GOME - THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW INSTRUMENT

GOME is an across-track scanning optical spectrometer, covering the wa velength range 250 - 790 nm. This spectral range is split into four ch annels, each equipped with a 1024-pixel linear array detector, The res ulting spectral resolution is 0.2 nm in the ultraviolet and 0.4 nm in the visible/near-infrared parts of the spectrum. GOME's task is to sen se the sunlight being reflected or scattered in the Earth's atmosphere and at its surface, The measured spectrum contains absorption feature s, which can be used to derive quantitative information on the amount of ozone present, and a number of other atmospheric species. GOME is t he only new instrument on ERS-2 compared with ERS-1. A full technical description of it was published in ESA Bulletin No. 73 (February 1993) .