Open AccessThe average of atmospheric vertical profiles
Author(s) -
Simone Ceccherini,
B. Carli,
Piera Raspollini
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.22.024808
Subject(s) - constraint (computer aided design) , a priori and a posteriori , atmospheric optics , optics , remote sensing , atmospheric model , error analysis , environmental science , computer science , meteorology , physics , mathematics , geology , geometry , philosophy , epistemology
A new method to perform averages of atmospheric vertical profiles is presented. The method allows changing a-posteriori the strength of the constraint used in the retrievals of the single profiles with the purpose of optimizing the trade-off between measurement error and vertical resolution. The method is used to calculate averages of HCFC-22 profiles retrieved from MIPAS observations, demonstrating the possibility of correctly obtaining retrievals with smaller constraints (that is: having at least a factor ten greater errors) and more degrees of freedom by up to a factor two.