Extending the SBUV polar mesospheric cloud data record with the OMPS NP

Abstract

We have utilized Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) instrument measurements of atmospheric radiance to create a 40-year record of polar mesospheric cloud (PMC) behavior. While this series of measurements is nearing its end, we show in this paper that Ozone Mapping and Profiling Suite (OMPS) Nadir Profiler (NP) instruments can be added to the merged SBUV PMC data record. Regression analysis of this extended record shows smaller trends in PMC ice water content (IWC) since approximately 1998, consistent with previous work. Current trends are significant at the 95 % confidence level in the Northern Hemisphere but not in the Southern Hemisphere. The PMC IWC response to solar activity has decreased in the Northern Hemisphere since 1998 but has apparently increased in the Southern Hemisphere.