Articles | Volume 19, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2601-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2601-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Apr 2026
Research article |
| 17 Apr 2026
| 17 Apr 2026
On the capability of the Changing Atmosphere Infra-Red Tomography explorer (CAIRT) candidate mission to constrain O3 and H2O in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere
Quentin Errera
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels, Belgium
Marc Op de beeck
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels, Belgium
Stefan Bender
Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), Granada, Spain
Johannes Flemming
Research Department, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Reading, UK
Bernd Funke
Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), Granada, Spain
Alex Hoffmann
European Space Research and Technology Centre, European Space Agency (ESA/ESTEC), Noordwijk, the Netherlands
Michael Höpfner
Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Trace Gases and Remote Sensing (IMKASF), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
Nathaniel Livesey
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Gabriele Poli
Instituto di Fisica Applicata “N. Carrara” (IFAC) del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Firenze, Italy
Didier Pieroux
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Brussels, Belgium
Piera Raspollini
Instituto di Fisica Applicata “N. Carrara” (IFAC) del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Firenze, Italy
Björn-Martin Sinnhuber
Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Trace Gases and Remote Sensing (IMKASF), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
Data sets
CAIRT simulated orbit during 2020 Gabriele Poli and Quentin Errera https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10262729
Short summary
The Changing Atmosphere Infra-Red Tomography Explorer (CAIRT) is a satellite mission concept developed to observe, among other, the gradient of ozone and water vapour in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere where these species have their largest radiative impact. By simulating CAIRT observations and measuring their constrain on an atmospheric model using data assimilation, this study shows that CAIRT specifications are adequate to fulfil this objective.
The Changing Atmosphere Infra-Red Tomography Explorer (CAIRT) is a satellite mission concept...
