The High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder HIRDLS is one of four instruments that will fly onboard the EOS-Aura satellite providing key scientific observations for the study of chemistry and dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere, with emphasis on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Temperature, the concentrations of several trace species, aerosol extinction, the locations of polar stratospheric clouds and cloud-tops, and geopotential height gradients from the upper troposphere (under cloud-free conditions) to the mesopause (i.e. 8-80 km) will be derived from HIRDLS infrared limb observations.

Retrieval methods will be presented along with a detailed discussion of the characterization of the error sources for the HIRDLS instrument.