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OMPS (Ozone Mapper Product Suite) is a three-part instrument: a nadir mapper that maps
global
ozone with about 50-km ground-resolution, a nadir profiler that measures the vertical
distribution of ozone in the stratosphere, and a limb profiler that measures ozone in the
lower
stratosphere and troposphere with high vertical resolution.
OMPS, an advanced suite of two hyper spectral instruments, extends the 25-plus year
total-ozone
and ozone-profile records. These records are used by ozone-assessment researchers and policy
makers to track the health of the ozone layer. The improved vertical resolution of OMPS data
products allows for better testing and monitoring of the complex chemistry involved in ozone
destruction near the troposphere. OMPS products, when combined with cloud predictions, also
help
produce better ultraviolet index forecasts.
OMPS measures the global distribution of the total atmospheric ozone column on a daily
basis. It
also measures the vertical distribution of ozone from about 15 km to 60 km, though somewhat
less
frequently. Ozone is an important molecule in the atmosphere because it partially blocks
harmful
ultra-violet light from the sun. The Nadir instrument looks directly below the satellite
while
the Limb instrument looks at an angle to the Earth's surface. Combining the two views will
enhance the ability of scientists to measure the vertical structure of ozone, which is
important
in understanding the chemistry of how ozone interacts with other gases in the atmosphere.
The
third portion of the suite is the Main Electronics Box (MEB), which controls the operation
of
the instruments and then captures and routes the data to the spacecraft. The NPP OMPS
instrument
contains both the Nadir and Limb sensor while JPSS-1 is flying only the Nadir sensor. OMPS
carries on a long tradition of space borne measurements of ozone beginning in 1970 with the
Nimbus 4 satellite and continuing with the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV and SBUV/2)
and
Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instruments on various NASA, NOAA, and international
satellites. The instruments measure ozone by collecting light from the sun that has been
reflected off of the atmosphere. Ozone molecules absorb some of this light and these
absorption
features are used to calculate the amount of ozone present over the entire globe.