REMOTE-SENSING OF TRACE GASES IN THE MIDINFRARED SPECTRAL REGION FROM A NADIR VIEW

High-resolution IR remote-sensing measurements from space by means of a nadir-viewing geometry are particularly suited to the detection of trace gases and yield high temporal and horizontal resolutions on a global scale. To identify the potential of such a technique, an extensive feasibility study has been performed. The column amount of some trace gases, namely H2O, CH4, N2O, CO, and O-3, may be determined with accuracies of approximately 10%. In addition, some information on the vertical distribution of these species is also possible. Concerning CFC-12, an accuracy of 10%-20% may be expected. Furthermore, it is believed that column amounts can be derived with an accuracy of 20% for HNO3, and 50% for species like NO2, OCS, and CFC-11.