The BIRA-IASB BrO Product

The technique used to retrieve total columns of atmospheric trace species such as BrO from GOME and SCIAMACHY measurements is the Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS). The DOAS technique was first developed in the late seventies for ground-based remote sensing [Platt, 1994, and references therein].

Since the early nineties, BIRA-IASB has used developed experience in using this technique for ground-based UV-visible remote sensing of atmospheric composition. This experience has been and is now being applied to the data analysis of GOME and SCIAMACHY data.

The spectral analysis is performed using WinDOAS, a multi-purpose DOAS analysis software developed over the nineties at BIRA-IASB. This software initially developed for ground-based applications has been thoroughly validated through participation at various intercomparison exercises [Hofmann et al., 1995; Roscoe et al., 1999; Aliwell et al., 2002]. A version of the programme can already be obtained by contacting the authors. An overview of the software is also possible by downloading the Software User Manual (PDF format, 1.3 MB). This manual is a little bit out of date.

These pages provide you with specific information on the DOAS retrievals from GOME and SCIAMACHY measurements as well as a quick comparison between both.