DOAS tomography for the retrieval of trace gas profiles from satellite-based UV-Vis limb spectra

A new method is employed for retrieving the profiles of trace gas number densities from satellite-based ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectra of scattered sunlight, which are recorded from the limb atmosphere over a range of tangent heights. The slant column abundances of trace gas along the lines of sight (LOSs) are obtained by differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS), and the tomographic technique is applied to such column abundances to retrieve two-dimensional (2D) concentration profiles. For validation of the tomographic technique, the slant column abundances are simulated by a tested 2D NO2 profile set with latitudes from 90°S to 90°N between altitudes of 0 and 100 km, and the retrieval of number density profiles on 1-km grids is performed. The results suggest that between ±80°, the retrieved structure is almost the same as the test data. According to the comparison of the selected cross sections of the vertical profiles between retrieved and true concentrations, the NO2 number densities have been retrieved with an accuracy of 15% or better and 5% for altitudes between 25 and 40 km. The validation of the retrieved data shows good agreement between the retrieved and true profiles.