First-year measurements of stratospheric aerosol and gas experiment III/meteor

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III/Meteor Instrument was launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on December 10, 2001. After initial commissioning phase activities, it began routine solar occultation measurements by March 2002. During the first year of operation, additional measurement capabilities such as lunar occultation and limb scattering were successfully implemented with the SAGE III instrument. This paper will present a summary of the various data sets gathered from the SAGE III instrument during the first year of operation. Measurements of ozone, aerosol, and nitrogen dioxide from solar occultation, lunar occultation, and limb scattering techniques will be presented and discussed.