A Climate Data Record of Stratospheric Aerosols

Abstract. Climate-related studies need information about the distribution of stratospheric aerosols, which influence the energy balance of the Earth’s atmosphere. In this work, we present a merged dataset of vertically resolved stratospheric aerosol extinction coefficients, which is derived from data by six limb and occultation satellite instruments: SAGE II on ERBS, GOMOS and SCIAMACHY on Envisat, OSIRIS on Odin, OMPS on Suomi-NPP, and SAGE III on the International Space Station.

The merging of aerosol profiles is performed by transformation of the aerosol datasets from individual satellite instruments to the same wavelength 750 nm and their de-biasing and homogenization by adjusting the seasonal cycles. After such homogenization, the data from individual satellite instruments are in good agreement. The merged aerosol extinction coefficient is computed as the median of the adjusted data from the individual instruments.

The merged time series of vertically resolved monthly mean aerosol extinction coefficients at 750 nm is provided in 10° latitudinal bins from 90° S to 90° N, in the altitude range from 8.5 km to 39.5 km. The time series of the stratospheric aerosol optical depth (SAOD) is created by integration of aerosol extinction profiles from the tropopause to 39.5 km; it is also provided as monthly mean data in 10° latitudinal bins. The created aerosol climate record covers the period from October 1984 until May 2022, and it is intended to be extended in the future. It can be used in various climate-related studies.