Determination of the methane content in the atmosphere using correlation radiometer

Abstract

In this work the procedure of replacing the inhomogeneous atmosphere with homogeneous layers is discussed. The absorption and emission functions of a layer in a selected spectral region are the same as they are for the inhomogeneous layer. The dependence of the effective brightness temperature of a layer on its thickness is shown in the methane absorption band 1220–1260 cm^–1. Negative values of luminosity spectral density of a homogenous atmospheric layer with a width of over 3200 m indicate an increase in the weakening role of the layer for the outgoing radiation in the considered atmospheric model. The application of the method of gas optical filter correlation for a measurement of the methane content in the near-ground atmospheric layer from an aerospace platform is considered.