Altitude and Latitude Distribution of Atmospheric Aerosol and Water Vapor from the Narrow-Band Lunar Eclipse Photometry

TL;DR

This study analyzes lunar eclipse photometry data to determine the vertical distribution of atmospheric aerosols and water vapor across different latitudes and altitudes, enhancing remote sensing techniques.

Contribution

It introduces new methods for retrieving aerosol and water vapor profiles from narrow-band lunar eclipse observations, with validated results against space experiment data.

Findings

Aerosol extinction values at various altitudes along Earth's terminator.

Water vapor vertical distribution scale established.

Latitude and altitude resolution limits for remote sensing from lunar eclipses.

Abstract

The work contains the description of two narrow IR-bands observational data of total lunar eclipse of March, 3, 2007, one- and two-dimensional procedures of radiative transfer equation solution. The results of the procedure are the extinction values for atmospheric aerosol and water vapor at different altitudes in the troposphere along the Earth's terminator crossing North America, Arctic, Siberia and South-Eastern Asia. The altitude range and possible latitude and altitude resoltion of atmosphere remote sensing by the lunar eclipses observation are fixed. The results of water vapor retrieval are compared with data of space experiment, the scale of vertical water vapor distribution is found.