Passive ultraviolet and visible (UV/Vis) spectroscopy using scattered sunlight as a source has been progressively developed since the late seventies as a powerful remote-sensing technique for the unattended long-term monitoring of stratospheric and tropospheric trace gases. One main advantage of UV/Vis spectroscopy is to allow automated daily measurements of atmospheric gases even under moderate cloud cover. This technique has been widely used in atmospheric chemistry and validated through a number of intercomparison exercises as well as through various contributions to the validation of atmospheric chemistry satellite missions like ERS-2 GOME, TOMS, ENVISAT, OMI and METOP GOME-2. NDACC UV/Vis instruments include both DOAS and SAOZ.
Reviewed: November 2024