Introduction to special section: Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM II)

The Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement instrument (POAM II) is a satellite‐based nine‐channel visible/near infrared photometer for making measurements of aerosol extinction, ozone, water vapor, and nitrogen dioxide in the polar stratosphere using the solar occultation technique. The instrument is similar in measurement technique and scientific capabilities to the NASA Stratosphere and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II [Mauldin et al., 1985]. The POAM II instrument concept originated at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Wyoming and was substantially redesigned by the Naval Research Laboratory and ThermoTrex Corporation (TTC) of San Diego, California. The flight instrument was fabricated by TTC.