MIPAS Level 2 version 7.03 products - Product Quality Readme File

The document describes the main characteristics of the new version of the MIPAS L2 full mission dataset (V7) released by ESA. Main improvements in L2 V7 products are: oL2 V7 dataset takes advantage of the use of the latest available Level 1b dataset v7.11 [18], characterized by a better radiometric accuracy coming from an improved in-flight characterisation of detector non-linearity (important for trend estimation from MIPAS L2 products). This modification was implemented by changing the radiance level of the non-linear bands A, AB and B as a function of time. The impact of this correction is a small positive drift in the radiances (below 2%) over the 10 year mission and a consequent drift in the L2 products time-series with respect to the previous versions, that should correct for the instrumental drift present in previous versions. Details in section 6.2. oFurther than the instrument engineering altitudes and the MIPAS corrected altitudes, with L2 V7 products the ECMWF corrected altitudes, computed from co-located ECMWF z-p profiles, are provided. The accuracy of these altitudes is very large, with bias generally lower than 100 m. Details in Sect. 6.1 oV7 CFC-11 profiles are characterized by a significant reduced bias with respect to V6 CFC-11 profiles (for both FR and OR measurements), and now the differences with respect to correlative measurements are smaller than 5%, at least below 25 km. Details in Sect. 6.9 oV7 CH4, N2O and CFC-12 products are characterized by a reduced bias for FR measurements in the UTLS. Details in Sect.s 6.6, 6.7 and 6.12.