Knowledge Bank

Infrared solar absorption spectra were recorded at Waterloo, Ontario (43.47N, 80.55W) and Vanscoy, Saskatchewan (52.02N, 107.03W) using the Portable Atmospheric Research Interferometric Spectrometer (PARIS-IR). Column amounts of several trace gases (for example O$3$, CH$4$, CO$2$, N$2$O and CFCs) were obtained from the spectra by using an Optimal Estimation Method (OEM) retrieval code (SFIT2 Version 3.81). These ground-based results have been compared with partial column densities retrieved from the measurements in the northern mid-latitude atmosphere (42N - 53N) recorded by the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) on-board the Canadian science satellite also known as SCISAT-1. Because PARIS-IR and ACE-FTS have similar designs, these comparisons not only provide the concentration information for the target gases in the northern mid-latitude atmosphere but also can be used to assist in validating the quality of observations made by the ACE-FTS.