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# The Changing-Atmosphere Infra-Red Tomography Explorer (CAIRT) Earth Explorer 11 candidate mission

Bernd Funke, Martyn Chipperfield, Quentin Errera, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Michael Hoepfner, Alex Hoffmann, Alizee Malavart, Scott Osprey, Inna Polichtchouk, et al.

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► To cite this version:

Bernd Funke, Martyn Chipperfield, Quentin Errera, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, et al. The Changing-Atmosphere Infra-Red Tomography Explorer (CAIRT) Earth Explorer 11 candidate mission. EGU General Assembly 2024, Apr 2024, Vienna, Austria. pp.EGU24-20214, 10.5194/egusphere-egu24-20214. insu-04504721

HAL Id: insu-04504721

https://insu.hal.science/insu-04504721

Submitted on 30 May 2024

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# The Changing-Atmosphere Infra-Red Tomography Explorer (CAIRT) Earth Explorer 11 candidate mission

**Bernd Funke**<fnref n="1" />, **Martyn Chipperfield**<fnref n="2" />, **Quentin Errera**<fnref n="3" />, **Felix Friedl-Vallon**<fnref n="4" />, **Sophie Godin-Beekmann**<fnref n="5" />, **Michael Hoepfner**<fnref n="4" />, **Alex Hoffmann**<fnref n="6" />, **Alizee Malavart**<fnref n="6" />, **Scott Osprey**<fnref n="7" />, **Inna Polichtchouk**<fnref n="8" />, **Peter Preusse**<fnref n="9" />, **Piera Raspollini**<fnref n="10" />, **Björn-Martin Sinnhuber**<fnref n="4" />, **Pekka Verronen**<fnref n="11" />,<fnref n="12" />, and **Kaley Walker**<fnref n="13" />

The Changing-Atmosphere Infra-Red Tomography Explorer (CAIRT) is currently in Phase A as one of two final candidates for ESA's Earth Explorer 11. As a Fourier transform infrared limb imager, CAIRT will observe simultaneously from the middle troposphere to the lower thermosphere at high spectral resolution and with unprecedented horizontal and vertical resolution. With this, CAIRT will provide critical information on (a) atmospheric gravity waves, circulation and mixing, (b) coupling with the upper atmosphere, solar variability and space weather and, (c) aerosols and pollutants in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. In this presentation we will give an overview of CAIRT's science goals and the expected mission performance, based on latest results from feasibility studies performed during Phase 0.

<footnote n="1">¹Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), Glorieta de la Astronomía, Granada, Spain (bernd@iaa.es)</footnote>

<footnote n="2">²University of Leeds, Leeds, UK</footnote>

<footnote n="3">³Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Belgium</footnote>

<footnote n="4">⁴Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany</footnote>

<footnote n="5">⁵Sorbonne Université LATMOS/IPSL, Paris, France</footnote>

<footnote n="6">⁶ESA ESTEC, The Netherlands</footnote>

<footnote n="7">⁷University of Oxford, UK</footnote>

<footnote n="8">⁸ECMWF, UK</footnote>

<footnote n="9">⁹Forschungszentrum Juelich, Germany</footnote>

<footnote n="10">¹⁰IFAC/CNR, Italy</footnote>

<footnote n="11">¹¹University of Oulu, Finland</footnote>

<footnote n="12">¹²Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland</footnote>

<footnote n="13">¹³University of Toronto, Canada</footnote>
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# The Changing-Atmosphere Infra-Red Tomography Explorer (CAIRT) Earth Explorer 11 candidate mission

Bernd Funke<fnref n="1" />, Martyn Chipperfield<fnref n="2" />, Quentin Errera<fnref n="3" />, Felix Friedl-Vallon<fnref n="4" />, Sophie Godin-Beekmann<fnref n="5" />, Michael Hoepfner<fnref n="4" />, Alex Hoffmann<fnref n="6" />, Alizee Malavart<fnref n="6" />, Scott Osprey<fnref n="7" />, Inna Polichtchouk<fnref n="8" />, Peter Preusse<fnref n="9" />, Piera Raspollini<fnref n="10" />, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber<fnref n="4" />, Pekka Verronen<fnref n="11" />,<fnref n="12" />, and Kaley Walker<fnref n="13" />

The Changing-Atmosphere Infra-Red Tomography Explorer (CAIRT) is currently in Phase A as one of two final candidates for ESA's Earth Explorer 11. As a Fourier transform infrared limb imager, CAIRT will observe simultaneously from the middle troposphere to the lower thermosphere at high spectral resolution and with unprecedented horizontal and vertical resolution. With this, CAIRT will provide critical information on (a) atmospheric gravity waves, circulation and mixing, (b) coupling with the upper atmosphere, solar variability and space weather and, (c) aerosols and pollutants in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. In this presentation we will give an overview of CAIRT's science goals and the expected mission performance, based on latest results from feasibility studies performed during Phase 0.

<footnote n="1">¹Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), Glorieta de la Astronomía, Granada, Spain (bernd@iaa.es)</footnote>

<footnote n="2">²University of Leeds, Leeds, UK</footnote>

<footnote n="3">³Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Belgium</footnote>

<footnote n="4">⁴Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany</footnote>

<footnote n="5">⁵Sorbonne Université LATMOS/IPSL, Paris, France</footnote>

<footnote n="6">⁶ESA ESTEC, The Netherlands</footnote>

<footnote n="7">⁷University of Oxford, UK</footnote>

<footnote n="8">⁸ECMWF, UK</footnote>

<footnote n="9">⁹Forschungszentrum Juelich, Germany</footnote>

<footnote n="10">¹⁰IFAC/CNR, Italy</footnote>

<footnote n="11">¹¹University of Oulu, Finland</footnote>

<footnote n="12">¹²Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland</footnote>

<footnote n="13">¹³University of Toronto, Canada</footnote>