First map of total atmospheric ozone obtained

17 Jun 2002

Daily global mapping of the Earth's ozone layer from space has resumed with the acquisition of the first image from the U.S. Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument aboard the Japanese Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) on September 12.

ADEOS continues the series of TOMS total ozone and volcanic sulfur dioxide observations that began with the Nimbus-7 satellite in 1978 and continued through the operation of a TOMS on a Russian Meteor-3 satellite, until that instrument ceased functioning in December 1994.

TOMS complements four of the Japanese instruments on ADEOS. The Improved Limb Atmospheric Sounder measures the vertical profiles of ozone and other trace gases in polar regions, while the Interferometric Monitor for Greenhouse Gases measures ozone beneath the orbital track, and the Retroreflector In Space determines trace gas profiles as ADEOS passes over ground-based laser stations. In addition, TOMS will provide information to help correct data from the Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner for atmospheric absorption at visible wavelengths.