Soundings

10. Joe Waters Group: NASA/JPL Instrument: Microwave Limb Sounder Measurement: Vertical Profiles of Atmospheric Gases, Temperature and Pressure

Level 1 Level 2 Operational Research Global HRPT Weather Climate

The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) experiments [http://mls.jpl.nasa.gov] measure thermal emission at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths from the limb of Earth's atmosphere to remotely sense vertical profiles of selected atmospheric gases, temperature and pressure. The first MLS experiment is on NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) launched in 1991 with major objective to improve understanding of stratospheric ozone, especially ozone depletion due to chlorine chemistry.

Approximately 200 peer-reviewed MLS-related publications have been produced to date. The next-generation MLS is now being prepared for 2003 launch on the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura satellite. The EOS MLS objectives include providing data for both atmospheric chemistry and climate change research; it will measure many more atmospheric parameters than UARS MLS.

Web site: http://mls.jpl.nasa.gov