CEOS EO HANDBOOK – INSTRUMENT SUMMARY - ACE-FTS -
Full Name Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) Fourier Transform Spectrometer Status Operational
Instrument Agencies CSA Maturity
Instrument Type Atmospheric chemistry Geometry Occultation
Instrument Technology Limb-scanning IR spectrometer Sampling Sounding
Data Access Open Access Data Format ASCII, HDF, NetCDF
Measurements and Applications Measure and understand the chemical processes that control the distribution of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere, especially at high altitudes.
Resolution Summary
Swath Summary
Accuracy Summary Depends on species, meets requirements for climate variables
Waveband Summary SWIR - TIR: 2 - 5.5 µm, 5.5 - 13 µm (0.02 cm-1 resolution)
SWIR (~1.3 µm - ~3.0 µm)
MWIR (~3.0 µm - ~6.0 µm)
TIR (~6.0 µm - ~15.0 µm)
Instrument Measurements
Measurements Overview
CategoryParameter
AerosolsAerosol Extinction / Backscatter (column/profile)
Aerosol absorption optical depth (HT, LS, HS&M)
Atmospheric Temperature FieldsAtmospheric temperature (LS, HS&M)
Height of tropopause
Temperature of tropopause
Atmospheric WindsWind profile (horizontal)
Cloud particle properties and profileCloud liquid water (column/profile)
OzoneO3 Mole Fraction
Trace gases (excluding ozone)CH4 Mole Fraction
CO2 Mole Fraction
CO Mole Fraction
CFC-11 (HT, LS)
CFC-12 (HT, LS)
NO (HS&M)
NO2 Mole Fraction
N2O (HT, LS, HS&M)
HNO3 (HT, LS, HS&M)
HCl (HT, LS, HS&M)
ClONO2 (HT, LS, HS&M)
C2H2 (HT)
C2H6 (HT, LS)
HCFC-22 (HT, LS)
N2O5 (LS, HS&M)
SF6 (HT, LS)
Thematic Links Global Climate Observing System Essential Climate Variables (GCOS ECVs)
ECVDescriptionProduct(s)ECV Inventory 3.0 Record(s)
Aerosols properties click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Carbon Dioxide, Methane and other Greenhouse gases click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Cloud Properties click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Ozone click here click here GOZCARDS Merged Ozone 1 month L3 10 degr...
GOZCARDS Merged Ozone 1 month L3 10 degr...
Precursors (supporting the Aerosol and Ozone ECVs) click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Temperature (upper-air) click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Wind speed and direction (upper-air) click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Instrument Missions
SCISAT-1 - SCISAT-I/ACE (2003 - 2024)