The radiometric calibration of the MOPITT carbon monoxide length modulated radiometer channels

The MOPITT instrument is measuring atmospheric columns and profiles of carbon monoxide and columns of methane from NASA´s Terra satellite. To make these measurements, MOPITT utilises six length modulated radiometers (LMRs). Prior to the integration of MOPITT onto Terra, the radiometric response of the LMRs to simulated atmospheres was measured. Comparison of these measurements to theoretically calculated signals have shown that the response of the carbon monoxide radiometers is within the errors of the calculations. The primary sources of error in these calculations are errors and/or uncertainties in the LMC gas pressure, LMC correlation cell length, and LMR imbalance.