Atmospheric Spectroscopy Laboratory

L. Larrabee Strow Professor of Physics UMBC

Welcome to my personal home page. Relevant links to my work at UMBC are found in the left margin of this page. More information about my research can be found on my group home page, the Atmospheric Spectroscopy Laboratory.

Research Interests

A major part of our research is involved in the development of a new satellite instrument (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder - AIRS) for the measurement of long-term global climate change.  We are participating in the instrument design, and developing algorithms for the retrieval of atmospheric parameters from the satellite measured radiances. AIRS is a major new instrument that will also be used to improve numerical weather forecasts.

I am also developing a new facility on Mauna Loa in Hawaii to measure upper atmosphere thermal radiances in the mid- to far-IR. The infrared interferometer and micropulse lidar is being developed in collaboration with NOAA's ETL Laboratory. NOAA has an observatory at 11,000 ft. on Mauna Loa, allowing us to observe infrared emission of upper tropospheric water vapor that cannot be observed at sea level. In addition, this instrument will provide unparalleled measurements of thin cirrus emission. Both upper tropospheric water vapor and thin cirrus are two climate parameters that are not well understood, or well measured. We will be able to operate this instrument from UMBC remotely over the internet. We hope to deploy this instrument package on Mauna Loa in the Spring 2001.