Infra-red measurements of stratospheric composition - I. The balloon instrument and water vapour measurements

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and physical sciences Vol. 364; no. 1717; pp. 145 - 159
• Main Authors: Chaloner, C. P., Drummond, J. R., Houghton, John Theodore, Jarnot, R. F., Roscoe, H. K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London The Royal Society 12-12-1978
• Subjects: Atmospherics; Calibration; Light modulators; Modulated signal processing; Optical filters; Radiometers; Signal detection; Stratosphere; Tangents; Water vapor
• ISSN: 0080-4630; 2053-9169
• DOI: 10.1098/rspa.1978.0193

The design and construction of a balloon-borne instrument for remote-sensing of stratospheric composition is described. Thermal emission from the constituents is detected and the spectral selectivity of the instrument is tailored to a specific gas by the use of a cell of the same gas in the optical path of the radiometer. The pressure of the gas in the cell is cycled and the resultant transmission function is shown to be highly selective to radiation from the same gas in the atmosphere. The first flight of the instrument and the retrieval of a water vapour profile in the range 15-40 km is described.