Note on rotational-Raman scattering in the O₂ A- and B-bands

Abstract. Quantifying the impact of rotational-Raman scattering (RRS) on the O₂ A- and B-bands is important as these bands can be used for cloud and aerosol characterization for trace-gas retrievals including CO₂ and CH₄. In this paper, we simulate the spectral effects of RRS for various viewing geometries and instruments with different spectral resolutions. We also examine how aerosols affect the amount of RRS filling-in. We show that the filling-in effects of RRS are relatively small, but not negligible, in these O₂ absorption bands, particularly for high-spectral-resolution instruments. For comparison, we also compare and contrast the spectral signatures of RRS with those of terrestrial chlorophyll fluorescence.