Title of Presentation: Using Fabry--Perot Interferometer Imagery from Space for the Measurement of Clouds and Trace Gases

Primary (Corresponding) Author: Jeng-Hwa Yee

Organization of Primary Author: Applied Physics Lab

Co-Authors: M. F. Morgan, J. Boldt, R. DeMajistre, W. Swartz

Abstract: Long-term measurements of the global distributions of clouds, trace gases, and surface reflectance are needed for the study and monitoring of global change and air quality. The Geostationary Imaging Fabry--Perot Spectrometer (GIFS) instrument is an example of a next-generation satellite concept, to be deployed on a geostationary satellite for continuous hemispheric imaging of cloud properties, including cloud top pressure, optical depth, and fraction; trace gas concentrations, such as tropospheric and boundary layer CO; and surface reflectance and pressure, with desired spatial resolution, accuracy, and revisit time. It uses an innovative tunable imaging triple-etalon Fabry--Perot interferometer to obtain images of very high-resolution spectral line shapes of individual lines in backscattered solar radiation, which contain cloud and trace gas information. An airborne GIFS prototype and the measurement technique have been successfully demonstrated in a recent field campaign onboard the NASA P3B over Wallops Island, Virginia. In this paper, we present the preliminary GIFS instrument design and use GIFS prototype measurements to demonstrate the instrument functionality and measurement capabilities.