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Information in English

What is this page all about?

  • This page provides an entry-point to german and english information refering to the spectrometer SCIAMACHY** (Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric CHartographY) aboard the european environmental satellite Envisat. The site ist hosted by the institute of environmental Physics at the universitity of Bremen (Germany).

SCIAMACHY? What's this?

  • SCIAMACHY (Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric CHartographY) is a spectrometer designed to measure sunlight, transmitted, reflected and scattered by the earth atmosphere or surface in the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared wavelength region (240 nm - 2380 nm) at moderate spectral resolution (0,2 nm - 1,5 nm). The absorption, reflection and scattering characteristics of the atmosphere are determined by measuring the extraterrestrial solar irradiance and the upwelling radiance observed in different viewing geometries. The ratio of extraterrestrial irradiance and the upwelling radiance can be inverted to provide information about the amounts and distribution of important atmospheric constituents, which absorb or scatter light, and the spectral reflectance (or albedo) of the earth's surface. SCIAMACHY was conceived to improve our global knowledge and understanding of a variety of issues of importance for the chemistry and physics of the Earth atmosphere (troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere) and potential changes resulting from either anthropogenic behavior or natural phenomena.

General Links

(**) SCIAMACHY: Greek: Fight a shadow (fight with an imaginary enemy)