Validation of the UARS solar ultraviolet irradiances: Comparison with the ATLAS 1 and 2 measurements

Abstract

The measurements of the solar ultraviolet spectral irradiance made by the two Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) solar instruments, Solar Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM) and SOLar STellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE), are compared with same‐day measurements by two solar instruments on the shuttle ATmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS) missions, ATLAS SUSIM and Shuttle Solar Backscatter UltraViolet (SSBUV) experiment. These measurements from the four instruments agree to within the 2σ uncertainty of any one instrument, which is 5 to 10% for all wavelengths above 160 nm and for strong emission features below 160 nm. Additionally, the long‐term relative accuracy of the two UARS data sets is better than the original 2% goal, especially at wavelengths greater than 160 nm. This level of agreement is credited to accurate preflight calibrations coupled with comprehensive inflight calibrations to track instrument degradation. Two solar irradiance spectra, 119 to 410 nm, are presented; the first combines observations from UARS SUSIM and UARS SOLSTICE taken on March 29, 1992, during the ATLAS 1 mission, and the second combines spectra for April 15, 1993, during the ATLAS 2 mission. The ATLAS 1 mission coincided with the initial decline from the maximum of solar cycle 22 when solar activity was relatively high. The ATLAS 2 mission occurred somewhat later during the declining phase of the solar cycle 22 when solar activity was more moderate.