FTIR

The Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK) operates, together the Izaña Atmospheric Research Center (AEMET), a ground-based Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) at Tenerife Island (The Canary Islands, Spain). The Principal Investigator is Dr. Thomas Blumenstock (IMK).

Pictures of the Bruker IFS 125HR FTIR installed at the Izaña Observatory

The FTIR program has as main goals the long term monitoring of ozone related species and greenhouse gases, and the validation of satellite data. Profiles and column amounts of many different trace gases (e.g. H2O, CH4, N2O, O3, HNO3, HCl, HF, CFCs, …) are derived from sun radiation spectra. This program is part of the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change).

The Izaña instrument is also part of the TCCON (Total Column Carbon Observation Network) which aims to measure greenhouse gases with very high precision and to validate data from satellites.

Detailed description of the program can be found at the IMK-FTIR web site.