Level 2 near real time analysis of MIPAS measurements on ENVISAT

MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) is operating on board of the ENVISAT satellite and is acquiring for the first time high spectral resolution middle infrared emission limb sounding spectra of the Earth atmosphere from space. The measurement capabilities make it possible to determine every 75 sec. the vertical profile of several. atmospheric trace constituents, during both day and night with an almost full coverage of the globe. This leads to a three dimensional measurement of the atmospheric composition. In order to handle the large data flow, an optimised code for the Level 2 near real time analysis of MIPAS data was developed by an international consortium of scientists under an ESA contract and was implemented in the ENVISAT Ground Segment. The code is designed to provide, in an automated and continuous mode, atmospheric vertical profiles of temperature and pressure, as well as of concentrations Of O-3, H2O, CH4, HNO3, N2O and NO2, in the altitude range from 6 to 60 km. The "commissioning phase", in which verification and validation of the instrument and of the analysis code are performed, is still in progress, but some preliminary results have been obtained. The first examples of the MIPAS near real time Level 2 data products, consisting of retrieved profiles and auxiliary data that characterise the measurement accuracy and resolution, are shown.