This activity is intrinsically linked to the "upstream" laboratory spectroscopy studies.

(A) Measurements of the Earth's atmosphere :OASIS - an observatory of the atmosphere by infrared spectroscopy

Since June 2008, an infrared atmospheric observatory by solar absorption spectroscopy (called OASIS for "Observations of the Atmosphere by Solar Infrared Spectroscopy") has been installed on the roof-top of the University Paris Est Créteil

 

(B) Simulation and processing of satellite data - -IASI - a tool for monitoring the air quality

The main objective of our activities in the fields of radiative transfer and the observation of Earth's atmosphere by satellite instruments (such as the IASI) is the monitoring of air quality. More specifically ozone and formaldehyde are addressed in our studies. It should be noted that the measurement of ozone in the lower layers of the atmosphere, relevant for the monitoring of the air quality, is very difficult when made from space. A method for the inversion of atmospheric spectra optimized and robust for the retrieval of ozone in the lower layers of the atmosphere has been developed. It has been validated and is now applied in routine to track the evolution of ozone in Europe during the summer as well as in heavily polluted regions like China. The analysis and interpretation of the observations are made in collaboration with modelers of LISA in a trans-thematic action PolSat ("pollution and satellites"). Furthermore, we are also involved in the definition of new satellite missions for the monitoring of the Earth's atmospheric composition.

Fig. 5 Partial ozone columns between the surface and 6 km measured with IASI over Beijing in May 2008 [Dufour et al., 2010]