A miniaturised UV imaging spectrometer for remote sensing of atmosphere: Volcanic sulphur dioxide, ozone, and aerosols

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A miniaturised UV imaging spectrometer for remote sensing of atmosphere: Volcanic sulphur dioxide, ozone, and aerosols

Fernandez-Saldivar, Juan A.

A new compact and low-cost high spectral resolution imager for selected ultraviolet bands is proposed to operate in a micro-satellite constellation with the objective of monitoring important atmospheric constituents: sulphur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3) and aerosols. The spectral resolution and imaging performance of the sampled spectra are studied given the distortions observed from different angular fields to estimate the slit function. Radiative transfer simulations using MODTRAN with the derived resolution will show the differential radiances under various scenarios with SO2 'clean' and 'contaminated' atmospheres. To define the system sensitivity, these radiances are compared with the estimated circuit noise. The instrument design exploits the excellent response of new silicon carbide (SiC) photodiodes in this region; its blindness to visible radiation provides for a relatively simple and compact optical design (9 x 13 x 6 cm). The use high-efficiency transmission gratings and 20-bit electronics (consuming less than 5 W) offer high sensitivity. Other wavelengths outside this region (331 nm and 360 nm) are sampled at a ground distance of 7 x 32 km, so that the presence of aerosols may be detected, and the background UV albedo can also be determined for retrieval algorithm purposes.