BSMILES - A balloon-borne superconducting submillimeter-wave limb-emission sounder

Stratospheric ozone layer protects life on the Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun. Since the Antarctic ozone hole was discovered in 1980, ozone destruction became a serious global environmental problem especially because it is caused by human activity. Although it is said that the ozone layer is recovering in recent years by international reduction of ozonedepleting substances such as designated chlorofluorocarbons, ozone recovery rates are still uncertain. Because catalyst reaction with the stratospheric minor constituents is related to the ozone destruction, observations of the molecules and clarifying of the photochemical processes are important in order to predict recovery of ozone concentrations. We have developed a balloon-borne high-sensitive superconductive receiver system in order to measure stratospheric minor gases. Balloon flight experiments were successfully conducted in 2003, 2004, and 2006, and ozone and ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases were measured.