Observations of Chemical Species in the Middle Atmosphere: Historical Evolution and New Perspectives (Invited Presentation)

Observations have been essential to investigate the fundamental processes that determine the chemistry, dynamics and radiative transfer in the middle atmosphere. Progress in the understanding of multi-scale transport processes and in quantifying the global budget of reactive and climate-sensitive species has been associated with the progress made in the development of increasingly accurate instruments and in the development of space, airborne and ground levels platforms. Models have also played an essential role for the interpretation of field and space observations.

The paper will highlight how progress in measurement techniques has allowed to developing knowledge, and will identify which new capabilities are needed to tackle new frontier questions.