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Stratospheric aerosols play a key role in atmospheric chemistry and climate. Their particle size is a crucial factor controlling the microphysical, radiative, and chemical aerosol processes in the stratosphere. Despite its importance, available observations on aerosol particle size are rather sparse. This limits our understanding and knowledge about the mechanisms and importance of chemical and climate aerosol feedbacks. The retrieval described by provides the stratospheric particle size distribution (PSD) from SCIAMACHY (SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY) limb observations in the tropics. This algorithm has now been improved and extended to work on the entire globe. Two PSD parameters of a unimodal lognormal PSD, the median radius and the geometric standard deviation, are retrieved between 18 and 35 km altitude from SCIAMACHY limb observations by a multiwavelength nonlinear regularized inversion. The approach assumes an aerosol particle number density profile that does not change during the retrieval. The effective Lambertian surface albedo pre-retrieved from coinciding SCIAMACHY nadir observations is integrated into the retrieval algorithm to mitigate the influence of the surface albedo on the retrieval results. The extinction coefficient and the effective radius are calculated from the PSD parameters. The aerosol characteristics from SCIAMACHY are compared with in situ balloon-borne measurements from Laramie, Wyoming, and retrievals from the satellite instruments of the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment series (SAGE II and SAGE III) and Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System (OSIRIS). In the Northern Hemisphere, the median radius differs by less than 27 % and the geometric standard deviation by less than 11 % from both balloon-borne and SAGE III data. Differences are mainly attributed to errors in the assumed a priori number density profile. Globally, the SCIAMACHY extinction coefficient at 750 nm deviates by less than 35 % from SAGE II, SAGE III, and OSIRIS data. The effective radii from SCIAMACHY, balloon-borne measurements, and SAGE III agree within about 18 %, while the effective radius based on SAGE II measurements is systematically larger. The novel data set containing the PSD parameters, the effective radius, and the aerosol extinction coefficients at 525, 750, and 1020 nm from SCIAMACHY observations is publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature trends in the upper stratosphere, particularly above ~45 km are difficult to quantify due to a deficit of long-term observational data in this region. The recent v7.3 upper stratospheric (35-60 km) temperature data product from the Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System (OSIRIS) includes over 22 years of observations that can be used to estimate temperature trends. The trends in OSIRIS temperatures over 2005-2021 are compared to those from two other satellite limb instruments: SABER and MLS. We find that the upper stratosphere cooled by ~0.5 to 1 K/decade during this period. Results from the three instruments are generally in agreement. By merging the OSIRIS observations with those from channel 3 of the Stratospheric Sounding Unit (SSU), we find that the stratosphere cooled at a rate of approximately -0.6 K/decade between 1979 and 2021 near 45 km, in agreement with earlier results based on SSU and MLS. The similarity between OSIRIS temperature trends and those from other records improves confidence in observed upper stratospheric temperature changes over the last several decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new upper stratospheric (35–60 km) temperature data product has been produced using Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System (OSIRIS) limb-scattered spectra that now spans over 22 years. Temperature is calculated by first estimating the Rayleigh scattering signal and then integrating hydrostatic balance combined with the ideal gas law. Uncertainties are estimated to be 1–5 K, with a vertical resolution of 3–4 km. Correlative comparisons with the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) and the Microwave Limb Sounder on Aura (MLS) are consistent with these uncertainty estimates and generally have no regions of statistically significant drift. The data product has been publicly released as part of the nominal OSIRIS v7.3 processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-related studies need information about the distribution of stratospheric aerosols, which influence the energy balance of the Earth's atmosphere. In this work, we present a merged dataset of vertically resolved stratospheric aerosol extinction coefficients, which is derived from data by six limb and occultation satellite instruments: SAGE II on ERBS, GOMOS and SCIAMACHY on Envisat, OSIRIS on Odin, OMPS on Suomi-NPP, and SAGE III on the International Space Station. The merging of aerosol profiles is performed by transformation of the aerosol datasets from individual satellite instruments to the same wavelength 750 nm and their de-biasing and homogenization by adjusting the seasonal cycles. After such homogenization, the data from individual satellite instruments are in good agreement. The merged aerosol extinction coefficient is computed as the median of the adjusted data from the individual instruments. The merged time series of vertically resolved monthly mean aerosol extinction coefficients at 750 nm is provided in 10° latitudinal bins from 90° S to 90° N, in the altitude range from 8.5 km to 39.5 km. The time series of the stratospheric aerosol optical depth (SAOD) is created by integration of aerosol extinction profiles from the tropopause to 39.5 km; it is also provided as monthly mean data in 10° latitudinal bins. The created aerosol climate record covers the period from October 1984 until May 2022, and it is intended to be extended in the future. It can be used in various climate-related studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new retrieval algorithm to obtain vertical profiles of the aerosol extinction coefficient from the measurements of the scattered solar light in the limb viewing geometry made by the OMPS-LP instrument is presented. The method employs the normalization of the limb radiances to the solar irradiance in contrast to the normalization by a limb measurement at an upper tangent height, which is used by most of the other published limb-scatter retrievals. The main advantage of this approach is a nearly complete elimination of the dependence of the retrieval results on the prior aerosol extinction profile used in the retrieval. This makes the retrieval well suitable to analyze the observation scenes with highly elevated aerosol plumes as occurred after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption in January 2022. The results from the new approach were compared to independent data from SAGE III/ISS and OSIRIS. In general, an agreement within 25 % between the different data products was observed although larger differences were seen after very strong volcanic eruptions and wildfires. The new data product was used to investigate the evolution of the aerosol plume after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new upper stratospheric (35–60 km) temperature data product has been produced using Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System (OSIRIS) limb scattered spectra that now spans over 22 years. Temperature is calculated by first estimating the Rayleigh scatter signal, and then integrating hydrostatic balance combined with the ideal gas law. Uncertainties are estimated to be 1–5 K, with a vertical resolution of 3–4 km. Correlative comparisons with the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) and the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) are consistent with these uncertainty estimates, and generally have no regions of statistically significant drift. The data product has been publicly released as part of the nominal OSIRIS v7.3 processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stratospheric aerosols play a key role in atmospheric chemistry and climate. Their particle size is a crucial factor controlling the microphysical, radiative, and chemical aerosol processes in the stratosphere. Despite its importance, available observations on aerosol particle size are rather sparse. This limits our understanding and knowledge about the mechanisms and importance of chemical and climate aerosol feedbacks. The retrieval described by Malinina et al. (2018) provides the stratospheric particle size distribution (PSD) from SCIAMACHY limb observations in the tropics. This algorithm has now been improved and extended to work on the entire globe. Two PSD parameters of a unimodal lognormal PSD, the median radius and the geometric standard deviation, are retrieved between 18 and 35 km altitude from SCIAMACHY limb observations by a multi-wavelength non-linear regularized inversion. This assumes a fixed number density profile. The extinction coefficient and the effective radius are calculated. The effective Lambertian surface albedo pre-retrieved from coinciding SCIAMACHY nadir observations is integrated into the retrieval algorithm to mitigate the influence of the surface albedo on the retrieval results. The aerosol characteristics from SCIAMACHY are compared with in-situ balloon-borne measurements from Laramie, Wyoming, and retrievals from the satellite instruments SAGE II, SAGE III, and OSIRIS. In the northern hemisphere, the median radius differs by less than 27% and the geometric standard deviation by less than 11% from both balloon-borne and SAGE III data. Differences are mainly attributed to errors in the assumed a priori number density profile. Globally, the SCIAMACHY extinction coefficients at 750 nm deviate by less than 35% from SAGE II, SAGE III, and OSIRIS data. The effective radius from SCIAMACHY, balloon-borne measurements, and SAGE III agree within about 18% while the effective radius based on SAGE II measurements is systematically larger. The novel data set containing the effective radius and the aerosol extinction coefficient at 525, 750, and 1020 nm from SCIAMACHY observations is publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trends in stratospheric trace gases like HCl, N2O, O3, and NOy show a hemispheric asymmetry over the last two decades, with trends having opposing signs in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Here we use N2O, a long-lived tracer with a tropospheric source, as a proxy for stratospheric circulation in the multiple linear regression model used to calculate stratospheric trace gas trends. This is done in an effort to isolate trends due to circulation changes from trends due to ozone depleting substances. We use measurements from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) and the Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System (OSIRIS), and model results from the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM). Trends in HCl, O3, and NOy for 2004–2018 are examined. Using the N2O regression proxy, we show that observed HCl increases in the Northern Hemisphere are due to changes in the stratospheric circulation. We also show that negative O3 trends above 30 hPa in the Northern Hemisphere can be explained by change in the circulation, but that negative ozone trends at lower levels cannot. Trends in stratospheric NOy are found to be largely consistent with trends in N2O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the updated SAGE-CCI-OMPS + climate data record of monthly zonal mean ozone profiles. This dataset covers the stratosphere and combines measurements by nine limb and occultation satellite instruments – SAGE II (Stratospheric Aerosol and Gases Experiment II), OSIRIS (Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imaging System), MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding), SCIAMACHY (SCanning Imaging Spectrometer for Atmospheric CHartographY), GOMOS (Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars), ACE-FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer), OMPS-LP (Ozone Monitor Profiling Suite Limb Profiler), POAM (Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement) III, and SAGE III/ISS (Stratospheric Aerosol and Gases Experiment III on the International Space Station). Compared to the original version of the SAGE-CCI-OMPS dataset (Sofieva et al., 2017b), the update includes new versions of MIPAS, ACE-FTS, and OSIRIS datasets and introduces data from additional sensors (POAM III and SAGE III/ISS) and retrieval processors (OMPS-LP). In this paper, we show detailed intercomparisons of ozone profiles from different instruments and data versions, with a focus on the detection of possible drifts in the datasets. The SAGE-CCI-OMPS + dataset has a better coverage of polar regions and of the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere (UTLS) than the previous dataset. We also studied the influence of including new datasets on ozone trends, which are estimated using multiple linear regression. The changes in the merged dataset do not change the overall morphology of post-1997 ozone trends; statistically significant trends are observed in the upper stratosphere. The largest changes in ozone trends are observed in polar regions, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. The updated SAGE-CCI-OMPS + dataset contains profiles of deseasonalized anomalies and ozone concentrations from 1984 to 2021, in 10 ∘ latitude bins from 90 ∘ S to 90 ∘ N and in the altitude range from 10 to 50 km. The dataset is open access and available at https://climate.esa.int/en/projects/ozone/data/ (last access: 9 March 2023) and at ftp://cci_web@ftp-ae.oma.be/esacci (ESA Climate Office; last access: 9 March 2023). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop an algorithm that uses the aerosol extinction at two wavelengths (color ratio) to derive the size and number density for stratospheric aerosols. We apply our algorithm to Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite Limb Profiler (OMPS-10 LP) L2 and Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) data. We show that the color ratio between two wavelengths (e.g. 510 nm/869 nm) is insensitive to aerosol concentration and thus can be used to derive aerosol size assuming a log-normal size distribution. With the size and the extinction, we can compute a number density consistent with both wavelengths. Our results compare favorably to balloon borne particle size and concentration measurements. Our results are also consistent with SAGE solar occultation measurements. Finally, we show the background distribution of stratospheric aerosols and the changes 15 in those distributions during the Reikoke and Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruptions. We also show the evolution of the size and number density of aerosols following both of those eruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]