CEOS EO HANDBOOK – MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS
Measurements > Atmosphere >
Aerosols >
Aerosol Extinction / Backscatter (column/profile)


Measurement Definition*: 3D field of spectral volumetric extinction cross-section of aerosol particles - Measuring Units m-1, Uncertainty Units m-1

Thematic Links
InstrumentStatus/
Accuracy
Instrument DescriptionMeasurement TechnologyTimeline
ACE-FTS
Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) Fourier Transform Spectrometer
Operational
Measure and understand the chemical processes that control the distribution of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere, especially at high altitudes.n/a
ATLAS
Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System
Operational
Provide date on ice sheet height and sea ice thickness, land altitude, aerosol height distributions, cloud height and boundary layer height.n/a
MAESTRO
Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation
Operational
Chemical processes involved in the depletion of the ozone layer, and now including a high quality water vapour data product.n/a
MSU-MR
Low-resolution multispectral scanning imager-radiometer
Operational
Parameters of clouds, snow, ice and land cover, vegetation, surface temperature, fire detection.n/a
NACHOS Hyperspectral Imager
NACHOS Hyperspectral Imager
Operational
 n/a
OCM (Oceansat-3)
Ocean Colour Monitor (Oceansat-3)
Operational
Ocean colour data, Estimation of phytoplankton concentration, identification of potential fishing zones, assessment of primary productivity.n/a
OLCI
Ocean and Land Colour Imager
Operational
Marine and land services.n/a
OMI
Ozone Measuring Instrument
Operational
Mapping of ozone columns, key air quality components (NO2, SO2, BrO, OClO and aerosols), measurements of cloud pressure and coverage, global distribution and trends in UV-B radiation.n/a
OMPS-L
Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite Limb Profiler
Operational
+/-0.25 m-1
Measures high resolution vertical distribution of ozone and aerosols.n/a
OSIRIS
Optical Spectrograph and Infra-Red Imaging System
Operational
Detects aerosol layers and abundance of species such as O3, NO2, OClO, BrO and NO. Consists of spectrograph and IR imager.n/a
SAGE-III
Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment
Operational
Limb-viewing measurements of aerosol, O3, H20, NO2, OClO, NO3, temperature and pressure in the stratosphere, upper troposphere, and mesosphere using solar occultation, lunar occultation and limb scatter measurement techniques.n/a
Sounder
Sounder
Operational
Atmospheric soundings and data on atmospheric stability and thermal gradient winds.n/a
SPEXone
Spectro-Polarimeter for Exploration
Operational
Polarimeter for measuring aerosol optical properties, clouds and aerosol types. Multi-angle spectro-polarimetry by spectral modulation technology. Distribution and detailed micro-phyiscal properties of atmospheric aerosol. Direct and indirect aerosol radiative forcing and their impact on climate. A second instance of this instrument is in development.n/a
ACX
GeoXO Atmospheric Composition Instrument
Being developed
 n/a
ATLID
ATmospheric LIDar
Approved
Derivation of cloud and aerosol properties - Measurement of molecular and particle backscatter in Rayleigh, co-polar and cross-polar Mie channels.n/a
MSI (EarthCARE)
Multi-Spectral Imager (EarthCARE)
Approved
Observation of cloud properties and aerosol (aerosols to be confirmed).n/a
NIR-SWIR
Multi-spectral Optical Camera - Near & Short Wave Infrared
Approved
Ocean Colour - Open ocean, coastal & in-land waters. Atmospheric correctionsn/a
Advanced MSU-MR
Advanced Multispectral scanning imager-radiometer
Proposed
Parameters of clouds, snow, ice and land cover, vegetation, surface temperature, fire detection.n/a
ALADIN-2
Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument - 2
Proposed
Global wind profiles (single line-of-sight) for an improved weather prediction.n/a
HiRDLS
High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder
No longer operational
Measures atmospheric temperature, concentrations of ozone, water vapour, methane, NOx, N2O, CFCs and other minor species, aerosol concentration, location of polar stratospheric clouds and cloud tops. Currently not collecting data on Aqua.n/a
* Description adapted from WMO.