Transmission window near 2400 cm(-1): an experimental and modeling study.

The absorption in the 2400-cm(-1) region is dominated by continuum absorptions from carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and it is important to be able to describe the temperature dependence of these two continua. A series of measurements of atmospheric transmission over a 5.7-km range were carried out during the summer and winter seasons of 1988. Following a brief description of the experiments a selected number of spectra, covering the temperature range from -21.4 to 30.3 degrees C, are presented. These measurements are compared with predictions by the atmospheric transmission model FASCOD2 and modified versions using models of the carbon dioxide and the nitrogen continua derived from experimental laboratory measurements. Finally, an improved temperature-dependent model for the nitrogen continuum is derived from atmospheric transmission measurements. The model covers the range of temperatures found in the troposphere and differs significantly from laboratory-based measurements.