MLSmetingen

MLSmetingen refers to measurements gathered with the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), an atmospheric sounding instrument on satellites that observes the composition and thermal structure of the Earth's atmosphere. In Dutch scientific literature, MLSmetingen describes the data products and analyses produced by MLS observations.

The instrument measures microwave radiation along the limb, through tangent atmospheric paths. Analyzing radiances at multiple frequencies yields vertical profiles of trace gases such as ozone (O3), water vapor (H2O), nitric acid (HNO3), chlorine monoxide (ClO) and bromine monoxide (BrO), along with temperature and pressure. Measurements span the upper troposphere to lower stratosphere, roughly 8 to 60 km altitude, with a vertical resolution of a few kilometers depending on the species.

MLS is aboard NASA's Aura satellite (launched in 2004), enabling global coverage with frequent revisits. Retrievals combine radiative transfer models with prior information to convert radiances into gas profiles. The resulting data support atmospheric chemistry studies, ozone depletion monitoring, climate research, and the validation of atmospheric models.

Limitations include cloud interference, calibration drift, and uncertainties in some species. Data products are archived by NASA and partner organizations and are widely used by researchers in the atmospheric sciences.