Retrieval of sodium number density profiles in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere from SCIAMACHY limb  emission measurements

Langowski, M. P.; von Savigny, C.; Burrows, J. P.; Rozanov, V. V.; Dunker, T.; Hoppe, U.-P.; Sinnhuber, M.; Aikin, A. C.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-295-2016

Articles | Volume 9, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-295-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Special issue:

Limb observations of the middle atmosphere by space- and airborne...

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-295-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 9, issue 1

Research article

|

28 Jan 2016

Research article |

| 28 Jan 2016

Retrieval of sodium number density profiles in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere from SCIAMACHY limb emission measurements

M. P. Langowski, C. von Savigny, J. P. Burrows, V. V. Rozanov, T. Dunker, U.-P. Hoppe, M. Sinnhuber, and A. C. Aikin

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Final revised paper (published on 28 Jan 2016)
Preprint (discussion started on 30 Jul 2015)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment

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RC C2809: 'review amtd-8-7909-2015', Anonymous Referee #1, 01 Sep 2015
- AC C4354: 'Answer to both Referee remarks', Martin Langowski, 15 Dec 2015
RC C3544: 'Review of Langowski et al., Retrieval of sodium number density profiles in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere from SCIAMACHY limb emission measurements', Anonymous Referee #2, 26 Oct 2015
- AC C4355: 'Answers to both referee remarks', Martin Langowski, 15 Dec 2015

Short summary

An algorithm has been developed for the retrieval of sodium atom (Na) number density on a latitude and altitude grid from SCIAMACHY limb measurements of the Na resonance fluorescence (multiannual means 2008–2012). The Na layer peaks at 90 to 93 km altitude and has a FWHM of 5 to 15 km. A summer minimum in peak density and width is observed at high latitudes. At low latitudes, a semiannual oscillation is found. The results are compared with other measurements and models and agree well with these.