Observations of volcanic SO2 from MLS on Aura

[摘要] Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is an important atmospheric constituent,particularly in the aftermath of volcanic eruptions. These eventscan inject large amounts of SO₂ into the lower stratosphere,where it is oxidised to form sulfate aerosols; these in turn have asignificant effect on the climate. The MLS instrument on the Aurasatellite has observed the SO₂ mixing ratio in the uppertroposphere and lower stratosphere from August 2004 to the present,during which time a number of volcanic eruptions have significantlyaffected those regions of the atmosphere.We describe the MLSSO₂ data and how various volcanic events appear in the data. Asthe MLS SO₂ data are currently not validated we take some initialsteps towards their validation. First we establish the level ofinternal consistency between the three spectral regions in which MLSis sensitive to SO₂.We compare SO₂ column values calculatedfrom MLS data to total column values reported by the OMIinstrument. The agreement is good (within about 1 DU) in caseswhere the SO₂ is clearly at altitudes above 147 hPa.

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