Abstract

In this paper, we describe mathematical methods which can be used to deduce number density profiles of atmospheric constituents from full disk solar occultation measurements. This algorithm has been developed for use in the analysis of solar occultation data which will be obtained from the Solar Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM) on the UARS satellite. Inversion of full disk occultation data presents special problems because the apparent size of the source, as seen by the detector, is generally large compared to the local atmospheric scale height. A single measurement therefore consists of light received from widely separated ray paths, which collectively sample a region of the atmosphere over which the density distribution of the absorbing species can vary significantly.

© 1991 Optical Society of America