Orphal Ground-based Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) solar absorption spectroscopy is a powerful remote sensing technique providing information on the vertical distribution of various atmospheric constituents. This work presents the first evaluation of a mid-resolution ground-based FTIR to measure tropospheric ozone, independently of stratospheric ozone. This is demonstrated using a new atmospheric observatory (named OASIS for "Observations of the Atmosphere by Solar absorption Infrared Spectroscopy"), installed in Créteil (France). Indeed, the information content of OASIS ozone retrievals is clearly sufficient to monitor separately tropospheric (from the surface up to 8 km) and stratospheric ozone. Daily mean tropospheric ozone columns derived from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) and from OASIS measurements have been compared for summer 2009 and a good agreement of −5.6 (±16.1) % is observed. Also, a qualitative comparison between in-situ surface ozone measurements and OASIS data clearly shows OASIS's capacity to monitor seasonal tropospheric ozone variations, as well as ozone pollution episodes in summer 2009 around Paris. Two extreme pollution events were identified (on the 1 July and 6 August 2009) for which ozone partial columns from OASIS and predictions from a regional air-quality model (CHIMERE) were compared by respecting temporal and spatial coincidence criteria. Quantitatively, an average bias of 0.2 %, a mean square error deviation of 7.6 %, and a correlation coefficient of 0.91 was found between CHIMERE and OASIS. This demonstrates that a mid-resolution FTIR instrument in ground-based solar absorption geometry is a promising technique for monitoring tropospheric ozone.

Beschreibung: Measurements of Humidity in the Atmosphere and Validation Experiments (MOHAVE)-2009: overview of campaign operations and results Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 3277-3336, 2011 Author(s): T. Leblanc, T. D. Walsh, I. S. McDermid, G. C. Toon, J.-F. Blavier, B. Haines, W. G. Read, B. Herman, E. Fetzer, S. Sander, T. Pongetti, D. N. Whiteman, T. G. McGee, L. Twigg, G. Sumnicht, D. Venable, M. Calhoun, A. Dirisu, D. Hurst, A. Jordan, E. Hall, L. Miloshevich, H. Vömel, C. Straub, N. Kampfer, G. E. Nedoluha, R. M. Gomez, K. Holub, S. Gutman, J. Braun, T. Vanhove, G. Stiller, and A. Hauchecorne The Measurements of Humidity in the Atmosphere and Validation Experiment (MOHAVE) 2009 campaign took place on 11–27 October 2009 at the JPL Table Mountain Facility in California (TMF). The main objectives of the campaign were to (1) validate the water vapor measurements of several instruments, including, three Raman lidars, two microwave radiometers, two Fourier-Transform spectrometers, and two GPS receivers (column water), (2) cover water vapor measurements from the ground to the mesopause without gaps, and (3) study upper tropospheric humidity variability at timescales varying from a few minutes to several days. A total of 58 radiosondes and 20 Frost-Point hygrometer sondes were launched. Two types of radiosondes were used during the campaign. Non negligible differences in the readings between the two radiosonde types used (Vaisala RS92 and InterMet iMet-1) made a small, but measurable impact on the derivation of water vapor mixing ratio by the Frost-Point hygrometers. As observed in previous campaigns, the RS92 humidity measurements remained within 5 % of the Frost-point in the lower and mid-troposphere, but were too dry in the upper troposphere. Over 270 h of water vapor measurements from three Raman lidars (JPL and GSFC) were compared to RS92, CFH, and NOAA-FPH. The JPL lidar profiles reached 20 km when integrated all night, and 15 km when integrated for 1 h. Excellent agreement between this lidar and the frost-point hygrometers was found throughout the measurement range, with only a 3 % (0.3 ppmv) mean wet bias for the lidar in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). The other two lidars provided satisfactory results in the lower and mid-troposphere (2–5 % wet bias over the range 3–10 km), but suffered from contamination by fluorescence (wet bias ranging from 5 to 50 % between 10 km and 15 km), preventing their use as an independent measurement in the UTLS. The comparison between all available stratospheric sounders allowed to identify only the largest biases, in particular a 10 % dry bias of the Water Vapor Millimeter-wave Spectrometer compared to the Aura-Microwave Limb Sounder. No other large, or at least statistically significant, biases could be observed. Total Precipitable Water (TPW) measurements from six different co-located instruments were available. Several retrieval groups provided their own TPW retrievals, resulting in the comparison of 10 different datasets. Agreement within 7 % (0.7 mm) was found between all datasets. Such good agreement illustrates the maturity of these measurements and raises confidence levels for their use as an alternate or complementary source of calibration for the Raman lidars. Tropospheric and stratospheric ozone and temperature measurements were also available during the campaign. The water vapor and ozone lidar measurements, together with the advected potential vorticity results from the high-resolution transport model MIMOSA, allowed the identification and study of a deep stratospheric intrusion over TMF. These observations demonstrated the lidar strong potential for future long-term monitoring of water vapor in the UTLS.

Beschreibung: Relative effect of slope and equilibrium line altitude on the retreat of Himalayan glaciers The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2571-2604, 2011 Author(s): T. N. Venkatesh, A. V. Kulkarni, and J. Srinivasan A majority of glaciers in the Himalayas have been retreating. In this paper, we show that there are two major factors which control the advance/retreat of the Himalayan glaciers. They are the slope of the glacier and changes in the equilibrium line altitude. While it is well known, that these factors are important, we propose a new way of combining them and use it to predict retreat. Our model has been applied to the movement of eight Himalayan glaciers during the past 25 years. The model explains why the Gangotri glacier is retreating while Zemu of nearly the same length is stationary, even though they are subject to similar environmental changes. The model has also been applied to a larger set of glaciers in the Parbati basin, for which retreat based on satellite data is available, though over a shorter time period.

Beschreibung: A method to resolve the phase state of aerosol particles Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6229-6248, 2011 Author(s): E. Saukko, H. Kuuluvainen, and A. Virtanen The phase state of atmospheric aerosols has impact on their chemical aging and their deliquescence and thus their ability to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The phase change of particles can be induced by the deliquescence or efflorescence of water or by chemical aging. Existing methods, such as tandem differential mobility analysis rely on the size change of particles related to the water uptake or release related to deliquescence and efflorescence. To address the need to study the phase change induced by mass-preserving and nearly mass-preserving processes a new method has been developed. The method relies on the physical impaction of particles on a smooth substrate and subsequent counting of bounced particles by condensation particle counter (CPC). The connection between the bounce probability and physical properties of particles is so far qualitative. To evaluate the performance of this method, the phase state of ammonium sulfate and levoglucosan, crystalline and amorphous solid, in the presence of water vapor was studied. The results show a marked difference in particle bouncing properties between substances – not only at the critical relative humidity level, but also on the slope of the bouncing probability with respect to humidity. This suggests that the method can be used to differentiate between amorphous and crystalline substances as well as to differentiate between liquid and solid phases.

Beschreibung: Fast simulators for satellite cloud optical centroid pressure retrievals, 1. evaluation of OMI cloud retrievals Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6185-6228, 2011 Author(s): J. Joiner, A. P. Vasilkov, P. Gupta, P. K. Bhartia, P. Veefkind, M. Sneep, J. de Haan, I. Polonsky, and R. Spurr The cloud Optical Centroid Pressure (OCP) is a satellite-derived parameter that is commonly used in trace-gas retrievals to account for the effects of clouds on near-infrared through ultraviolet radiance measurements. A fast simulator is desirable in order to further expand the use of cloud OCP retrievals into the operational and climate communities for applications such as data assimilation and evaluation of cloud vertical structure in general circulation models. In this paper, we develop and validate a fast simulator that provides estimates of the cloud OCP given a vertical profile of optical extinction. We use a pressure-weighting scheme where the weights depend upon optical parameters of clouds and/or aerosol. A cloud weighting function is easily extracted using this formulation. We then use the fast simulator to compare two different satellite cloud OCP retrievals from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) with estimates based on collocated cloud extinction profiles from a combination of CloudSat radar and MODIS visible radiance data. These comparisons are made over a wide range of conditions in order to provide a comprehensive validation of the OMI cloud OCP retrievals. We find generally good agreement between OMI cloud OCPs and those predicted by CloudSat. However, the OMI cloud OCPs from the two independent algorithms agree better with each other than either does with the estimates from CloudSat/MODIS. Differences between OMI cloud OCPs and those based on CloudSat/MODIS may result from undetected snow/ice at the surface, cloud 3-D effects, and the fact that CloudSat only observes a relatively small fraction of OMI pixel.

Beschreibung: Quantification of gas-phase glyoxal and methylglyoxal via the Laser-Induced Phosphorescence of (methyl)GLyOxal Spectrometry (LIPGLOS) method Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6159-6183, 2011 Author(s): S. B. Henry, A. Kammrath, and F. N. Keutsch Glyoxal and methylglyoxal are key products of oxidative photochemistry in the lower troposphere. Reliable measurements of such compounds are critical for testing our understanding of volatile organic compound (VOC) processing in this region. We present a new method for obtaining sensitive, high time resolution, in situ measurements of these compounds via laser-induced phosphorescent decays. By exploiting the unique phosphorescent lifetimes for each molecule, this method achieves speciation and high-sensitivity quantification of both molecules (3σ limits of detection of 11 ppt v in 5 min for glyoxal and 243 ppt v in 5 min for methylglyoxal). Additionally, this method enables the simultaneous measurement of both glyoxal and methylglyoxal using a single, non-wavelength-tunable light source, which will allow for the development of inexpensive and turnkey instrumentation. The simplicity and affordability of this new instrumentation would enable the construction of a long-term, spatially distributed database of these two key species. This chemical map can be used to constrain or drive regional or global models as well as provide verification of satellite observations.

Beschreibung: Temporal co-registration for TROPOMI cloud clearing Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6249-6272, 2011 Author(s): I. Genkova, J. Robaidek, R. Roebeling, M. Sneep, and P. Veefkind The TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) is planed for launch in 2014 on board of the Sentinel 5 Precursor (S5P) and is anticipated to provide high-quality and timely information on the global atmospheric composition for climate and air quality applications. TROPOMI will observe key atmospheric constituents such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, formaldehyde and aerosol properties. The retrieval algorithms for the anticipated products require cloud information on a pixel basis. Most of them will use the cloud properties derived from TROPOMI's own measurements, such as the O 2 A-band measurements. However, the methane and the aerosol retrievals require very precise cloud clearing, which is difficult to achieve at the TROPOMI spatial resolution (7 × 7 km 2 ) and without thermal IR measurements. The current payload of the Sentinel 5 Precursor (S-5P) does not include a cloud imager, thus it is planned to fly the S5P mission in a constellation with another instrument yielding an accurate cloud mask. The cloud imagery data will be provided by the US NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) mission which will have the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on board (Scalione, 2004). VIIRS will have 22 bands in the VIS and IR spectral ranges, and will deliver data with two spatial resolutions: imagery resolution bands with a nominal pixel size of 370 m at nadir, and moderate resolution bands with nominal pixel size 740 m at nadir. The instrument is combining fine spatial resolution with high-accuracy calibration similar or superior to AVHRR. This paper presents results from investigating the temporal co-registration requirements for suitable time differences between the VIIRS measurements of clouds and the TROPOMI methane and aerosol measurements, so that the former could be used for cloud clearing. The temporal co-registration is studied using Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) data with 15 min temporal resolution (Veefkind, 2008a), and with data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-10 (GOES-10) having 1 min temporal resolution. The aim is to understand and assess the relation between the amount of allowed cloud contamination and the required time difference between the two satellites' overflights. Quantitative analysis shows that a time difference of approximately 5 min is sufficient (in most conditions) to use the cloud information from the first instrument for cloud clearing in the retrievals using data from the second instrument. In recent years the A-train constellation demonstrated the benefit of flying satellites in formation. Therefore this study's findings will be useful and applicable for designing future Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.

Beschreibung: 1-D-Var retrieval of daytime total columnar water vapour from MERIS measurements Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6811-6844, 2011 Author(s): R. Lindstrot, R. Preusker, H. Diedrich, L. Doppler, R. Bennartz, and J. Fischer A new scheme for the retrieval of total columnar water vapour from measurements of MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) on ENVISAT (ENVIronmental SATellite) is presented. The algorithm is based on a fast forward model of the water vapour transmittance around 900 nm, including a correction for atmospheric scattering. It provides the water vapour column amount for cloud-free scenes above land and ocean at a spatial resolution of 0.25 km × 0.3 km and 1 km × 1.2 km, depending on whether applied to the "full resolution" or the operational "reduced resolution" mode of MERIS. Uncertainties are provided on a pixel-by-pixel basis, taking into account all relevant sources of error. An extensive validation against various sources of ground-based reference data reveals a high accuracy of MERIS water vapour above land (root mean square deviations between 1 mm and 2.7 mm), apart from a wet bias of MERIS between 5 and 10% that is found in all comparison studies. This wet bias might be caused by spectroscopic uncertainties, such as the description of the water vapour continuum. Above ocean the accuracy is reduced, due to the uncertainty introduced by the unknown atmospheric scattering. Consequently, an increased root mean square deviation of ≥5 mm was found by comparing MERIS total columnar water vapour above ocean against SSM/I and ENVISAT MWR data. An increased wet bias of 2–3 mm is found over ocean, potentially du to a not properly working atmospheric correction scheme.

Beschreibung: Brief Communication: Can recent ice discharges following the Larsen-B ice-shelf collapse be used to infer the driving mechanisms of millennial-scale variations of the Laurentide ice sheet? The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3113-3127, 2011 Author(s): J. Alvarez-Solas, A. Robinson, and C. Ritz The effects of an ice-shelf collapse on inland glacier dynamics have recently been widely studied, especially since the breakup of Antarctic Peninsula's Larsen-B ice shelf in 2002. Several studies have documented acceleration of the ice streams that were flowing into the former ice shelf. The mechanism responsible for such a speed-up lies with the removal of the ice-shelf backforce. Independently, it is also well documented that during the last glacial period, the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets experienced large discharges into the ocean, likely reflecting ice flow acceleration episodes on the millennial time scale. The classic interpretation of the latter is based on the existence of an internal thermo-mechanical feedback with the potential to generate oscillatory behavior in the ice sheets. Here we would like to widen the debate by considering that Larsen-B-like glacial analog episodes could have contributed significantly to the registered millennial-scale variablity.

Beschreibung: Initial investigation of the wavelength dependence of optical properties measured with a new multi-pass aerosol extinction differential optical absorption spectrometer (AE-DOAS) Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6315-6349, 2011 Author(s): R. T. Chartier and M. E. Greenslade Atmospheric aerosols directly affect climate by scattering and absorbing radiation. The magnitude of the impact is dependent upon the wavelength of light, but is often estimated near 550 nm. When light scattering and absorption by aerosols is approximated, the wavelength dependence of the refractive index for specific components is lost. As a result, climate models would have inherent uncertainties for aerosol contributions to radiative forcing when considering the entire solar spectrum. An aerosol extinction differential optical absorption spectrometer has been developed to directly measure aerosol extinction at mid-ultraviolet to near infrared wavelengths. The instrument consists of a spectrometer coupled to a closed White-type multi-pass gas cell with an adjustable path length of up to approximately 20 m. Laboratory measurements of various gases are compared with known absorption cross sections. Additionally, the extinction of monodisperse samples of polystyrene latex spheres are measured and compared to Mie theory generated with refractive index values from the literature to validate the new instrument. The polystyrene experiments also emphasize the ability of the new instrument to retrieve the wavelength dependent refractive index, especially in the ultraviolet wavelength regions where variability is expected. The spectrometer will be a significant advancement for determining wavelength dependent complex refractive indices in future laboratory studies as well as provide the ability to monitor ambient aerosol light extinction.

Beschreibung: Retrieval of sulphur dioxide from the infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer (IASI) Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 7241-7275, 2011 Author(s): L. Clarisse, D. Hurtmans, C. Clerbaux, J. Hadji-Lazaro, Y. Ngadi, and P.-F. Coheur Thermal infrared sounding of sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) from space has gained appreciation and popularity as a valuable complement to ultraviolet sounding. There are several strong absorption bands of SO 2 in the infrared, and atmospheric sounders, primarily designed for weather forecasting, have therefore often the ability to globally monitor SO 2 abundances. Most of the observed SO 2 is found in volcanic plumes. In this paper we outline a novel algorithm for the sounding of SO 2 above ~500 hPa altitude using high resolution infrared sounders and apply it to measurements of the infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer (IASI). The main features of the algorithm are a wide applicable total column range (over 4 orders of magnitude, from 0.5 to 5000 dobson units), a low theoretical uncertainty (3–5%) and near real time applicability. We make an error analysis and demonstrate the algorithm on the recent eruptions of Sarychev, Kasatochi, Grimsvötn, Puyehue-Cordón Caulle and Nabro.

Beschreibung: Optimisation of quasi-3D electrical resistivity imaging – application and inversion for investigating heterogeneous mountain permafrost The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3383-3421, 2011 Author(s): D. Schwindt and C. Kneisel This study aimed to optimise the application, efficiency and interpretability of quasi-3D resistivity imaging for investigating the heterogeneous permafrost distribution at mountain sites by a systematic forward modelling approach. A three dimensional geocryologic model, representative for most mountain permafrost settings, was developed. Based on this geocryologic model quasi-3D models were generated by collating synthetic orthogonal 2D arrays, demonstrating the effects of array types and electrode spacing on resolution and interpretability of the inversion results. The effects of minimising the number of 2D arrays per quasi-3D grid were tested by enlarging the spacing between adjacent lines and by reducing the number of perpendicular tie lines with regard to model resolution and loss of information value. Synthetic and measured quasi-3D models were investigated with regard to the lateral and vertical resolution, reliability of inverted resistivity values, the possibility of a quantitative interpretation of resistivities and the response of the inversion process on the validity of quasi-3D models. Results show that setups using orthogonal 2D arrays with electrode spacings of 2 m and 3 m are capable of delineating lateral heterogeneity with high accuracy and also deliver reliable data on active layer thickness. Detection of permafrost thickness, especially if the permafrost base is close to the penetration depth of the setups, and the reliability of absolute resistivity values emerged to be a weakness of the method. Quasi-3D imaging has proven to be a promising tool for investigating permafrost in mountain environments especially for delineating the often small-scale permafrost heterogeneity, and therefore provides an enhanced possibility for aligning permafrost distribution with site specific surface properties and morphological settings.

Beschreibung: Seasonal variations of glacier dynamics at Kronebreen, Svalbard revealed by calving related seismicity The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3291-3321, 2011 Author(s): A. Köhler, A. Chapuis, C. Nuth, J. Kohler, and C. Weidle We detect and cluster waveforms of seismic signals recorded close to the calving front of Kronebreen, Svalbard, to identify glacier-induced seismic events and to investigate their relation to calving processes. Single-channel geophone data recorded over several months in 2009 and 2010 are combined with eleven days of direct visual observations of the glacier front. We apply a processing scheme which combines conventional seismic event detection using a sensitive trigger algorithm and unsupervised clustering of all detected signals based on their waveform characteristics by means of Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs). We are able to distinguish between false detections, instrumental artifacts, and three classes of signals which are, with different degrees of uncertainty, emitted by calving activity. About 10 % of the directly observed calving events close to the geophone (

Beschreibung: Recent acceleration of ice loss in the Northern Patagonia Icefield based on an updated decennial evolution The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3323-3381, 2011 Author(s): P. López and G. Casassa Ice elevation changes of the Northern Patagonia Icefield (NPI) were analyzed by comparing three Digital Elevation Models (DEM) corresponding to 1975 (constructed based on topographic maps), the SRTM DEM of 2000 yr and a SPOT 5 DEM of 2005. In addition, the glacier length fluctuations and the surface area evolution between 2001 and 2011 of 25 glaciers of the NPI were studied: the information extracted from the Landsat ETM+ satellite image of 11 March 2001 was compared to the measurements performed based on the Landsat ETM+ satellite image of 19 February 2011. From a global point of view, the majority of the studied glaciers thinned, retreated and lost surface between 2001 and 2011, only few glaciers (Leones, Nef, Pared Sur and Soler) located on the eastern side of the NPI have been stable. Glaciers located on the western side of the NPI suffered a stronger wasting compared to the glaciers located on the eastern side. Overall, over the ablation areas of the NPI (below 1150 m a.s.l.) a more rapid thinning of 2.6 m yr −1 occurred between 2000 and 2005 yr compared to the period 1975–2000, in which a mean thinning of 1.7 m yr −1 was measured for the same zones of the NPI. For the whole period (1975–2005) the most important thinning of the ablation areas has been estimated for HPN-1 Glacier (4.4 m yr −1 ) followed by Benito (3.4 m yr −1 ), Fraenkel (2.4 m yr −1 ), Gualas (2.1 m yr −1 ) and Acodado glaciers, all of them located on the western side of the NPI. Between 2001 and 2011, a noteworthy retreat of 1.9 km was experienced by Gualas Glacier and by Reichert Glacier with 1.6 km, both located on the north-western side of the NPI. On the south-western side of the NPI, during the same decennia, Steffen Glacier experienced a remarkable retreat of 1.6 km as well. During the 2001–2011 period, Steffen Glacier more than doubled its rate of retreat (compared to the 1979–2001 period) and experienced the disintegration of its main front as well as a lateral tongue that retreated 3.1 km. The most significant retreat observed on the eastern side was experienced by Colonia Glacier (1 km). Area loss was also relevant during the period 2001–2011. Overall, the icefield experienced a reduction of 50.6 km 2 which represents a 1.3 % relative to the surface area calculated for 2001 yr. The most remarkable surface reduction was observed for HPN-1 Glacier that lost 3.2 % of its surface estimated in 2001, followed by Steffen Glacier (2.8 %). We suggest that the glacier shrinking observed in the NPI is controlled firstly by atmospheric warming, as it has been reported in this area. Nevertheless, updated climatic studies are needed in order to confirm this suggestion. If the detected past climate trends persist, in the future, glaciers of the NPI will continuous or even increase their rate of shrinking generating important consequences for this region like the production of Glacier Lake Outburst Flood events or the decrease of the melt-water runoff in the long-term future.

Beschreibung: Effect of wind speed on aerosol optical depth over remote oceans, based on data from the Maritime Aerosol Network Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 7185-7209, 2011 Author(s): A. Smirnov, A. M. Sayer, B. N. Holben, N. C. Hsu, S. M. Sakerin, A. Macke, N. B. Nelson, Y. Courcoux, T. J. Smyth, P. Croot, P. K. Quinn, J. Sciare, S. K. Gulev, S. Piketh, R. Losno, S. Kinne, and V. F. Radionov The Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) has been collecting data over the oceans since November 2006. The MAN archive provides a valuable resource for aerosol studies in maritime environments. In the current paper we investigate correlations between ship-borne aerosol optical depth (AOD) and near-surface wind speed, either measured (onboard or from satellite) or modeled (NCEP). According to our analysis, wind speed influences columnar aerosol optical depth, although the slope of the linear regression between AOD and wind speed is not steep (∼0.004–0.005), even for strong winds over 10 m s −1 . The relationships show significant scatter (correlation coefficients typically in the range 0.3–0.5); the majority of this scatter can be explained by the uncertainty on the input data. The various wind speed sources considered yield similar patterns. Results are in good agreement with the majority of previously published relationships between surface wind speed and ship-based or satellite-based AOD measurements. The basic relationships are similar for all the wind speed sources considered; however, the gradient of the relationship varies by around a factor of two depending on the wind data used.

Beschreibung: Influence of aerosol and surface reflectance variability on hyperspectral observed radiance Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 7211-7240, 2011 Author(s): C. Bassani, R. M. Cavalli, and P. Antonelli Physically based retrievals of aerosol properties from remotely sensed data usually requires extensive assumptions on particulate type and vertical distribution, and ground surface reflectivity. New satellite missions, based on high spectral resolution instruments, such as PRISMA (Hyperspectral Precursor and Application Mission), represent a valuable opportunity to mitigate the dependency of the retrieval accuracy from the such (a-priori) information. This paper aims to address the potential of these new observing systems in retrieving aerosol properties specifically over coastal areas. Goal has been achieved by using simulated radiances obtained combining two aerosol models (urban and continental), and two reflecting surfaces, dark (water) and bright (sand) for the PRISMA instrument. Results showed that, in the continental regime, the expected instrument sensitivity would allow for retrieval accuracy of the optical thickness at 550 nm of 0.02 or better, with a dark surface surrounded by dark areas. Study also showed that for the urban regime, the surface plays a more significant role, with a bright surface surrounded by dark areas providing the best conditions for the aerosol load retrievals, and dark surfaces representing less suitable situations for accurate retrievals independently of the surroundings. Moreover the results obtained, led the authors to the conclusions that high resolution observations of Earth spectrum between 400 and 1000 nm, through the use of a physically based inversion system, would allow for a significant improvement of the retrieval accuracy for anthropogenic/natural aerosol, over coastal regions.

Beschreibung: How to average logarithmic retrievals Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 7159-7183, 2011 Author(s): B. Funke and T. von Clarmann Calculation of mean trace gas contributions from profiles obtained by retrievals of the logarithm of the abundance rather than retrievals of the abundance itself are prone to biases. By means of a system simulator, biases of linear versus logarithmic averaging were evaluated for both maximum likelihood and maximum a priori retrievals, for various signal to noise ratios and atmospheric variabilities. These biases can easily reach several ten percent. As a rule of thumb we found for maximum likelihood retrievals that linear averaging better represents the true mean value in cases of large local natural variability and high signal to noise ratios, while for small local natural variability logarithmic averaging often is superior. In the case of maximum a posteriori retrievals, the mean is dominated by the a priori information used in the retrievals and the method of averaging is of minor concern. For larger natural variabilities, the appropriateness of the one or the other method of averaging depends on the particular case because the various biasing mechanisms partly compensate in a hardly predictable manner. This complication arises mainly because of the fact that in logarithmic retrievals the weight of the prior information depends on abundance of the gas itself. No simple rule was found on which kind of averaging is superior, and instead of suggesting simple recipes we cannot do much more than to create awareness of the traps related with averaging of mixing ratios obtained from logarithmic retrievals.

Beschreibung: An intercomparison of radar-based liquid cloud microphysics retrievals and implication for model evaluation studies Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 7109-7158, 2011 Author(s): D. Huang, C. Zhao, M. Dunn, X. Dong, G. G. Mace, M. P. Jensen, S. Xie, and Y. Liu To assess if current radar-based liquid cloud microphysical retrievals of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program can provide useful constraints for modeling studies, this paper presents intercomparison results of three cloud products at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site: the ARM MICROBASE, University of Utah (UU), and University of North Dakota (UND) products over the nine-year period from 1998 to 2006. The probability density and spatial autocorrelation functions of the three cloud Liquid Water Content (LWC) retrievals appear to be consistent with each other, while large differences are found in the droplet effective radius retrievals. The differences in the vertical distribution of both cloud LWC and droplet effective radius retrievals are found to be alarmingly large, with the relative difference between nine-year mean cloud LWC retrievals ranging from 20% at low altitudes to 100% at high altitudes. Nevertheless, the spread in LWC retrievals is much smaller than that in cloud simulations by climate and cloud resolving models. The MICROBASE effective radius ranges from 2.0 at high altitudes to 6.0 μm at low altitudes and the UU and UND droplet effective radius is 6 μm larger. Further analysis through a suite of retrieval experiments shows that the difference between MICROBASE and UU LWC retrievals stems primarily from the partition total Liquid Water path (LWP) into supercooled and warm liquid, and from the input cloud boundaries and LWP. The large differences between MICROBASE and UU droplet effective radius retrievals are mainly due to rain/drizzle contamination and the assumptions of cloud droplet concentration used in the retrieval algorithms. The large discrepancy between different products suggests caution in model evaluation with these observational products, and calls for improved retrievals in general.

Beschreibung: CRISTA-NF measurements with unprecedented vertical resolution during the RECONCILE aircraft campaign Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6915-6967, 2011 Author(s): J. Ungermann, C. Kalicinsky, F. Olschewski, P. Knieling, L. Hoffmann, J. Blank, W. Woiwode, H. Oelhaf, E. Hösen, C. M. Volk, A. Ulanovsky, F. Ravegnani, K. Weigel, F. Stroh, and M. Riese The Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescope for the Atmosphere – New Frontiers (CRISTA-NF), an airborne infrared limb-sounder, was operated aboard the high-flying Russian research aircraft M55-Geophysica during the Arctic RECONCILE campaign from January to March 2011. This paper describes the calibration process of the instrument and the employed retrieval algorithm and then proceeds to present retrieved trace gas mixing ratio cross-sections for one specific flight of this campaign. We are able to resolve the uppermost troposphere/lower stratosphere for several trace gas species for several kilometres below the flight altitude (16 to 19 km) with an unprecedented vertical resolution of 400 to 500 m for the limb-sounding technique. The observations are also characterised by a rather high horizontal sampling along the flight track that provides a full vertical profile every ≈15 km. Assembling the vertical trace gas profiles derived from CRISTA-NF measurements to cross-sections depicts filaments of vortex and extra-vortex air masses in the vicinity of the polar vortex. During this campaign, the M55-Geophysica carried further instruments, which allows for a validation of trace gas mixing ratios derived from CRISTA-NF against measurements by the in situ instruments HAGAR and FOZAN and observations by MIPAS-STR. This validation suggests that the retrieved trace gas mixing ratios are both qualitatively and quantitatively reliable.

Beschreibung: Brief Communication: Greenland's shrinking ice cover: ″fast times″ but not that fast The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3207-3219, 2011 Author(s): J. S. Kargel, A. P. Ahlstrøm, R. B. Alley, J. L. Bamber, T. J. Benham, J. E. Box, C. Chen, P. Christoffersen, M. Citterio, J. G. Cogley, H. Jiskoot, G. J. Leonard, P. Morin, T. Scambos, T. Sheldon, and I. Willis A map of Greenland in the 13th edition (2011) of the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World made headlines because the publisher's media release mistakenly stated that the permanent ice cover had shrunk 15 % since the previous 10th edition (1999) revision. The claimed shrinkage was immediately challenged by glaciologists, then retracted by the publisher. Here we show: (1) accurate maps of ice extent based on 1978/1987 aerial surveys and recent MODIS imaging; and (2) shrinkage at 0.019 % a −1 in ∼ 50 000 km 2 of ice in a part of east Greenland that is shown as ice-free in the Times Atlas .

Beschreibung: Sensitivity of a distributed temperature-radiation index melt model based on a four melt season AWS record from Hurd Peninsula glaciers, Livingston Island, Antarctica The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3221-3258, 2011 Author(s): U. Y. Jonsell, F. J. Navarro, M. Bañón, J. J. Lapazaran, and J. Otero We use an automatic weather station and mass balance dataset spanning four melt seasons collected on Hurd Peninsula Glaciers, South Shetland Islands, to investigate the point surface energy balance, to determine the absolute and relative contribution of the various energy fluxes acting on the glacier surface and to estimate the sensitivity of melt to ambient temperature changes. Long-wave incoming radiation is the main energy source for melt, while short-wave radiation is the most important flux controlling the variation of both seasonal and daily mean surface energy balance. Short-wave and long-wave radiation fluxes do in general balance each other, resulting in a high correspondence between daily mean net radiation flux and available melt energy flux. We calibrate a distributed melt model driven by air temperature and an expression for the incoming short-wave radiation. The model is calibrated with the data from one of the melt seasons and validated with the data of the three remaining seasons. The model results deviate at most 0.14 m w.e. from the corresponding observations using the glaciological method. The model is very sensitive to changes in ambient temperature: a 0.5 °C increase results in 56 % higher melt rates.

Beschreibung: Albedo of the ice-covered Weddell and Bellingshausen Sea The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3259-3289, 2011 Author(s): A. I. Weiss, J. C. King, T. A. Lachlan-Cope, and R. S. Ladkin This study investigates the surface albedo of the sea ice areas adjacent to the Antarctic Peninsula during the austral summer. Aircraft measurements of the surface albedo which were conducted in the sea ice areas of the Weddell and Bellingshausen Sea show significant differences between these two regions. The averaged surface albedo varied between 0.13 and 0.81. The ice cover of the Bellingshausen Sea consisted mainly of first year ice and the sea surface showed an averaged sea ice albedo of α i = 0.64 ± 0.2 (± standard deviation). The mean sea ice albedo of the pack ice area in the Western Weddell Sea was α i = 0.75 ± 0.05. In the Southern Weddell Sea, where new, young sea ice prevailed, a mean albedo value of α i = 0.38 ± 0.08 was observed. Relatively warm open water and thin, newly formed ice had the lowest albedo values, whereas relatively cold and snow-covered pack ice had the highest albedo values. All sea ice areas consist of a mixture of a large variability of different sea ice types. An investigation of commonly used parameterizations of albedo as a function of surface temperature in the Weddell and Bellingshausen Sea ice areas showed that the albedo parameterizations don't work well in particular for areas with new, young ice. We determined typical linear temperature-albedo functions for three sea ice areas adjacent to the Antarctic Peninsula, which are reflecting the differences in the mixture of ice age, thickness and sea ice surface cover.

Beschreibung: Preliminary assessment of model parametric uncertainty in projections of Greenland Ice Sheet behavior The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3175-3205, 2011 Author(s): P. J. Applegate, N. Kirchner, E. J. Stone, K. Keller, and R. Greve Lack of knowledge about the values of ice sheet model input parameters introduces substantial uncertainty into projections of Greenland Ice Sheet contributions to future sea level rise. Computer models of ice sheet behavior provide one of several means of estimating future sea level rise due to mass loss from ice sheets. Such models have many input parameters whose values are not well known. Recent studies have investigated the effects of these parameters on model output, but the range of potential future sea level increases due to model parametric uncertainty has not been characterized. Here, we demonstrate that this range is large, using a 100-member perturbed-physics ensemble with the SICOPOLIS ice sheet model. Each model run is spun up over 125 000 yr using geological forcings, and subsequently driven into the future using an asymptotically increasing air temperature anomaly curve. All modeled ice sheets lose mass after 2005 AD. After culling the ensemble to include only members that give reasonable ice volumes in 2005 AD, the range of projected sea level rise values in 2100 AD is 30 % or more of the median. Data on past ice sheet behavior can help reduce this uncertainty, but none of our ensemble members produces a reasonable ice volume change during the mid-Holocene, relative to the present. This problem suggests that the model's exponential relation between temperature and precipitation does not hold during the Holocene, or that the central-Greenland temperature forcing curve used to drive the model is not representative of conditions around the ice margin at this time (among other possibilities). Our simulations also lack certain observed physical processes that may tend to enhance the real ice sheet's response. Regardless, this work has implications for other studies that use ice sheet models to project or hindcast the behavior of the Greenland ice sheet.

Beschreibung: MIPAS-STR measurements in the arctic UTLS in winter/spring 2010: instrument characterization, retrieval and validation Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 7035-7108, 2011 Author(s): W. Woiwode, H. Oelhaf, T. Gulde, C. Piesch, G. Maucher, A. Ebersoldt, C. Keim, M. Höpfner, S. Khaykin, F. Ravegnani, A. E. Ulanovsky, C. M. Volk, E. Hösen, A. Dörnbrack, J. Ungermann, C. Kalicinsky, and J. Orphal The mid-infrared FTIR-limb-sounder Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding – STRatospheric aircraft (MIPAS-STR) was deployed onboard the stratospheric aircraft M55 Geophysica during the RECONCILE campaign in the arctic winter/spring 2010. From the MIPAS-STR measurements, vertical profiles and 2-dimensional vertical cross-sections of temperature and trace gases are retrieved. Detailed mesoscale structures of polar vortex air, extra vortex air and vortex filaments are identified in the results at a typical vertical resolution of 1 to 2 km and typical horizontal sampling density of 45 or 25 km, depending on the sampling programme. Results are shown for the RECONCILE flight 11 on 2 March 2010 and are validated with collocated in-situ measurements of temperature, O 3 , CFC-11, CFC-12 and H 2 O. Exceptional agreement is found for the in-situ comparisons of temperature and O 3 , with mean differences (vertical profile/along flight track) of 0.2/−0.2 K for temperature and −0.01/0.05 ppmv for O 3 and corresponding sample standard deviations of the mean differences of 0.7/0.6 K and 0.1/0.3 ppmv. The comparison of the retrieved vertical cross-sections of HNO 3 from MIPAS-STR and the infrared limb-sounder Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere – New Frontiers (CRISTA-NF) indicates comprehensive agreement. We discuss MIPAS-STR in its current configuration, the spectral and radiometric calibration of the measurements and the retrieval of atmospheric parameters from the spectra. The MIPAS-STR measurements are significantly affected by continuum-like contributions, which are attributed to background aerosol and broad spectral signatures from interfering trace gases and are important for mid-infrared limb-sounding measurements in the Upper Troposphere/Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) region. Considering for continuum-like effects, we present a scheme suitable for accurate retrievals of temperature and an extended set of trace gases, including the correction of a systematic line-of-sight offset.

Beschreibung: Analysis of co-located MODIS and CALIPSO observations near clouds Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6861-6881, 2011 Author(s): T. Várnai and A. Marshak This paper aims at helping synergistic studies in combining data from different satellites for gaining new insights into two critical yet poorly understood aspects of anthropogenic climate change, aerosol-cloud interactions and aerosol radiative effects. In particular, the paper examines the way cloud information from the MODIS imager can refine our perceptions based on CALIOP lidar measurements about the systematic aerosol changes that occur near clouds. The statistical analysis of a yearlong dataset of co-located global maritime observations from the Aqua and CALIPSO satellites reveals that MODIS's multispectral imaging ability can greatly help the interpretation of CALIOP observations. The results show that imagers on Aqua and CALIPSO yield very similar pictures, and that the discrepancies – due mainly to wind drift and differences in view angle – do not significantly hinder aerosol measurements near clouds. By detecting clouds outside the CALIOP track, MODIS reveals that clouds are usually closer to clear areas than CALIOP data alone would suggest. The paper finds statistical relationships between the distances to clouds in MODIS and CALIOP data, and proposes a rescaling approach to statistically account for the impact of clouds outside the CALIOP track even when MODIS cannot reliably detect low clouds, for example at night or over sea ice. Finally, the results show that the typical distance to clouds depends on both cloud coverage and cloud type, and accordingly varies with location and season. The global median distance to clouds in maritime clear-sky areas is in the 4–5 km range.

Beschreibung: Estimating ice phenology on large northern lakes from AMSR-E: algorithm development and application to Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake, Canada The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3129-3173, 2011 Author(s): K.-K. Kang, C. R. Duguay, and S. E. L. Howell Time series of brightness temperatures ( T B ) from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) are examined to determine ice phenological parameters on the two largest lakes of northern Canada: Great Bear Lake (GBL) and Great Slave Lake (GSL). T B measurements from the 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, and 89.0 GHz channels (H- and V- polarization) are compared to assess their potential for detecting freeze-onset/melt-onset and ice-on/ice-off dates on both lakes. The 18.7 GHz (H-pol) channel is found to be the most suitable for estimating these ice dates as well as the duration of the ice cover and ice-free seasons. A new algorithm is proposed using this channel and applied to map all ice phenological parameters on GBL and GSL over seven ice seasons (2002–2009). Analysis of the spatio-temporal patterns of each parameter at the pixel level reveals that: (1) both freeze-onset and ice-on dates occur on average about one week earlier on GBL than on GSL (Day of Year (DY) 318 and 333 for GBL; DY 328 and 343 for GSL); (2) the freeze-up process or freeze duration (freeze-onset to ice-on) takes a slightly longer amount of time on GBL than on GSL (about 1 week on average); (3) melt-onset and ice-off dates occur on average one week and approximately four weeks later, respectively, on GBL (DY 143 and 183 for GBL; DY 135 and 157 for GSL); (4) the break-up process or melt duration (melt-onset to ice-off) lasts on average about three weeks longer on GBL; and (5) ice cover duration estimated from each individual pixel is on average about three weeks longer on GBL compared to its more southern counterpart, GSL. A cross-comparison of dates for several ice phenological parameters derived from other satellite remote sensing products (e.g. NOAA Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS), QuikSCAT, and Canadian Ice Service Database) show that, despite its relatively coarse spatial resolution, AMSR-E 18.7 GHz provides a viable means for monitoring of ice phenology on large northern lakes.

Beschreibung: Comparison of AERONET and SKYRAD4.2 inversion products retrieved from a Cimel CE318 sunphotometer Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6883-6913, 2011 Author(s): V. Estellés, M. Campanelli, M. P. Utrillas, F. Expósito, and J. A. Martínez-Lozano SKYNET is an international research network of ground based sky-sunphotometers for the observation and monitoring of columnar aerosol properties. The algorithm developed by SKYNET is called SKYRAD.pack, and so far it has been used on Prede instruments only. In this study we have modified the SKYRAD.pack software in order to adapt it to Cimel sunphotometers. A one month database of Cimel data obtained at Burjassot (Valencia, Spain) has been processed with this program and the obtained inversion products have been compared with AERONET retrievals. In general, the differences found were consistent with the individual error assessments for both algorithms. Although the aerosol optical depth compared well for any aerosol burden situation (rmsd of 0.002–0.013 for all wavelengths), inversion products such as the single scattering albedo, refractive index and asymmetry parameter compared better for higher turbidity situations. The comparison performed for cases with an aerosol optical depth at 440 nm over 0.2 showed rms differences of 0.025–0.049 for single scattering albedo, 0.005–0.034 for the real part of refractive index, 0.004–0.007 for the imaginary part of the refractive index, and 0.006–0.009 for the asymmetry parameter. In respect to the volume distributions, the comparison also showed a good agreement for high turbidity cases (mainly within the 0.01–7 μm interval) although the already known discrepancy in the extremes of the distribution was still found in 40% of cases, in spite of eliminating data and instrumental differences present in previous studies.

Beschreibung: Influence of leads widths distribution on turbulent heat transfer between the ocean and the atmosphere The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2765-2797, 2011 Author(s): S. Marcq and J. Weiss Leads are linear-like structures of open water within the sea ice cover that develop as the result of fracturing due to divergence or shear. Through leads, air and water come into contact and directly exchange latent and sensible heat through convective processes driven by the large temperature and moisture differences between them. In the central Arctic, leads only cover 1 to 2% of the ocean during winter, but account for more than 80% of the heat fluxes. Furthermore, narrow leads (several meters) are more than twice as efficient at transmitting turbulent heat than larger ones (several hundreds of meters). We show that lead widths are power law distributed, P(X) ~ X −a with a 〉1, down to very small spatial scales (20 m or below). This implies that the open water fraction is by far dominated by very small leads. Using two classical formulations, which provide first order turbulence closure for the fetch-dependence of heat fluxes, we find that the mean heat fluxes (sensible and latent) over open water are up to 55 % larger when considering the lead width distribution obtained from a SPOT satellite image of the ice cover, compared to the situation where the open water fraction constitutes one unique large lead and the rest of the area is covered by ice, as it is usually considered in climate models at the grid scale. This difference may be even larger if we assume that the power law scaling of lead widths extents down to smaller (~1 m) scales. Such estimations may be a first step towards a subgrid scale parameterization of the spatial distribution of open water for heat fluxes calculations in ocean/sea ice coupled models.

Beschreibung: Ice shelf flexures modeled with a 2-D elastic flow line model The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2841-2863, 2011 Author(s): Y. V. Konovalov Ice shelf flexures modeling was performed using a 2-D finite-difference elastic model, which takes into account sub-ice-shelf sea water flow. The sub-ice water flow was described by the wave equation for the sub-ice-shelf pressure perturbations (Holdsworth and Glynn, 1978). In the model ice shelf flexures result from variations in ocean pressure due to changes in prescribed sea levels. The numerical experiments were performed for a flow line down one of the fast flowing ice streams of the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap. The profile includes a part of the adjacent ice shelf. The numerical experiments were carried out for harmonic incoming pressure perturbations P ' and the ice shelf flexures were obtained for a wide spectrum of the pressure perturbations frequencies, ranging from tidal periods down to periods of a few seconds (0.004..0.02 Hz). The amplitudes of the ice shelf deflections obtained by the model achieve a maxima at about T ≈ 165 s in concordance with previous investigations of the impact of waves on Antarctic ice shelves (Bromirski et al., 2010). The explanation of the effect is found in the solution of the corresponding eigenvalue problem revealing the existence of a resonance at these high frequencies.

Beschreibung: A minimal model for reconstructing interannual mass balance variability of glaciers in the European Alps The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2799-2839, 2011 Author(s): B. Marzeion, M. Hofer, A. H. Jarosch, G. Kaser, and T. Mölg We present a minimal model of the glacier surface mass balance. The model relies solely on monthly precipitation and air temperatures as forcing. We first train the model individually for 15 glaciers with existing mass balance measurements. Based on a cross validation, we present a thorough assessment of the model's performance outside of the training period. The cross validation indicates that our model is robust, and our model's performance compares favorably to that from a less parsimonious model based on seasonal sensitivity characteristics. Then, the model is extended for application on glaciers without existing mass balance measurements, and cross validated using the 15 glaciers above, in order to measure its performance on glaciers not included in the model training. This cross validation indicates that the model retains considerable skill even when applied on glaciers without mass balance measurements. As an exemplary application, the model is then used to reconstruct time series of interannual mass balance variability, covering the past two hundred years, for all glaciers in the European Alps contained in extended format of the world glacier inventory. Based on this reconstruction, we present a spatially detailed attribution of the glaciers' mass balance variability to temperature and precipitation variability.

Beschreibung: Thermal remote sensing of ice-debris landforms using ASTER The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2895-2933, 2011 Author(s): A. Brenning, M. A. Peña, S. Long, and A. Soliman Remote sensors face challenges in characterizing mountain permafrost and ground thermal conditions or mapping rock glaciers and debris-covered glaciers. We explore the potentials of thermal imaging and in particular thermal inertia mapping in mountain cryospheric research, focusing on the relationships between ground surface temperatures and the presence of ice-debris landforms on one side and land surface temperature (LST) and apparent thermal inertia (ATI) on the other. In our case study we utilize ASTER daytime and nighttime imagery and in-situ measurements of near-surface ground temperature (NSGT) in the Mediterranean Andes during a snow-free and dry observation period in late summer. Spatial patterns of LST and NSGT were mostly consistent with each other both at daytime and at nighttime. Daytime LST over ice-debris landforms was decreased and ATI consequently increased compared to other debris surfaces under otherwise equal conditions, but NSGT showed contradictory results, which underlines the complexity and possible scale dependence of ATI in heterogeneous substrates with the presence of a thermal mismatch and a heat sink at depth. While our results demonstrate the utility of thermal imaging and ATI mapping in a mountain cryospheric context, further research is needed for a better interpretation of ATI patterns in complex thermophysical conditions

Beschreibung: HCl and ClO in activated Arctic air; first retrieved vertical profiles from TELIS submillimetre limb spectra Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6497-6537, 2011 Author(s): A. de Lange, M. Birk, G. de Lange, F. Friedl-Vallon, O. Kiselev, V. Koshelets, G. Maucher, H. Oelhaf, A. Selig, P. Vogt, G. Wagner, and J. Landgraf The first profile retrieval results of the Terahertz and submillimeter Limb Sounder (TELIS) balloon instrument are presented. The spectra are recorded during a 13-h balloon flight on 24 January 2010 from Kiruna, Sweden. The TELIS instrument was mounted on the MIPAS-B2 gondola and shared this platform with the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) and the mini-Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (mini-DOAS) instruments. The flight took place within the Arctic vortex at an altitude of ≈34 km in chlorine activated air and both active (ClO) and inactive chlorine (HCl) have been measured over an altitude range of respectively ≈16–32 km and ≈10–32 km. In this altitude range, the increase of ClO concentration levels during sunrise have been recorded with a temporal resolution of one minute. During the daytime equilibrium a maximum ClO level of 2.1 ± 0.3 ppb has been observed at an altitude of 23.5 km. This equilibrium profile is validated against the ClO profile by the satellite instrument Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) aboard EOS Aura. HCl profiles have been determined from two different isotopes – H 35 Cl and H 37 Cl – and are also validated against MLS. The precision of all profiles is well below 0.01 ppb and the overall accuracy is therefore governed by systematic effects. The total uncertainty of these effects is estimated to be maximal 0.3 ppb for ClO around its peak value at 23.5 km during the daytime equilibrium and for HCl it ranges from 0.05 to 0.4 ppb depending on altitude. In both cases the main uncertainty stems from a largely unknown non-linear response in the detector.

Beschreibung: Validation of routine continuous airborne CO 2 observations near the Bialystok Tall Tower Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6987-7034, 2011 Author(s): H. Chen, J. Winderlich, C. Gerbig, K. Katrynski, A. Jordan, and M. Heimann Since 2002 in situ airborne measurements of atmospheric CO 2 mixing ratios have been performed regularly aboard a rental aircraft near Bialystok (53°08' N, 23°09' E), a city in northeastern Poland. Since August 2008, the in situ CO 2 measurements have been made by a modified commercially available and fully automated non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) analyzer system. The response of the analyzer has been characterized and the CO 2 mixing ratio stability of the associated calibration system has been fully tested, which results in an optimal calibration strategy and allows for an accuracy of the CO 2 measurements within 0.2 ppm. Besides the in situ measurements, air samples have been collected in glass flasks and analyzed in the laboratory for mixing ratios of CO 2 , CO, CH 4 , N 2 O, H 2 , SF 6 and for isotopic ratios of δ 13 C and δ 18 O in CO 2 . To validate the in situ CO 2 measurements against reliable discrete flask measurements, we developed weighting functions that mimic the temporal averaging of the flask sampling process. Comparisons between in situ and flask CO 2 measurements demonstrate that these weighting functions can compensate for atmospheric variability, and provide an effective method for validating airborne in situ CO 2 measurements. In addition, we show the nine-year records of flask CO 2 measurements, from which the CO 2 increase rates are computed for the 300 m level (1.59 ± 0.21 ppm yr −1 ) and for the 2500 m level (1.77 ± 0.08 ppm yr −1 ). The new system, automated since August 2008, has eliminated the need for manual in-flight calibrations, and thus enables an additional vertical profile, 20 km away, to be sampled at no additional cost in terms of flight hours. This sampling strategy provides an opportunity to investigate both temporal and spatial variability on a regular basis.

Beschreibung: In situ study of particle growth in convective eddies of the planetary boundary layer Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6969-6986, 2011 Author(s): B. Alföldy, V. Groma, E. Börcsök, A. Nagy, A. Czitrovszky, and S. Török A measurement flight was performed by a motorglider equipped with an aerosol size spectrometer and nano-particle counter over a large area in the rural vicinity of Budapest, Hungary. The flight was carried out in the early afternoon under unstable air dynamical conditions in August 2010. These conditions allowed flying in glider mode, with the engine switched off, using thermal lifts for altitude gain. A significant part of the flight was spent in thermals that allow studying how the atmospheric dynamics acts on the particle formation. It was found that hygroscopic growth affects the particle size distribution in the 30–500 nm interval. In the 30–280 nm interval, the growth rate was found to be similar to that of ammonium sulphate particles. Indirect signs of cloud droplet formation were found during cloud cross, as a concentration drop in size bins fallen in the 280–400 nm size range. In three thermal lifts significantly higher ultrafine particle concentration (30 〈 d 〈 280 nm) was measured, with decreased average diameter. The results support the supposition that convective eddies in the boundary layer affect the aerosol composition via hygroscopic growth and secondary particle formation.

Beschreibung: A Raman lidar at La Reunion (20.8° S, 55.5° E) for monitoring water vapor and cirrus distributions in the subtropical upper troposphere: preliminary analyses and description of a future system Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6449-6496, 2011 Author(s): C. Hoareau, P. Keckhut, J.-L. Baray, L. Robert, Y. Courcoux, J. Porteneuve, H. Vömel, and B. Morel A ground based Rayleigh lidar has provided continuous observations of tropospheric water vapor profiles and cirrus cloud using a preliminary Raman channels setup on an existing Rayleigh lidar above La Reunion over the period 2002–2005. With this instrument, we performed a first measurement campaign of 350 independent water vapor profiles. A statistical study of the distribution of water vapor profiles is presented and some investigations concerning the calibration are discussed. The data set having several long acquisition measurements during nighttime, an analysis of the diurnal cycle of water vapor has also been investigated. Analysis regarding the cirrus clouds is presented and a classification has been performed showing 3 distinct classes. Based on these results, the characteristics and the design of a future lidar system to be implemented at the new Reunion Island altitude observatory (2200 m) for long-term monitoring is presented and numerical simulations of system performance have been realized to compare both instruments.

Beschreibung: Melt ponds on Arctic sea ice determined from MODIS satellite data using an artificial neural network The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2991-3024, 2011 Author(s): A. Rösel, L. Kaleschke, and G. Birnbaum Melt ponds on sea ice strongly reduce the surface albedo and accelerate the decay of Arctic sea ice. Due to different spectral properties of snow, ice, and water, the fractional coverage of these distinct surface types can be derived from multispectral sensors like MODIS using a spectral unmixing algorithm. The unmixing was implemented using a multilayer perceptron (MLP) to reduce computational costs. Arctic-wide melt pond fractions and sea ice concentrations are derived from the level 3 MODIS surface reflectance product. The validation of the MODIS melt pond data set was conducted with aerial photos from the MELTEX campaign 2008 in the Beaufort Sea, data sets from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) for 2000 and 2001 from four sites spread over the entire Arctic, and with ship observations from the trans-Arctic HOTRAX cruise in 2005. The root-mean-square errors (RMSE) range from 3.8 % for the comparison with HOTRAX data, over 10.7 % for the comparison with NSIDC data, to 10.3 % and 11.4 % for the comparison with MELTEX data, with correlations coefficients ranging from R 2 = 0.28 to R 2 = 0.45. The mean annual cycle of the melt pond fraction for the entire Arctic shows a strong increase in June, reaching a maximum of 15 % by the end of June. The zonal mean of melt pond fractions indicates a dependence of the temporal development of melt ponds from the geographical latitude, and has its maximum in mid-July in latitudes between 80° and 88° N. Furthermore, the MODIS results are used to estimate the influence of melt ponds on retrievals of sea ice concentrations from passive microwave data. Results from a case study comparing sea ice concentrations from ASI-, NASA Team 2-, and Bootstrap-algorithms with MODIS sea ice concentrations indicate an underestimation of around 40 % for sea ice concentrations retrieved with microwave algorithms.

Beschreibung: Relation between surface topography and sea-salt snow chemistry from Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2967-2989, 2011 Author(s): K. Mahalinganathan, M. Thamban, C. M. Laluraj, and B. L. Redkar Previous studies on variability of sea-salt records in Antarctic snow have established an unambiguous relationship with the proximity to the sea and have been directly correlated with the site specific features like elevation and distance from the coast. On the other hand, variations in Cl − /Na + ratio in have been attributed with the reaction mechanisms involving atmospheric acids. In the present study, annual records of Na + , Cl − and SO 4 2− records were investigated using snow cores along a 180 km coast to inland transect in Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica. Exceptionally high Na + concentrations varying between 1000 and 2000 μg l −1 were observed within 50 km of the transect. Large variations in Cl − /Na + ratio were observed within 50 km from the coast. A rapid increase in the elevation (0–1115 m) was noticed up to 50 km from the coast, whereas a steady elevation change (1115–2200 m) occurred between 50 and 180 km. The largest slope of the entire transect was observed (33.7 m km −1 ) between 20 and 30 km and records from this area correspondingly revealed extensive modifications in snow sea-salt chemistry, with Cl − /Na + ratios as low as 0.2. Statistical analysis showed a strong association between the slope of the ice sheet and variation of the sea-salt ions along the transect. While distance from coast accounted for some variability, the altitude by itself seem to have no significant control on the distribution of sea-salt ions. We suggest that the degree of slope of the ice sheet on the coastal regions of Antarctica could have a major influence the sea-salt chemistry.

Beschreibung: Long-term aerosol optical depth datasets over China retrieved from satellite data Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6643-6678, 2011 Author(s): Y. Xue, H. Xu, Y. Li, L. Yang, L. Mei, J. Guang, T. Hou, X. He, J. Dong, Z. Chen, and Y. Qi Nine years of daily aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements have been derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data using the Synergetic Retrieval of Aerosol Properties (SRAP) method over China for the period from August 2002 to August 2011, comprising AODs at 470, 550, and 660 nm. Then, the variation over China over the nine years was determined from the derived AOD data. Preliminary daily results show the agreement between the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) AOD data and the derived AOD data. From 1219 daily collocations, representing mutually cloud-free conditions, we find that more than 54% of SRAP-MODIS retrieved AOD values comparing with AERONET-observed values within an expected error envelop of 20%. From 222 monthly averaged collocations, representing mutually cloud-free conditions, we find that more than 63% of SRAP-MODIS retrieved AOD values comparing with AERONET-observed values within an expected error envelop of 15% and more than 70% within an expected error envelop of 20%. In addition, the long-term SRAP AOD dataset has been implemented in analysing case studies involving dust storms, haze and the characteristics of AOD variation over China over the past nine years. It was found that areas in China with high AOD values generally appear in the Inner Mongolia, the North China Plain, Tarim Basin, the Sichuan Basin, the Tibetan Plateau and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and area with low AOD values generally appear in the Fujian Province, the Yungui Plateau, and northeast plain. The seasonal averaged AOD results indicate that AOD values generally reach their maximum in spring and their minimum in winter. The yearly mean and monthly mean SRAP AOD were also used to study the spatial and temporal aerosol distributions over China. The results indicate that the AOD over China exhibited no obvious change. Monthly averaged AOD in August in Beijing experienced one decreasing processes from 2006 to 2010, especially after 2007. The monthly mean AOD decreased from 0.46 in 2007 to 0.29 in 2010. SRAP AODs were used to study one haze case and dust case. Combining AOD data from the SRAP AOD dataset and HYSPLIT model can forecast the transport of haze. SRAP AOD data are also sensitive enough to reflect the occurrence and intensity of dust weather. Thus, the SRAP AOD dataset can be used to precisely reflect the spatial distribution, concentration distribution and transmission path of dust.

Beschreibung: A modeling approach to evaluate the uncertainty in estimating the evaporation behaviour and volatility of organic aerosols Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6723-6777, 2011 Author(s): E. Fuentes and G. McFiggans In this study a kinetic evaporation-condensation model was applied to assess the uncertainty in determining the volatility behaviour of organic particles from thermodenuder experiments, at conditions relevant to both ambient and laboratory measurements. A comprehensive theoretical parametric analysis showed that re-condensation in thermodenuder experiments is highly case-dependent, being strongly determined by the combined effects of aerosol mass loading, particle size and the kinetics of condensation. Because of this dependence it is possible to find cases with either negligible or significant levels of re-condensation at high organic mass loadings, thus accounting for the diverging degrees of re-condensation reported in previous experimental and modeling studies. From this analysis it was concluded that gas denudation should generally be applied in experiments with aerosol mass loading 〉30 μg m −3 . However, thermograms may be lowered in the region below 45 °C as a result of the evaporation induced by denuders for compounds with saturation concentration C * 〉 1 μg m −3 . A calibration curve relating C * (saturation concentration) and T 50 (temperature at which 50% of aerosol mass evaporates) was theoretically derived and tested to infer volatility distributions from experimental thermograms. While this approach was found to hold at equilibrium, significant underestimation of the particle volatility was found under kinetically-controlled evaporation conditions. Because thermograms obtained at ambient aerosol loading levels are most likely to show departure from equilibrium, the application of a kinetic evaporation model is more suitable for inferring volatility properties of atmospheric samples than the calibration curve approach; however, this method implies significant uncertainty, due to the sensitivity of the kinetic model to the assumption of "effective" accommodation coefficient. Predictions of the evaporation-condensation behaviour of α-pinene SOA exhibited a large uncertainty in estimating the aerosol mass formation induced by cooling, depending on whether it was assumed that gas condensation was affected by the amorphous solid state of the particles. Evaluation of the dilution-induced evaporation of α-pinene SOA showed that the equilibrium partitioning theory underpredicts the aerosol mass concentration by a factor of between 5 and 10, with respect to kinetic calculations. Analysis in this study suggests that, the mass transfer kinetic coefficient, inclusive of diffusive kinetic limitations, is a critical unknown to both estimating the volatility properties and determining the atmospheric gas-particle partitioning of SOA.

Beschreibung: Surface mass budget and meltwater discharge from the Kangerlussuaq sector of the Greenland ice sheet during record-warm year 2010 The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2319-2347, 2011 Author(s): D. van As, A. Hubbard, B. Hasholt, A. B. Mikkelsen, M. van den Broeke, and R. S. Fausto The year 2010 has been anomalously warm in most of Greenland, most notably in the south and along the western coast. Our study targets the Kangerlussuaq region around 67° N in Southwest Greenland, where the temperature anomalies were record setting. In 2010, the average temperature was 5 °C (2.7 standard deviations) above the 1974–2010 average in the town of Kangerlussuaq. High temperatures were also observed over the ice sheet, with the positive anomaly increasing with altitude. Also surface albedo, from calibrated MODIS measurements, was anomalously low in 2010, chiefly in the upper ablation zone. The low albedo was caused by the high ablation in 2010, which profited in turn from high temperatures, low albedo, and of low wintertime accumulation. The largest melt excess (166%) was found in the upper ablation zone, where higher temperatures and lower albedo contributed equally to the melt anomaly. In total, we estimate that 6.6 km 3 of surface meltwater ran off the ice sheet in the Kangerlussuaq catchment area in 2010, exceeding "normal" year 2009 by 145%. When compared to discharge estimated from discharge measurements in the proglacial river we find good agreement. The time lag between the records is caused by storage within and underneath the ice sheet, and suggests adaption of the subglacial drainage system to meltwater availability, with more efficient drainage occurring after the peak of the melt season.

Beschreibung: How reversible is sea ice loss? The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2349-2363, 2011 Author(s): J. K. Ridley, J. A. Lowe, and H. T. Hewitt It is well accepted that increasing atmospheric CO 2 results in global warming, leading to a decline in polar sea ice area. Here, the specific question of whether there is a tipping point in the sea ice cover is investigated. The global climate model HadCM3, is used to map the trajectory of sea ice area under idealised scenarios. The atmospheric CO 2 is first ramped up to four times pre-industrial levels (4 × CO 2 ) then ramped down back to pre-industrial levels. We also examine the impact of stabilising climate at 4 × CO 2 prior to ramping CO 2 down to pre-industrial levels. Against global mean temperature Arctic sea ice area has little hysteresis while the Antarctic sea ice shows significant hysteresis – its rate of change slower, with falling temperatures, than its rate of change with rising temperatures. However, we show that the driver of the hysteresis is the hemispherical differences in temperature change between transient and stabilisation periods. We find no irreversible behaviour in the sea ice cover.

Beschreibung: Hydrologic controls on coastal suspended sediment plumes around the Greenland ice sheet The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2365-2407, 2011 Author(s): V. W. Chu, L. C. Smith, A. K. Rennermalm, R. R. Forster, and J. E. Box Rising sea levels and increased surface melting of the Greenland ice sheet have heightened the need for direct observations of meltwater release from the ice edge to ocean. Buoyant sediment plumes that develop in fjords downstream of outlet glaciers are controlled by numerous factors, including meltwater runoff. Here, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery is used to average surface suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in fjords around ~80% of Greenland from 2000–2009. Spatial and temporal patterns in SSC are compared with positive-degree-days (PDD), a proxy for surface melting, from the Polar MM5 regional climate model. Over this decade significant geographic covariance occurred between ice sheet PDD and fjord SSC, with outlet type (land- vs. marine-terminating glaciers) also important. In general, high SSC is associated with high PDD and/or a high proportion of land-terminating glaciers. Unlike previous site-specific studies of the Watson River plume at Kangerlussuaq, temporal covariance is low, suggesting that plume dimensions best capture interannual runoff dynamics whereas SSC allows assessment of long-term conditions across much broader fjord environments around the ice sheet. Remote sensing of both plume charactersitics thus offers a viable approach for observing spatial and temporal patterns of meltwater release exiting the Greenland ice sheet to the global ocean.

Beschreibung: Airborne observations of formic acid using a chemical ionisation mass spectrometer Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 5807-5835, 2011 Author(s): M. Le Breton, M. R. McGillen, J. B. A. Muller, A. Bacak, D. E. Shallcross, P. Xiao, L. G. Huey, D. Tanner, H. Coe, and C. J. Percival The first airborne measurements of formic acid mixing ratios over the United Kingdom were measured on the FAAM BAe-146 research aircraft on the 16 March 2010 with a chemical ionisation mass spectrometer using I − reagent ions. The I − ionisation scheme was able to measure formic acid mixing ratios at 1 Hz in the lower boundary layer. In-flight standard addition calibrations from a formic acid source were used to determine the instrument sensitivity of 35±6 ion counts pptv −1 s −1 and a limit of detection of 25 pptv. Routine measurements were made through a scrubbed inlet to determine the instrumental background. Three plumes of formic acid were observed over the UK, originating from London, Humberside and Tyneside. The London plume had the highest formic acid mixing ratio throughout the flight, peaking at 358 pptv. No significant correlations of formic acid with NO x and Ozone were found. A trajectory model was employed to determine the sources of the plumes and compare modelled mixing ratios with measured values. The model underestimated formic acid concentrations by up to a factor of 2. This is explained by missing sources in the model, considered to be primary emissions of formic acid of mainly anthropogenic origin and lack of precursor emissions, such as isoprene, from biogenic sources.

Beschreibung: Field inter-comparison of two high-accuracy fast-response spectroscopic sensors of carbon dioxide Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 5837-5855, 2011 Author(s): B. A. Flowers, H. H. Powers, M. K. Dubey, and N. G. McDowell Tunable diode laser absorption (TDL) and cavity ring-down spectroscopic (CRDS) sensors for atmospheric carbon dioxide were co-deployed during summer and fall of 2010 in the field at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Both sensors were characterized for accuracy and precision for ambient carbon dioxide measurements at ground level and are compared using both laboratory and atmospheric data. After a four point laboratory cross calibration, the mean [ 12 C 16 O 2 ] TDL = 392.05 ± 8.92 ppm and [ 12 C 16 O 2 ] CRDS ' = 392.22 ± 9.05 ppm between 29 July and 16 August 2010 (mean difference = 0.04 ± 0.04 ppm). The slope of the cross-calibrated linear regression analysis between the two sensors is 1.000. The CRDS sensor is capable of measuring ambient [ 12 C 16 O 2 ] to a relative precision of 23 ppb Hz −1/2 for a 1-min time constant and this decreases to 6.5 ppb Hz −1/2 for a 58-min time constant. At one and 58-min time constants, the TDL exhibits precisions of 29 ppb Hz −1/2 and 53 ppb Hz −1/2 . The CRDS is compact, fast, and stable. The TDL is larger and requires frequent calibrations that limit its time resolution. Field observations show that 1-min averaged data measured by the two instruments agree almost perfectly, for the 19-day period the CRDS/TDL ratio is a Gaussian distribution at x 0 = 1.000 ± 3.38 × 10 −5 . The sensors also exhibit consistent hourly averaged diurnal values underscoring the interplay of biological, anthropogenic, and transport processes regulating CO 2 at the site.

Beschreibung: The Cabauw Intercomparison campaign for Nitrogen Dioxide measuring Instruments (CINDI): design, execution, and early results Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 5935-6005, 2011 Author(s): A. J. M. Piters, K. F. Boersma, M. Kroon, J. C. Hains, M. Van Roozendael, F. Wittrock, N. Abuhassan, C. Adams, M. Akrami, M. A. F. Allaart, A. Apituley, J. B. Bergwerff, A. J. C. Berkhout, D. Brunner, A. Cede, J. Chong, K. Clémer, C. Fayt, U. Frieß, L. F. L. Gast, M. Gil-Ojeda, F. Goutail, R. Graves, A. Griesfeller, K. Großmann, G. Hemerijckx, F. Hendrick, B. Henzing, J. Herman, C. Hermans, M. Hoexum, G. R. van der Hoff, H. Irie, P. V. Johnston, Y. Kanaya, Y. J. Kim, H. Klein Baltink, K. Kreher, G. de Leeuw, R. Leigh, A. Merlaud, M. M. Moerman, P. S. Monks, G. H. Mount, M. Navarro-Comas, H. Oetjen, A. Pazmino, M. Perez-Camacho, E. Peters, A. du Piesanie, G. Pinardi, O. Puentadura, A. Richter, H. K. Roscoe, A. Schönhardt, B. Schwarzenbach, R. Shaiganfar, W. Sluis, E. Spinei, A. P. Stolk, K. Strong, D. P. J. Swart, H. Takashima, T. Vlemmix, M. Vrekoussis, T. Wagner, C. Whyte, K. M. Wilson, M. Yela, S. Yilmaz, P. Zieger, and Y. Zhou From June to July 2009 more than thirty different in-situ and remote sensing instruments from all over the world participated in the Cabauw Intercomparison campaign for Nitrogen Dioxide measuring Instruments (CINDI). The campaign took place at KNMI's Cabauw Experimental Site for Atmospheric Research in the Netherlands. Its main objectives were to determine the accuracy of state-of-the-art ground-based measurement techniques for the detection of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (both in-situ and remote sensing), and to investigate their usability in satellite data validation. The expected outcomes are recommendations regarding the operation and calibration of such instruments, retrieval settings, and observation strategies for the use in ground-based networks for air quality monitoring and satellite data validation. Twenty-four optical spectrometers participated in the campaign, of which twenty-one had the capability to scan different elevation angles consecutively, the so-called Multi-axis DOAS systems, thereby collecting vertical profile information, in particular for nitrogen dioxide and aerosol. Various in-situ samplers simultaneously characterized the variability of atmospheric trace gases and the physical properties of aerosol particles. A large data set of continuous measurements of these atmospheric constituents has been collected under various meteorological conditions and air pollution levels. Together with the permanent measurement capability at the Cabauw site characterizing the meteorological state of the atmosphere, the CINDI campaign provided a comprehensive observational data set of atmospheric constituents in a highly polluted region of the world during summertime. First detailed comparisons performed with the CINDI data show that slant column measurements of NO 2 , O 4 and HCHO with MAX-DOAS agree within 5 to 15%, vertical profiles of NO 2 derived from several independent instruments agree within 25%, and MAX-DOAS aerosol optical thickness agrees within 20–30% with AERONET data. For the in-situ NO 2 instrument using a molybdenum converter, a bias was found as large as 5 ppbv during day time, when compared to the other in-situ instruments using photolytic converters.

Beschreibung: Inter-annual variations of snow days over Switzerland from 2000–2010 derived from MODIS satellite data The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2409-2435, 2011 Author(s): N. Foppa and G. Seiz Snow cover plays a vital role in the Swiss Alps and therefore it is of major interest to determine and understand its variability on different spatiotemporal scales. Within the activities of the National Climate Observing System (GCOS Switzerland) inter-annual variations of snow days over Switzerland were derived from 2000 to 2010 based on data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Terra satellite. To minimize the impact of cloud cover on the MODIS snow product MOD10C1, we implemented a post-processing technique based on a forward and backward gap-filling approach. Using the proposed methodology it was possible to determine the total number of annual snow days over Switzerland from 2000 to 2010 (SCD MODIS ). The accuracy of the calculated snow days per year were quantitatively evaluated against three in situ snow observation sites representing different climatological regimes (SCD in_situ ). The correlation ( c ) between annual SCD MODIS and SCD in_situ is highest for the lowland regions by ( c = 0.90) with a slightly lower correlation for the Central Alps of 0.82 and a mean absolute difference of −6 to −7 days (SCD in_situ − SCD MODIS ). Differences were further analysed on a monthly and daily resolution over the entire period. The overall agreement between SCD MODIS and SCD in_situ on a daily basis over 10 yr is 88 % to 94 %, depending on the regional characteristics of each validation site. Differences between SCD MODIS and SCD in_situ vary with higher mean absolute differences during the snow accumulation period in autumn and smaller differences after spring, in particularly for the Central Alps. These findings are in agreement with other studies.

Beschreibung: Laboratory study of frazil ice accumulation under wave conditions The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 1835-1886, 2011 Author(s): S. De la Rosa and S. Maus Ice growth in turbulent seawater is often accompanied by the accumulation of frazil ice crystals at its surface. The thickness and volume fraction of this ice layer play an important role in shaping the gradual transition from a loose to a solid ice cover, however, observations are very sparse. Here we analyse an extensive set of observations of frazil ice, grown in two parallel tanks with controlled wave conditions and thermal forcing, focusing on the first one to two days of grease ice accumulation. The following unresolved issues are addressed: (i) at which volume fraction the frazil crystal rising process starts and how densely they accumulate at the surface, (ii) how the grease ice solid fraction evolves with time until solid ice starts to form and (iii) how do these conditions affect, and are affected by, waves and heat loss from the ice. We obtained estimates of the initial frazil ice solid fraction (0.04–0.05), the maximum solid fraction to which it accumulates (0.24–0.28), as well as the time-scale of packing, at which 95 % of the frazil reaches the maximum solid fraction (12–18 h). Comparison of ice thickness and wave observations also indicates that grease ice first begins to affect the wave field significantly when its thickness exceeds the initial wave amplitude. These results are relevant for modelling frazil ice accumulation and freeze-up of leads, polynyas and the seasonal ice zone.

Beschreibung: Where do we need additional in situ aerosol and sun photometer data?: a critical examination of spatial biases between MODIS and MISR aerosol products Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 4295-4323, 2011 Author(s): Y. Shi, J. Zhang, J. S. Reid, E. J. Hyer, T. F. Eck, B. N. Holben, and R. A. Kahn AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) data are the primary benchmark for evaluating satellite retrieved aerosol properties. However, despite its extensive coverage, the representativeness of the AERONET data is rarely discussed. Indeed, many studies have shown that satellite retrieval biases have a significant degree of spatial correlation that may be problematic for higher-level processes or inverse-emissions-modeling studies. To consider these issues and evaluate relative performance in regions of few surface observations, cross-comparisons between the aerosol optical depth (AOD) products of operational MODIS Collection 5.1 Dark Target (DT) and operational MODIS Collection 5.1 Deep Blue (DB) with MISR version 22 were conducted. Through such comparisons, we can observe coherent spatial features of the AOD bias while sidestepping the full analysis required for determining when or where either retrieval is more correct. We identify regions where MODIS to MISR AOD ratios were found to be above 1.3 or below 0.75. Regions where lower boundary condition uncertainty is likely to be a dominant factor include portions of Western North America, the Andes Mountains, Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Central Asia. Similarly, microphysical biases may be an issue in greater South America, and specific parts of Southern Africa, India Asia, East Asia, and Indonesia. These results help identify high-priority locations for possible future deployments of both in situ and ground-based remote sensing measurements. Supplement include GeoTIFF and kml files.

Beschreibung: Validation of MIPAS IMK/IAA temperature, water vapor, and ozone profiles with MOHAVE-2009 campaign measurements Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 4403-4472, 2011 Author(s): G. P. Stiller, M. Kiefer, E. Eckert, T. von Clarmann, S. Kellmann, M. García-Comas, B. Funke, T. Leblanc, E. Fetzer, L. Froidevaux, M. Gomez, E. Hall, D. Hurst, A. Jordan, N. Kämpfer, A. Lambert, I. S. McDermid, T. McGee, L. Miloshevich, G. Nedoluha, W. Read, M. Schneider, M. Schwartz, C. Straub, G. Toon, L. W. Twigg, K. Walker, and D. N. Whiteman MIPAS observations of temperature, water vapor, and ozone in October 2009 as derived with the scientific level-2 processor run by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK) and CSIC, Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (IAA) and retrieved from version 4.67 level-1b data have been compared to co-located field campaign observations obtained during the MOHAVE-2009 campaign at the Table Mountain Facility near Pasadena, California in October 2009. The MOHAVE-2009 measurement campaign provided measurements of atmospheric profiles of temperature, water vapor/relative humidity, and ozone from the ground to the mesosphere by a suite of instruments including radio sondes, frost point hygrometers, lidars, microwave radiometers and FTIR spectrometers. For MIPAS temperatures (version V4O_T_204), no significant bias was detected in the middle stratosphere; between 22 km and the tropopause MIPAS temperatures were found to be biased low by up to 2 K, while below the tropopause, they were found to be too high by the same amount. Above 12 km up to 45 km, MIPAS water vapor (version V4O_H2O_203) is well within 10 % of the data of all correlative instruments, while a high bias of up to 10 % is found in comparison to ground-based microwave instruments around 45 km. The well-known dry bias of MIPAS water vapor above 50 km due to neglect of non-LTE effects in the current retrievals has been confirmed. Some instruments indicate that MIPAS water vapor might be biased high by 20 to 40 % around 10 km (or 5 km below the tropopause), but a consistent picture from all comparisons could not be derived. MIPAS ozone (version V4O_O3_202) has a high bias of up to +0.9 ppmv around 37 km which is due to a non-identified continuum like radiance contribution. No further significant biases have been detected. Cross-comparison to co-located observations of other satellite instruments (Aura/MLS, ACE-FTS, AIRS) is provided as well.

Beschreibung: Comparisons of temperature, pressure and humidity measurements by balloon-borne radiosondes and frost point hygrometers during MOHAVE 2009 Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 4357-4401, 2011 Author(s): D. F. Hurst, E. G. Hall, A. F. Jordan, L. M. Miloshevich, D. N. Whiteman, T. Leblanc, D. Walsh, H. Vömel, and S. J. Oltmans We compare coincident, balloon-borne, in situ measurements of temperature and pressure by two radiosondes (Vaisala RS92, Intermet iMet-1-RSB) and measurements of relative humidity (RH) by Vaisala RS92 sondes and frost point hygrometers. Data from a total of 28 balloon flights with mixed payloads are analyzed in 1-km altitude bins to quantify measurement biases between sensors and how they vary with altitude. The disparities between sensors determined here are compared to measurement uncertainties quoted by the two radiosonde manufacturers. Our comparisons expose several flight profiles with anomalously large measurement differences. Excluding these anomalous profiles, 33 % of RS92-iMet median temperature differences exceed the uncertainty limits calculated from manufacturer-quoted uncertainties. A statistically significant, altitude-independent bias of about 0.5 ± 0.2 °C is revealed for the RS92-iMet temperature differences. Similarly, 23 % of RS92-iMet median pressure differences exceed the quoted uncertainty limits, with 83 % of these excessive differences above 16 km altitude. The pressure differences are altitude dependent, increasing from −0.6 ± 0.9 hPa at the surface to 0.7 ± 0.1 hPa above 15 km. Temperature and pressure differences between redundant RS92 sondes on the same balloon exceed manufacturer-quoted reproducibility limits 20 % and 2 % of the time, respectively, with most of the excessive differences belonging to anomalous difference profiles. Relative humidity measurements by RS92 sondes are compared to other RS92 sondes and to RH values calculated using frost point hygrometer measurements and coincident radiosonde temperature measurements. For some flights the RH differences are anomalously large, but in general are within the ±5 % RH measurement uncertainty limits quoted for the RS92. The quantitative effects of RS92 and iMet pressure and temperature differences on frost point-based water vapor mixing ratios and RH values, respectively, are also presented.

Beschreibung: Atmospheric CO 2 monitoring with single-cell NDIR-based analyzers Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 4325-4355, 2011 Author(s): B. B. Stephens, N. L. Miles, S. J. Richardson, A. S. Watt, and K. J. Davis We describe CO 2 concentration measurement systems based on relatively inexpensive single-cell non-dispersive infrared CO 2 sensors. The systems utilize signal averaging to obtain precision (1-σ in 100 s) of 0.1 parts per million dry air mole fraction (ppm), frequent calibrations and sample drying in order to achieve state-of-the-art compatibility, and can run autonomously for months at a time. Laboratory tests indicate compatibility among four to six systems to be ±0.1 ppm (1-σ), and field measurements of known reference-gases yield median errors of 0.01 to 0.17 ppm with 1-σ variance of ±0.1 to 0.2 ppm. From May to August 2007, a system co-located with a NOAA-ESRL dual-cell NDIR system at the WLEF tall tower in Wisconsin measured daytime-only daily averages of CO 2 that differ by 0.26 ± 0.15 ppm (median ± 1 σ), and from August 2005 to April 2011 a system co-located with weekly NOAA-ESRL network flask collection at Niwot Ridge, Colorado measured coincident CO 2 concentrations that differed by −0.06 ± 0.30 ppm ( n = 585). Data from these systems are now supporting a wide range of analyses and this approach may be applicable in future studies where accuracy and initial cost of the sensors are priorities.

Beschreibung: Tracking of urban aerosols using combined lidar-based remote sensing and ground-based measurements Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6387-6410, 2011 Author(s): T.-Y. He, S. Stanič, F. Gao, K. Bergant, D. Veberič, X.-Q. Song, and A. Dolžan A measuring campaign was performed over the neighboring towns of Nova Gorica in Slovenia and Gorizia in Italy on 24 and 25 May 2010, to investigate the concentration and distribution of urban aerosols. Tracking of two-dimensional spatial and temporal aerosol distributions was performed using scanning elastic lidar operating at 1064 nm. In addition, PM 10 concentrations of particles, NO x and meteorological data were continuously monitored within the lidar scanning region. Based on the collected data, we investigated the flow dynamics and the aerosol concentrations within the lower troposphere and an evidence for daily aerosol cycles. We observed a number of cases with spatially localized increased lidar returns, which were found to be due to the presence of point sources of particulate matter. Daily aerosol concentration cycles were also clearly visible with a peak in aerosol concentration during the morning rush hours and daily maximum at around 17:00 Central European Time. We also found that the averaged horizontal atmospheric extinction within the scanning region 200 m above the ground is correlated to the PM 10 concentration at the ground level with a correlation coefficient of 0.64, which may be due to relatively quiet meteorological conditions and basin-like terrain configuration.

Beschreibung: Changes in the marine-terminating glaciers of central east Greenland and potential connections to ocean circulation, 2000–2010 The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2865-2894, 2011 Author(s): K. M. Walsh, I. M. Howat, Y. Ahn, and E. M. Enderlin Outlet glaciers on the periphery of the Greenland Ice Sheet have undergone substantial changes in the past decade. Limited geophysical observations of the marine-terminating glaciers of eastern Greenland's Geikie Plateau and Blosseville Coast suggest rapid rates of mass loss and short-term variability in ice dynamics since 2002. Glaciers in this region terminate into the Denmark Strait, which is a thermodynamic transition zone between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans spanning from 66° N to 69° N. We examine time series of thinning, retreat and flow speed of 38 marine-terminating glaciers along the central east Greenland coast from 2000 to 2010 and compare this record with coastal sea surface temperatures to investigate a potential relationship between warming of the sea surface and increased melt at the glacier termini. We find that glacial retreat, thinning and acceleration have been more pronounced throughout the Denmark Strait, supporting our hypothesis that ocean warming associated with shifts in the Irminger and East Greenland currents are causing increased melt at the ice-ocean interface.

Beschreibung: Monitoring of inorganic ions, carbonaceous matter and mass in ambient aerosol particles with online and offline methods Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6577-6614, 2011 Author(s): H. Timonen, M. Aurela, K. Saarnio, A. Frey, S. Saarikoski, K. Teinilä, M. Kulmala, and R. Hillamo Year-long high timeresolution measurements of major chemical components in atmospheric sub-micrometer particles were conducted at an urban background station in Finland 2006–2007. Ions were analyzed using a particle-into-liquid sampler combined with an ion chromatograph (PILS-IC), organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC) by using a semicontinuos OC/EC aerosol carbon analyzer (RT-OCEC), and PM 2.5 mass with a tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM). Long time series provides information on differences between the used measurement techniques as well as information about the diurnal and seasonal changes. Chemical mass closure was constructed by comparing the identified aerosol mass with the measured PM 2.5 . The sum of all components measured online (ions, particulate organic matter (POM), EC) represented only 65% of the total PM 2.5 mass. The difference can be explained by the difference in cutoff sizes (PM 1 for online measurements, PM 2.5 for total mass) and by evaporation of the semivolatile/volatile components. In general, some differences in results were observed when the results of the continuous/semicontinuous instruments were compared with those of the conventional filter samplings. For non-volatile compounds, like sulfate and potassium, correlation between the filter samples and the PILS was good but greater differences were observed for the semivolatile compounds like nitrate and ammonium. For OC the results of the RT-OCEC were on average 10% larger than those of the filters. When compared to filter measurements, high resolution measurements provide important data on short pollution plumes as well as on diurnal changes. Clear seasonal and diurnal cycles were observed for nitrate and EC.

Beschreibung: A fast and precise chemiluminescence ozone detector for eddy flux and airborne application Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6539-6575, 2011 Author(s): A. Zahn, J. Weppner, H. Widmann, K. Schlote-Holubek, B. Burger, T. Kühner, and H. Franke A commercially available dry chemiluminescence (CI) instrument for fast and precise measurement of ozone (O 3 ) is specified. The sensitivity is ~9000 counts s −1 per ppbv of ozone. Its precision is entirely determined by the number of photons reaching the detector (being a photomultiplier), i.e. is quantum-noise limited. The relative precision (ΔO 3 /O 3 in %) thus follows Poisson statistics and scales with the square root of the measurement frequency f and with the inverse O 3 mixing ratio: ΔO 3 /O 3 ∝ f 0.5 · O 3 −0.5 . At typical O 3 mixing ratios between 10 and 100 ppbv, the precision is 0.3–1.0% at f = 10 Hz. The maximum measurement frequency is 50 Hz. The mechanical and electronic set-up as well as the instrument performance is described. Recommendations on the adequate inlet tube configuration (inlet tube length, sampling flow) and on the way of calibration at stationary ground-based platforms and onboard aircraft are given.

Beschreibung: Long term NO 2 measurements in Hong Kong using LED based Long Path Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6615-6642, 2011 Author(s): K. L. Chan, D. Pöhler, G. Kuhlmann, A. Hartl, U. Platt, and M. O. Wenig In this study we present the first long term measurements of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) using a LED based Long Path Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (LP-DOAS) instrument. This instrument is measuring continuously in Hong Kong since December 2009, first in a setup with a 550 m absorption path and then with a 3820 m path at about 30 m to 50 m above street level. The instrument is using a high power blue light LED with peak intensity at 450 nm coupled into the telescope using a Y-fibre bundle. The LP-DOAS instrument measures NO 2 concentrations in the Kowloon Tong and Mong Kok district of Hong Kong and we compare the measurement results to concentrations reported by monitoring stations operated by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department in that area. Hourly averages of coinciding measurements are in reasonable agreement ( R = 0.74). Furthermore, we used the long-term data set to validate the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) NO 2 data product. Monthly averaged LP-DOAS and OMI measurements correlate well ( R = 0.84) when comparing the data for the OMI overpass time. We analyzed weekly patterns in both data sets and found that the LP-DOAS detects a clear weekly cycle with a reduction on weekends during rush hour peaks, whereas OMI is not able to observe this weekly cycle due to its fix overpass time.

Beschreibung: Longitudinal surface structures (flowstripes) on Antarctic glaciers The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3085-3112, 2011 Author(s): N. F. Glasser and G. H. Gudmundsson Longitudinal surface structures (''flowstripes'') are common on many glaciers but their origin and significance are poorly understood. In this paper we present observations of the development of these longitudinal structures from four different Antarctic glacier systems (the Lambert Glacier/Amery Ice Shelf area, outlet glaciers in the Ross Sea sector, ice-shelf tributary glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula, and the onset zone of a tributary to the Recovery Glacier Ice Stream in the Filchner Ice Shelf area). Mapping from optical satellite images demonstrates that longitudinal surface structures develop in two main situations: (1) as relatively wide flow stripes within glacier flow units and (2) as relatively narrow flow stripes where there is convergent flow around nunataks or at glacier confluence zones. Our observations indicate that the confluence features are narrower, sharper, and more clearly defined features. They are characterised by linear troughs or depressions on the ice surface and are much more common than the former type. Longitudinal surface structures within glacier flow units have previously been explained as the surface expression of localised bed perturbations but a universal explanation for those forming at glacier confluences is lacking. Here we propose that these features are formed at zones of ice acceleration and extensional flow at glacier confluences. We provide a schematic model for the development of longitudinal surface structures based on extensional flow that can explain their ridge and trough morphology as well as their down-ice persistence.

Beschreibung: Refreezing on the Greenland ice sheet: a comparison of parameterizations The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2723-2764, 2011 Author(s): C. H. Reijmer, M. R. van den Broeke, J. Ettema, and L. B. Stap Retention and refreezing of meltwater are acknowledged to be important processes for the mass budget of polar glaciers and ice sheets. Several parameterizations of these processes exist for use in energy and mass balance models. Due to a lack of direct observations, validation of these parameterizations is difficult. In this study we compare a set of 6 refreezing parameterizations against output of the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO2), applied to the Greenland ice sheet. In RACMO2, refreezing is explicitly calculated in a snow model that calculates vertical profiles of temperature, density and liquid water content. For consistency, the parameterizations are forced with output (surface temperature, precipitation and melt) of RACMO2. For the ice sheet-integrated amount of refreezing and its inter-annual variations, all parameterizations give similar results, especially after some tuning. However, the spatial distributions differ significantly. Results are especially sensitive to the choice of the depth of the thermally active layer, which determines the cold content of the snow in most parameterizations.

Beschreibung: Infrared emission measurements in the Arctic using a new extended-range AERI Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6411-6448, 2011 Author(s): Z. Mariani, K. Strong, M. Wolff, P. Rowe, V. Walden, P. F. Fogal, T. Duck, G. Lesins, D. S. Turner, C. Cox, E. Eloranta, J. R. Drummond, C. Roy, D. D. Turner, D. Hudak, and I. A. Lindenmaier The Extended-range Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (E-AERI) is a moderate resolution (1 cm −1 ) Fourier transform infrared spectrometer for measuring the absolute downwelling infrared spectral radiance from the atmosphere between 400 and 3000 cm −1 . The extended spectral range of the instrument permits monitoring of the 400–550 cm −1 (20–25 μm) region, where most of the infrared surface cooling currently occurs in the dry air of the Arctic. Spectra from the E-AERI have the potential to provide information about radiative balance, trace gases, and cloud properties in the Canadian high Arctic. Calibration, performance evaluation, and certification of the E-AERI were performed at the University of Wisconsin Space Science and Engineering Centre from September to October 2008. The instrument was then installed at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) Ridge Lab at Eureka, Nunavut, in October 2008, where it acquired one year of data. Measurements are taken every seven minutes year-round, including polar night when the solar-viewing spectrometers at PEARL are not operated. A similar instrument, the University of Idaho's Polar AERI (P-AERI), was installed at the Zero-altitude PEARL Auxiliary Laboratory (0PAL) from March 2006 to June 2009. During the period of overlap, these two instruments provided calibrated radiance measurements from two altitudes. A fast line-by-line radiative transfer model is used to simulate the downwelling radiance at both altitudes; the largest differences (simulation-measurement) occur in spectral regions strongly influenced by atmospheric temperature and/or water vapour. The presence of two AERI instruments at close proximity but two different altitudes allowed for an investigation of the surface radiative forcing by a thin, low ice cloud; the ice cloud resulted in a 6% increase in irradiance. The presence of clouds creates a large surface radiative forcing in the Arctic, particularly in the 750–1200 cm −1 region where the downwelling radiance is several times greater than clear-sky radiances, which is significantly larger than in other more humid regions.

Beschreibung: Transfer function models to quantify the delay between air and ground temperatures in thawed active layers The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 2935-2966, 2011 Author(s): E. Zenklusen Mutter, J. Blanchet, and M. Phillips Air temperatures influence ground temperatures with a certain delay, which increases with depth. Borehole temperatures measured at 0.5 m depth in Alpine permafrost and air temperatures measured at or near the boreholes have been used to model this dependency. Statistical transfer function models have been fitted to the daily difference series of air and ground temperatures measured at seven different permafrost sites in the Swiss Alps. The relation between air and ground temperature is influenced by various factors such as ground surface cover, snow depth, water or ground ice content. To avoid complications induced by the insulating properties of the snow cover and by phase changes in the ground, only the mostly snow-free summer period when the ground at 0.5 m depth is thawed has been considered here. All summers from 2006 to 2009 have been analysed, with the main focus on summer 2006. The results reveal that in summer 2006 daily air temperature changes influence ground temperatures at 0.5 m depth with a delay ranging from one to six days, depending on the site. The fastest response times are found for a very coarse grained, blocky rock glacier site whereas slower response times are found for blocky scree slopes with smaller grain sizes.

Beschreibung: Worldwide widespread decadal-scale decrease of glacier speed revealed using repeat optical satellite images The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3025-3051, 2011 Author(s): T. Heid and A. Kääb Matching of repeat optical satellite images to derive glacier velocities is an approach that is much used within glaciology. Lately, focus has been put into developing, improving, automating and comparing different image matching methods. This makes it now possible to investigate glacier dynamics within large regions of the world and also between regions to improve knowledge about glacier dynamics in space and time. In this study we investigate whether the negative glacier mass balance seen over large parts of the world has caused the glaciers to change their speeds. The studied regions are Pamir, Caucasus, Penny Ice Cap, Alaska Range and Patagonia. In addition we derive speed changes for Karakoram, a region assumed to have positive mass balance and that contains many surge-type glaciers. We find that the mapped glaciers in the five regions with negative mass balance have decreased their speeds over the last decades, Pamir by 43 % in average per decade, Caucasus by 8 % in average per decade, Penny Ice Cap by 25 % in average per decade, Alaska Range by 11 % in average per decade and Patagonia by 20 % in average per decade. Glaciers in Karakoram have generally increased their speeds, but surging glaciers and glaciers with flow instabilities are most prominent in this area.

Beschreibung: Borehole temperatures reveal details of 20th century warming at Bruce Plateau, Antarctic Peninsula The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 3053-3084, 2011 Author(s): V. Zagorodnov, O. Nagornov, T. A. Scambos, A. Muto, E. Mosley-Thompson, E. C. Pettit, and S. Tyuflin Two ice core boreholes of 143.74 m and 447.65 m (bedrock) were drilled during the 2009–2010 austral summer on the Bruce Plateau at a location named LARISSA Site Beta (66°02' S, 64°04' W, 1975.5 m a.s.l.). Both boreholes were logged with thermistors shortly after drilling. The shallow borehole was instrumented for 4 months with a series of resistance thermometers with satellite uplink. Surface temperature proxy data derived from an inversion of the borehole temperature profiles are compared to available multi-decadal records from weather stations and ice cores located along a latitudinal transect of the Antarctic Peninsula to West Antarctica. The LARISSA Site Beta profiles show temperatures decreasing from the surface downward through the upper third of the ice, and warming thereafter to the bed. The average temperature for the most recent year is −14.78 °C (measured at 15 m depth, abbreviated T 15 . A minimum temperature of −15.8 °C is measured at 173 m depth and basal temperature is estimated to be −10.2 °C. Current mean annual temperature and the gradient in the lower part of the measured temperature profile have a best fit with an accumulation rate of 1.9 × 10 3 kg m −2 a −1 and basal heat flux ( q ) of 88 mW m −2 , if steady-state conditions are assumed. However, the mid-level temperature variations show that recent temperature has varied significantly. Reconstructed surface temperatures ( T s = T 15 over the last 200 yr are derived by an inversion technique. From this, we find that cold temperatures (minimum T s =−16.2 °C) prevailed from ~1920 to ~1940, followed by a gradual rise of temperature to −14.2 °C around 1995, then cooling over the following decade and warming in the last few years. The coldest period was preceded by a relatively warm 19th century at T 15 ≥ −15 °C. To facilitate regional comparisons of the surface temperature history, we use our T 15 data and nearby weather station records to refine estimates of lapse rates (altitudinal, adjusted for latitude: Γ a(l)) . Good temporal and spatial consistency of Γ a(l)) over the last 35 yr are observed, implying that the climate trends observed here are regional and consistent over a broad altitude range.

Beschreibung: Profiles of CH 4 , HDO, H 2 O, and N 2 O with improved lower tropospheric vertical resolution from Aura TES radiances Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 6679-6721, 2011 Author(s): J. Worden, S. Kulawik, C. Frankenberg, V. Payne, K. Bowman, K. Cady-Peirara, K. Wecht, J.-E. Lee, and D. Noone Thermal infrared (IR) radiances measured near 8 microns contain information about the vertical distribution of water vapor (H 2 O), one of its minor isotopologues (HDO) and methane (CH 4 ), key gases that can be used to investigate the water and carbon cycles. Here, we show improvements in vertical resolution and reduction in uncertainties for estimates of these trace gases made from the Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). The improvements are achieved by utilizing more of the inherent information available in the TES measurements. In previous versions of the TES profile retrieval algorithm, a "spectral-window" approach was used that attempted to minimize uncertainty from interfering specie. However, this approach can also reduce the vertical resolution of the retrieved species. Here we document the vertical sensitivity and error characteristics of retrievals in which H 2 O, HDO, CH 4 and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) are jointly estimated (together with temperature, surface emissivity, and cloud properties) using the spectral region between 1100 cm −1 and 1330 cm −1 . The TES retrieval constraints are also modified to maximize the use of this information. The H 2 O estimates show greater vertical resolution in the lower troposphere and boundary layer, while the new HDO/H 2 O estimates can now profile the HDO/H 2 O ratio between 925 hPa and 450 hPa in the tropics and during summertime at high latitudes. The new retrievals are now sensitive to methane in the free troposphere between 800 and 150 mb with peak sensitivity near 650 hPa. However, there is a bias in the upper troposphere of approximately 10 % that is likely related to temperature uncertainties and/or to errors in the methane spectroscopy. We discuss approaches for correcting this bias either through averaging or through correcting the estimated methane using co-estimated N 2 O profiles. While these new CH 4 , HDO/H 2 O, and H 2 O estimates are consistent with previous TES retrievals in the regions of overlap, future comparisons with independent profile measurement will be required to validate these new retrievals.

Beschreibung: Observation of slant column NO 2 using the super-zoom mode of AURA-OMI Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 1989-2005, 2011 Author(s): L. C. Valin, A. R. Russell, E. J. Bucsela, J. P. Veefkind, and R. C. Cohen We retrieve slant column NO 2 from the super-zoom mode of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) to explore its utility for understanding NO x emissions and removal. Slant column NO 2 is operationally retrieved from OMI at 13 × 24 km 2 , a nadir footprint resulting from the on-board average of eight detector elements. For 85 orbits in late 2004, OMI reported observations from individual "super-zoom" detector elements (spaced at 13 × 3 km 2 at nadir). We assess the spatial response of these individual detector elements in-flight and determine an upper-bound on spatial resolution of 9 km, in good agreement with on-ground calibration (7 km FWHM). We retrieve slant column NO 2 from these super-zoom observations over Sarni, India (19 November), Seoul, South Korea (21 November), Dubai, United Arab Emirates (21 November) and the Rihand Reservoir in India (23 November) using differential optical absorption spectroscopy. Comparison of super-zoom and operational-scale retrievals highlights the capacity of the super-zoom mode to distinguish NO x sources in close proximity. The 1-σ signal to noise ratio (SNR) for these retrievals is as high as 25 and is greater than 5 over the observed enhancements indicating that instrumental noise is not the limitation to obtaining high spatial resolution NO 2 maps. We show that these high resolution observations provide constraints on NO 2 gradients providing a direct measure of the NO x lifetime in the near field of large plumes.

Beschreibung: Meteorological information in GPS-RO reflected signals Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 1199-1231, 2011 Author(s): K. Boniface, J. M. Aparicio, and E. Cardellach Vertical profiles of the atmosphere can be obtained globally with the radio-occultation technique. However, the lowest layers of the atmosphere are less accurately extracted. A good description of these layers is important for the good performance of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) systems, and an improvement of the observational data available for the low troposphere would thus be of great interest for data assimilation. We outline here how supplemental meteorological information close to the surface can be extracted whenever reflected signals are available. We separate the reflected signal through a radioholographic filter, and we interpret it with a ray tracing procedure, analyzing the trajectories of the electromagnetic waves over a three-dimensional field of refractive index. A perturbation approach is then used to perform an inversion, identifying the relevant contribution of the lowest layers of the atmosphere to the properties of the reflected signal, and extracting some supplemental information to the solution of the inversion of the direct propagation signals. The methodology is applied to one reflection case.

Beschreibung: Intercomparison of air ion spectrometers: a basis for data interpretation Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 4, 1139-1180, 2011 Author(s): S. Gagné, K. Lehtipalo, H. E. Manninen, T. Nieminen, S. Schobesberger, A. Franchin, T. Yli-Juuti, J. Boulon, A. Sonntag, S. Mirme, A. Mirme, U. Hõrrak, T. Petäjä, E. Asmi, and M. Kulmala We evaluated 11 air ion spectrometers from Airel Ltd. after they had spent one year in field measurements as a part of the EUCAARI project: 5 Air Ion Spectrometers (AIS), 5 Neutral cluster and Air Ion Spectrometers (NAIS) and one Airborne NAIS (ANAIS). This is the first time that an ANAIS is evaluated and compared so extensively. The ion spectrometers' mobility and concentration accuracy was evaluated. Their measurements of ambient air were compared between themselves and to reference instruments: a DMPS, a BSMA, and an Ion-DMPS. We report on the simultaneous measurement of a new particle formation (NPF) event by all 11 instruments and the 3 reference instruments. To our knowledge, it is the first time that the size distribution of ions and particles is measured by so many ion spectrometers during a NPF event. The new particle formation rates (~ 0.2 cm −3 s −1 for ions and ~ 2 cm −3 s −1 for particles) and growth rates (~ 25 nm h −1 in the 3–7 nm size range) were calculated for all the instruments. The NAISs and the ANAIS gave higher concentrations and formation rates than the AISs. The latter agreed better with reference instruments. Finally, based on the results presented here, we give guidelines for data interpretation, when data from different ion spectrometers are compared.