On the use of wavelet filtering and correlation techniques in atmospheric condensed phase spectroscopy

The application of wavelet filtering and analysis in spectroscopy is discussed in relation to the analysis of complex atmospheric spectra, where contributions from condensed phase particles and gas phase molecules are present in the form of broad-band features and narrow lines, respectively. The broad-band contribution can be extracted as the 'smooth signal' component of the wavelet transform, with a large reduction in the size of the corresponding data files. This procedure is applied to an investigation of the H2SO4 aerosol content of a series of atmospheric spectra measured in the ATMOS missions. The sulfate content of the smooth signal is analysed by means of correlation techniques, using a set of laboratory reference spectra of varying sulfuric acid concentration and temperature. Correlation density maps and correlation curves are used to select the most appropriate spectral zones for sulfate analysis and to assess the sulfate aerosol content in the atmosphere subsequent to the eruption of the Mount Pinatubo volcano.