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The two optically forbidden lines of atomic oxygen, O(1S–1D) at 557.7 nm and O(1S–3P) at 297.2 nm, serve as important diagnostics in atmospheric, planetary, and cometary studies. Originating from the same upper state, the emission brightness ratio, B(557.7)/B(297.2), must necessarily be constant. The reported emission ratio of these two lines from both theoretical and experimental investigations varies by approximately a factor of two. These two emissions are observed simultaneously in auroral spectra by the OSIRIS spectrograph on the Odin spacecraft, offering another opportunity to perform the ratio measurement. Because of the considerable wavelength separation between these two atomic lines, precise instrumental relative response calibrations can be problematic. To maintain accurate on-orbit spectral calibrations, an atmospheric radiation model with multiple Rayleigh scatter is employed to constantly track instrumental response. An example of a calibrated single bright auroral spectrum over the full OSIRIS wavelength range of 275 to 815 nm, limb tangent altitude 105 km, is presented. Using a number of individual auroral spectra, the observed OI 557.7 nm brightness is plotted versus the observed OI 297.2 nm brightness to both verify the required linear relationship and to experimentally determine the brightness ratio. Spectral contamination by other auroral emission features is removed. From the linear fit, the observed B(557.7)/B(297.2) ratio is 9.3 ± 0.5. By comparison, a ratio of 9.8 ± 1 was recently reported, determined by combining results from a number of observational databases separated in time and in wavelength coverage.

Five-plus years of Odin/OSIRIS (Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System) ozone profiles (version 3.0 and SaskMART) have been compared with coincident ozonesonde profiles from the tropopause to the middle stratosphere (~10–35 km). The OSIRIS(v3.0)-sonde comparisons, together with the “knee” technique, suggest that OSIRIS pointing is stable with an accuracy (systematic uncertainty) of 100~m and a precision (random uncertainty) of 400 m. Comparison of coincident profiles revealed excellent overall agreement with differences generally not exceeding 10% between 10 and 35 km. During periods of satellite eclipse larger differences above 25 km were found and concluded to be the result of flexing of the spacecraft frame brought about by cooling. Uncertainties derived from the intercomparison suggest an OSIRIS precision of 25–30% at 10 km, reaching a minimum of about 4–6% in the middle-stratosphere (23–28 km), and 6–8% at 35 km. Ozonesonde uncertainties were also derived and found to be slightly larger in the tropics than mid-latitudes, possibly due to a lack of column normalization at some of the tropical stations. OSIRIS SaskMART ozone, an alternative ozone data product, was found to be very comparable with the v3.0 ozone, with slightly smaller biases relative to the ozonesondes. OSIRIS is concluded to be a robust and accurate source of stratospheric ozone profiles. PACS Nos.: 82.33.Tb, 95.75.Qr, 42.68.–w

A simple radiative transfer model is developed to calculate the contribution of sea-glint to limb radiance. It is shown that the absolute sea-glint signal peaks between 70° and 80° solar zenith angle. Sea-glint can contribute 10–15% of the total limb radiance at wavelengths greater than 600 nm, which is several times brighter than an equivalent 5% reflecting Lambertian ocean surface. A test case was identified over the Arabian Sea in October 2002 and the model results compared to limb observations from the Optical Spectrograph and Infra-Red Imaging System (OSIRIS) on-board the Odin satellite. PACS Nos.: 94.10.Gb, 93.85.+q, 42.68.Ay, 42.68.Mj

Since the OH molecule plays a critical role as a catalyst in atmospheric photochemistry, an accurate measurement of the OH density profile covering a broad range of latitudes and solar local times is required to quantify the major reactions involved. The optical spectrograph and infra-red imager system (OSIRIS) instrument on the Odin satellite observes scattered solar radiation at the terrestrial limb from the upper troposphere, the stratosphere, and the mesosphere. The wavelength range, 275 nm to 810 nm includes the OH A2Σ+–X2Π 0–0 band at 308 nm, which is seen in solar resonance emission superimposed upon the underlying atmospheric Rayleigh-scattering background. OSIRIS routinely detects the OH 308 nm emission in the mesosphere from sunrise through to sunset. One feature of the OH diurnal variation is a nocturnal layer in the 80–85 km region that is frequently, but not always, detectable in solar resonance for a short period following sunrise — the feature we label here as the "sunrise flash". This paper describes the observational analysis procedures involved in the quantitative measurement of the OSIRIS OH profiles together with a broad overview of the variability of the feature at sunrise. Also included is a photochemical model simulation of the OH sunrise layer using background atmospheric parameters, especially the water vapour mixing ratio, provided by the ACE/FTS instrument on the Canadian SCISAT satellite. For a number of nearly coincident measurements between OSIRIS OH and ACE/FTS water vapour, the model simulations show general agreement between the two. Agreement is improved by modifying the eddy mixing rates in the 80–85 km region, commensurate with the expected range of mixing rates.PACS Nos.: 42.68.Ay, 82.20.Pm, 82.30.Cf, 82.33.Tb, 92.60.H–, 92.60.Ta

The infrared imager (IRI) component of the optical spectrograph and infrared imager system (OSIRIS) onboard the Odin spacecraft provides a set of line-of-sight brightness measurements of the oxygen infrared atmospheric (OIRA) band. This set of measurements is unique in the fact that they are ideal inputs to a two-dimensional retrieval scheme that accurately recovers the volume emission rate of the OIRA band. The retrieval is done simultaneously in two dimensions, the angle along the satellite track and the distance from the centre of the Earth. The latter is easily converted to altitude above the surface of the Earth. In this work, we present the measurement set, the retrieval technique, and some preliminary results. We clearly demonstrate that the OSIRIS infrared imager provides maps of the OIRA band volume emission rate with unprecedented spatial resolution. PACS Nos.: 07.05.Pj, 07.60.Dq, 94.10.Fa, 94.10.Gb, 94.10.Rk