Reduction of airmass-dependent biases in TCCON XCH ₄ retrievals during polar vortex conditions

Abstract. Trace gas measurements from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) are important for monitoring the global climate system and for validating satellite measurements. In the Arctic, ground-based data coverage is relatively limited due the inherent challenges of conducting measurements in this region (e.g., remoteness, harsh weather). Additionally, solar absorption measurements require sunlight and are not possible during polar night. TCCON measurements from the Arctic sites are of significant value for the validation of satellite data products in this region, as these measurements can extend the spatiotemporal coverage in the Arctic. In this study, we investigate the TCCON methane (CH4) retrieval under polar vortex conditions. The CH4 profile exhibits a distinct shape inside the vortex, which is related to the descent of stratospheric air inside the vortex. We show that the standard TCCON CH4 prior does not sufficiently reproduce this profile shape, leading to air mass dependencies (AMDs), increased spectral residuals, and less sensitive averaging kernels. These effects can be explained by the imperfect vertical sensitivity, especially to the stratosphere. We further show that changes in the prior can improve the retrieval within the polar vortex. This leads to mean differences between 1 and 2 ppb in XCH4 compared to the standard retrieval, as well as maximum differences up to roughly 17 ppb. This paper highlights the importance of understanding the limitations of retrieval methods to avoid misinterpretation of data. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need to investigate the shape of trace gas profiles inside the polar vortex to improve profile-scaling retrievals (PSRs) in the Arctic, which could include in situ data campaigns focusing on inside-vortex air.