Modeling of radiative transfer through a spherical planetary atmosphere: Application to atmospheric trace gases retrieval from occultation- and limb-measurements in UV-Vis-NIR

Abstract

During the last years and decades issues related to the physics and chemistry of the Earth´s atmosphere have attracted much scientific and public interest. The most important problems are stratospheric ozone loss and the ``ozone hole´´ above Antarctica, global warming and climate change, and tropospheric air pollution. The understanding of the impact of human activities on the Earth´s atmosphere requires measurements on a global scale. These enable the spatial and temporal variability of the atmospheric constituents to be investigated. Recently efforts have been made to establish a global observation system comprising satellite instruments and ground-based networks. To process data supplied by the instruments which belong to the global observation system, the development of radiative transfer models and retrieval algorithms is essential. This thesis contributes to the development of the radiative transfer models and retrieval algorithms intended to interprete measurements of the spectral radiance scattered in the atmosphere or transmitted through the atmosphere in UV-Vis-NIR spectral region performed by a new-generation remote sensing satellite spectrometer SCIAMACHY. In this study, main problems of radiative transfer through a spherical planetary atmosphere compared to a plane-parallel atmosphere are investigated. An efficient spherical radiative transfer model intended to simulate SCIAMACHY limb measurements was developed and validated. The model can also be used for the interpretation of measurements performed by other space-borne instruments as well as to compute air mass factors for ground-based measurements. An approximate approach allowing the simulation of limb measurements to be substantially accelerated was developed and its accuracy was investigated. Furthermore, a numerical radiative transfer model intended to simulate SCIAMACHY occultation measurements was developed and then coupled with an appropriate selected inverse technique.