Stratospheric measurements of continuous absorption near 2400 cm^-1

Solar occultation spectra obtained with a balloon-borne interferometer have been used to study continuous absorption by N2 and CO2 near 2400 cm^-1 in the lower stratosphere. Synthetic continuum transmittances, calculated from published coefficients for far-wing absorption by CO2 lines and for pressure-induced absorption by the fundamental band of N2, are in fair agreement with the observed stratospheric values. The continuum close to the ν3 R-branch band head of CO2 is sensitive to the CO2 far-wing line shape. Therefore, given highly accurate knowledge of the N2 continuum from laboratory data, high-resolution stratospheric spectra provide a sensitive means for in situ testing of various air-broadened CO2 line shapes at low temperatures.