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The relative abundance of the heavy water isotopologue HDO provides a deeper insight into the atmospheric hydrological cycle. The SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY (SCIAMACHY) allows for global retrievals of the ratio HDO/H2O in the 2.3 micron wavelength range. However, the spectroscopy of water lines in this region remains a large source of uncertainty for these retrievals. We therefore evaluate and improve the water spectroscopy in the range 4174-4300 cm(-1) and test if this reduces systematic uncertainties in the SCIAMACHY retrievals of HDO/H2O. We use a laboratory spectrum of water vapour to fit line intensity, air broadening and wavelength shift parameters. The improved spectroscopy is tested on a series of ground-based high resolution FTS spectra as well as on SCIAMACHY retrievals of H2O and the ratio HDO/H2O. We find that the improved spectroscopy leads to lower residuals in the FTS spectra compared to HITRAN 2008 and Jenouvrier et al. (2007) spectroscopy, and the retrievals become more robust against changes in the retrieval window. For both the FTS and SCIAMACHY measurements, the retrieved total H2O columns decrease by 2-4% and we find a negative shift of the HDO/H2O ratio, which for SCIAMACHY is partly compensated by changes in the retrieval setup and calibration software. The updated SCIAMACHY HDO/H2O product shows somewhat steeper latitudinal and temporal gradients and a steeper Rayleigh distillation curve, strengthening previous conclusions that current isotope-enabled general circulation models underestimate the variability in the near-surface HDO/H2O ratio.

The relative abundance of the heavy water isotopologue HDO provides a deeper insight into the atmospheric hydrological cycle. The SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY (SCIAMACHY) allows for global retrievals of the ratio HDO/H2O in the 2.3 micron wavelength range. However, the spectroscopy of water lines in this region remains a large source of uncertainty for these retrievals. We therefore evaluate and improve the water spectroscopy in the range 4174-4300 cm(-1) and test if this reduces systematic uncertainties in the SCIAMACHY retrievals of HDO/H2O. We use a laboratory spectrum of water vapour to fit line intensity, air broadening and wavelength shift parameters. The improved spectroscopy is tested on a series of ground-based high resolution FTS spectra as well as on SCIAMACHY retrievals of H2O and the ratio HDO/H2O. We find that the improved spectroscopy leads to lower residuals in the FTS spectra compared to HITRAN 2008 and Jenouvrier et al. (2007) spectroscopy, and the retrievals become more robust against changes in the retrieval window. For both the FTS and SCIAMACHY measurements, the retrieved total H2O columns decrease by 2-4% and we find a negative shift of the HDO/H2O ratio, which for SCIAMACHY is partly compensated by changes in the retrieval setup and calibration software. The updated SCIAMACHY HDO/H2O product shows somewhat steeper latitudinal and temporal gradients and a steeper Rayleigh distillation curve, strengthening previous conclusions that current isotope-enabled general circulation models underestimate the variability in the near-surface HDO/H2O ratio.

The relative abundance of the heavy water isotopologue HDO provides a deeper insight into the atmospheric hydrological cycle. The SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY (SCIAMACHY) allows for global retrievals of the ratio HDO/H2O in the 2.3 micron wavelength range. However, the spectroscopy of water lines in this region remains a large source of uncertainty for these retrievals. We therefore evaluate and improve the water spectroscopy in the range 4174-4300 cm(-1) and test if this reduces systematic uncertainties in the SCIAMACHY retrievals of HDO/H2O. We use a laboratory spectrum of water vapour to fit line intensity, air broadening and wavelength shift parameters. The improved spectroscopy is tested on a series of ground-based high resolution FTS spectra as well as on SCIAMACHY retrievals of H2O and the ratio HDO/H2O. We find that the improved spectroscopy leads to lower residuals in the FTS spectra compared to HITRAN 2008 and Jenouvrier et al. (2007) spectroscopy, and the retrievals become more robust against changes in the retrieval window. For both the FTS and SCIAMACHY measurements, the retrieved total H2O columns decrease by 2-4% and we find a negative shift of the HDO/H2O ratio, which for SCIAMACHY is partly compensated by changes in the retrieval setup and calibration software. The updated SCIAMACHY HDO/H2O product shows somewhat steeper latitudinal and temporal gradients and a steeper Rayleigh distillation curve, strengthening previous conclusions that current isotope-enabled general circulation models underestimate the variability in the near-surface HDO/H2O ratio.

The updated 2009 edition of the spectroscopic database GEISA (Gestion et Etude des Informations Spectroscopiques Atmospheriques; Management and Study of Atmospheric Spectroscopic Information) is described in this paper. GEISA is a computer-accessible system comprising three independent sub-databases devoted, respectively, to: line parameters, infrared and ultraviolet/visible absorption cross-sections, microphysical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols. In this edition, 50 molecules are involved in the line parameters sub-database, including 111 isotopologues, for a total of 3,807,997 entries, in the spectral range from 10(-6) to 35,877.031 cm(-1). The successful performances of the new generation of hyperspectral sounders depend ultimately on the accuracy to which the spectroscopic parameters of the optically active atmospheric gases are known, since they constitute an essential input to the forward radiative transfer models that are used to interpret their observations. Currently, GEISA is involved in activities related to the assessment of the capabilities of IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer; http://smsc.cnes.fr/lASI/index.htm) on board the METOP European satellite through the GEISA/IASI database derived from GEISA. Since the Metop-A (http://www.eumetsat.int) launch (19 October 2006), GEISA is the reference spectroscopic database for the validation of the level-1 IASI data. Also, GEISA is involved in planetary research, i.e., modeling of Titan's atmosphere, in the comparison with observations performed by Voyager, or by ground-based telescopes, and by the instruments on board the Cassini-Huygens mission. GEISA, continuously developed and maintained at LMD (Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique, France) since 1976, is implemented on the IPSL/CNRS (France) Ether Products and Services Centre WEB site (http://ether.ipsl.jussieu.fr), where all archived spectroscopic data can be handled through general and user friendly associated management

The updated 2009 edition of the spectroscopic database GEISA (Gestion et Etude des Informations Spectroscopiques Atmospheriques; Management and Study of Atmospheric Spectroscopic Information) is described in this paper. GEISA is a computer-accessible system comprising three independent sub-databases devoted, respectively, to: line parameters, infrared and ultraviolet/visible absorption cross-sections, microphysical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols. In this edition, 50 molecules are involved in the line parameters sub-database, including 111 isotopologues, for a total of 3,807,997 entries, in the spectral range from 10(-6) to 35,877.031 cm(-1). The successful performances of the new generation of hyperspectral sounders depend ultimately on the accuracy to which the spectroscopic parameters of the optically active atmospheric gases are known, since they constitute an essential input to the forward radiative transfer models that are used to interpret their observations. Currently, GEISA is involved in activities related to the assessment of the capabilities of IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer; http://smsc.cnes.fr/lASI/index.htm) on board the METOP European satellite through the GEISA/IASI database derived from GEISA. Since the Metop-A (http://www.eumetsat.int) launch (19 October 2006), GEISA is the reference spectroscopic database for the validation of the level-1 IASI data. Also, GEISA is involved in planetary research, i.e., modeling of Titan's atmosphere, in the comparison with observations performed by Voyager, or by ground-based telescopes, and by the instruments on board the Cassini-Huygens mission. GEISA, continuously developed and maintained at LMD (Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique, France) since 1976, is implemented on the IPSL/CNRS (France) Ether Products and Services Centre WEB site (http://ether.ipsl.jussieu.fr), where all archived spectroscopic data can be handled through general and user friendly associated management

The updated 2009 edition of the spectroscopic database GEISA (Gestionet Etudedes Informations Spectroscopiques Atmospheriques ; Management and Study of Atmospheric Spectroscopic Information) is described in this paper. GEISA is a computer-accessible system comprising three independent sub-databases devoted, respectively, to: line parameters, infrared and ultraviolet/visible absorption cross-sections, microphysical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols. In this edition, 50 molecules are involved in the line parameters sub-database, including 111 isotopologues, for a total of 3,807,997 entries, in the spectral range from 10-6 to 35,877.031cm-1. GEISA, continuously developed and maintained at LMD (Laboratoirede Meteorologie Dynamique, France) since 1976, is implemented on the IPSL/CNRS(France) ‘‘Ether’’ Products and Services Centre WEB site (http://ether.ipsl.jussieu.fr), where all archived spectroscopic data can be handled through general and user friendly associated managements of software facilities. More than 350 researchers are registered for online use of GEISA.