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NASA NTRS2020

Ground-based retrievals of aerosol column absorption in the UV spectral region and their implications for GEMS measurements

Quantifying the spectral variation of column aerosol absorption in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible (Vis) wavelengths is required for accurate satellite-based aerosol and trace-gas retrievals. Retrievals of the column-averaged imaginary part of refractive index and single scattering albedo (SSA) in the UV–Vis range have been performed at Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, since 2016 by combining co-located measurements from the NASA Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Cimel sun-sky photometer, the Ultraviolet Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (UV-MFRSR), the SKYNET Prede sky radiometer, and the NASA Pandora sun spectrometer. We investigated the spectral variation of column-averaged imaginary part of refractive index for UV–Vis wavelengths to refine models used in our aerosol retrieval algorithm to process measurements from the upcoming Geostationary Environment Monitoring Satellite (GEMS). The retrieved imaginary part of refractive index for highly absorbing fine pollution particles (BC), dust (DS), and non-absorbing (NA) particles in the selected UV–Vis range (380–440 nm) showed 0–20%, 30%, and 0–40% of spectral dependence, respectively. Retrievals of Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) measurement data using the improved aerosol model showed improved correlation with AERONET data compared to the old algorithm that did not properly account for aerosol absorption effects. These results corroborate the advantage of using local climatology derived from ground-based UV–Vis spectral aerosol absorption measurements for satellite GEMS aerosol retrievals over East Asia. Moreover, this study reveals that spectral variations in the UV column aerosol absorption in East Asia differ from those in other regions.

ultraviolet (UV) and visible (Vis) wavelengths↗
NASA NTRS1971

The estimation of the constituent densities of the upper atmosphere by means of a recursive filtering algorithm.

The structure of the upper atmosphere can be indirectly probed by light in order to determine the global density structure of ozone, aerosols, and neutral atmosphere. Scattered and directly transmitted light is measured by a satellite and is shown to be a nonlinear function of the state which is defined to be a point-wise decomposition of the density profiles. Dynamics are imposed on the state vector and a structured estimation problem is developed. The estimation of these densities is then performed using a linearized Kalman-Bucy filter and a linearized Kushner-Stratonovich filter.

Mcgarty, T. P.↗
NASA NTRS1988

An improved method for determining the vertical ozone distribution using satellite measurements

A procedure was developed for determining vertical ozone distributions from spectral measurements of UV radiances diffusely reflected from the terrestrial atmosphere. In this procedure, the inversion method of Aruga and Igarashi (1976) is improved by incorporating the effects of multiple scattering and the lower boundary of the atmosphere. The improved inversion algorithm was tested using data of NIMBUS-4 backscattered UV experiments. The results indicate that by using this method, the vertical distributions of atmospheric ozone can be obtained with high accuracy over a wide range of altitude.

Aruga, Tadashi↗
NASA NTRS1999

Development of the Joint NASA/NCAR General Circulation Model

The Data Assimilation Office at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center is collaborating with NCAR/CGD in an ambitious proposal for the development of a unified climate, numerical weather prediction, and chemistry transport model which is suitable for global data assimilation of the physical and chemical state of the Earth's atmosphere. A prototype model based on the NCAR CCM3 physics and the NASA finite-volume dynamical core has been built. A unique feature of the NASA finite-volume dynamical core is its advanced tracer transport algorithm on the floating Lagrangian control-volume coordinate. The model currently has a highly idealized ozone production/loss chemistry derived from the observed 2D (latitude-height) climatology of the recent decades. Nevertheless, the simulated horizontal wave structure of the total ozone is in good qualitative agreement with the observed (TOMS). Long term climate simulations and NWP experiments have been carried out. Current up to date status and futur! e plan will be discussed in the conference.

Lin, S.-J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Use of Maps, GTE and UARS-MLS Data in Understanding Tropospheric Processes Critical to Model Development

Two of the major problems in using meteorological models to explain observed tropospheric trace constituent distributions and thereby to understand the global budgets of the tracers are to properly define the vertical layered structure in the free atmosphere, and to understand the contribution of advection processes in generating horizontal inhomogeneities at all scales. We proposed to tackle these problems through the examination of an extensive collection of trace constituent data from research and commercial aircraft in conjunction with meteorological data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The physical mechanisms responsible for these advection and layering processes were explored and their implications for theories and models assessed. In addition, we calculated examples of how thin layers (not currently resolved by models) affect the radiative heating/cooling rates. We developed an improved algorithm for trace constituent layer detection, and used it to analyze over 100,000 km of ozone and humidity vertical profiles collected by instruments piggybacked on commercial aircraft. We have also performed radiative heating/cooling calculations on some observed layer structures, and have demonstrated that the sharp edges on humidity layers can have strong local effects of self-stabilization (dry layers) or destabilization (wet layers), and have suggested that clear-air turbulence might result from the latter case through convective instability. We also systematically analyzed the mesoscale variabilities, not only of the trace constituents, but also of the aircraft-measured dynamical variables.

Newell, Reginald E.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Use of Maps, GTE and UARS-MLS Data in Understanding Tropospheric Processes Critical to Model Development

Two of the major problems in using meteorological models to explain observed tropospheric trace constituent distributions and thereby to understand the global budgets of the tracers are to properly define the vertical layered structure in the free atmosphere, and to understand the contribution of advection processes in generating horizontal inhomogeneities at all scales. We proposed to tackle these problems through the examination of an extensive collection of trace constituent data from research and commercial aircraft in conjunction with meteorological data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The physical mechanisms responsible for these advection and layering processes were explored and their implications for theories and models assessed. In addition, we calculated examples of how thin layers (not currently resolved by models) affect the radiative heating/cooling rates. We developed an improved algorithm for trace constituent layer detection, and used it to analyze over 100,000 km of ozone and humidity vertical profiles collected by instruments piggybacked on commercial aircraft. The same method was also used to examine ozone, humidity, carbon monoxide, and methane data from the NASA Pacific Exploratory Missions. The major conclusions from these studies were that tropospheric trace constituent layers are ubiquitous, and that their characteristics are remarkably universal. These results support the notion that ozone layers coming in from the stratosphere play a large role in creating tropospheric layers, whether by themselves or by capping buoyant pollution plumes. This, in turn, has important implications for the transport (especially in the vertical) of trace gases and how it is represented in models.

Newell, Reginald E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

SAGE III/ISS v5.3 Level 2 Data Product Changes and Improvements

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment on the International Space Station (SAGE III/ISS) is an occultation instrument that acquires measurements of aerosols and gases within the Earth’s stratosphere and upper troposphere. SAGE III/ISS provides level 2 solar species products for aerosol extinction (9 channels), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and water vapor (H2O). The level 2 products currently provide three O3 profiles based on differing retrievals. The first O3 profile is based on measurements at short wavelengths within the Hartley-Huggins band (MesO3), the second O3 profile is based on measurements made at visible wavelengths within the Chappius band (MLR O3), and the final profile is found using a more SAGE II like approach (AO3). The SAGE III/ISS also provides level 2 lunar species products for ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen trioxide (NO3). Version 5.3 of the SAGE III/ISS retrieval algorithm introduces improvements that affect the level 2 data products. The largest change to the solar algorithm is the implementation of disturbance monitoring package (DMP) corrections to improve pointing accuracy. The DMP is comprised of a miniature inertial measurement unit that measures rotation in inertial space using ring laser gyroscopes oriented about three orthogonal axes which can be used to correct pointing errors caused by mechanical disturbances. A major change common to solar and lunar algorithms is meteorological input from the coarser 42 level Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) model data to the 72 level MERRA-2 model data. The final major change involves improving the automated quality assurance (QA) algorithm to recover events that were withheld from the public release because differences between the AO3 and MLR O3 for some events after the eruption of Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai. Other changes for v5.3 include minor bug fixes as well as restoration of some data quality flags that were removed in v5.21. This presentation presents the impacts of these changes as well as overall observations of interest from v5.3 level 2 data products.

Carter Hulsey↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

SAGE III/ISS v5.3 Level 2 Data Product Changes and Improvements

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment on the International Space Station (SAGE III/ISS) is an occultation instrument that acquires measurements of aerosols and gases within the Earth’s stratosphere and upper troposphere. SAGE III/ISS provides level 2 solar species products for aerosol extinction (9 channels), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and water vapor (H2O). The level 2 products currently provide three O3 profiles based on differing retrievals. The first O3 profile is based on measurements at short wavelengths within the Hartley-Huggins band (MesO3), the second O3 profile is based on measurements made at visible wavelengths within the Chappius band (MLR O3), and the final profile is found using a more SAGE II like approach (AO3). The SAGE III/ISS also provides level 2 lunar species products for ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen trioxide (NO3). Version 5.3 of the SAGE III/ISS retrieval algorithm introduces improvements that affect the level 2 data products. The largest change to the solar algorithm is the implementation of disturbance monitoring package (DMP) corrections to improve pointing accuracy. The DMP is comprised of a miniature inertial measurement unit that measures rotation in inertial space using ring laser gyroscopes oriented about three orthogonal axes which can be used to correct pointing errors caused by mechanical disturbances. A major change common to solar and lunar algorithms is meteorological input from the coarser 42 level Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) model data to the 72 level MERRA-2 model data. The final major change involves improving the automated quality assurance (QA) algorithm to recover events that were withheld from the public release because differences between the AO3 and MLR O3 for some events after the eruption of Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai. Other changes for v5.3 include minor bug fixes as well as restoration of some data quality flags that were removed in v5.21. This presentation presents the impacts of these changes as well as overall observations of interest from v5.3 level 2 data products.

Carter Hulsey↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Development of Two Science Investigator-led Processing Systems (SIPS) for NASA's Earth Observation System (EOS)

In 2001, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics started the construction of a science Investigator-led Processing System (SIPS) for processing data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) which will launch on the Aura platform in mid 2004. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is a contribution of the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programs (NIVR) in collaboration with the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) to the Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura mission. It will continue the Total Ozone Monitoring System (TOMS) record for total ozone and other atmospheric parameters related to ozone chemistry and climate. OMI measurements will be highly synergistic with the other instruments on the EOS Aura platform. The LTP previously developed the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Data Processing System (MODAPS), which has been in full operations since the launches of the Terra and Aqua spacecrafts in December, 1999 and May, 2002 respectively. During that time, it has continually evolved to better support the needs of the MODIS team. We now run multiple instances of the system managing faster than real time reprocessings of the data as well as continuing forward processing. The new OMI Data Processing System (OMIDAPS) was adapted from the MODAPS. It will ingest raw data from the satellite ground station and process it to produce calibrated, geolocated higher level data products. These data products will be transmitted to the Goddard Distributed Active Archive Center (GDAAC) instance of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Information System (EOSDIS) for long term archive and distribution to the public. The OMIDAPS will also provide data distribution to the OMI Science Team for quality assessment, algorithm improvement, calibration, etc. We have taken advantage of lessons learned from the MODIS experience and software already developed for MODIS. We made some changes in the hardware system organization, database and software to adapt the system for OMI. We replaced the fundamental database system, Sybase, with an Open Source RDBMS called PostgreSQL, and based the entire OMIDAPS on a cluster of Linux based commodity computers rather than the large SGI servers that MODAPS uses. Rather than relying on a central I/O server host, the new system distributes its data archive among multiple server hosts in the cluster. OMI is also customizing the graphical user interfaces and reporting structure to more closely meet the needs of the OMI Science Team. Prior to 2003, simulated OMI data and the science algorithms were not ready for production testing. We initially constructed a prototype system and tested using a 25 year dataset of Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument (SBUV) data. This prototype system provided a platform to support the adaptation of the algorithms for OMI, and provided reprocessing of the historical data aiding in its analysis. In a recent reanalysis of the TOMS data, the OMIDAPS processed 108,000 full orbits of data through 4 processing steps per orbit, producing about 800,000 files (400 GiB) of level 2 and greater data files. More recently we have installed two instances of the OMIDAPS for integration and testing of OM1 science processes as they get delivered from the Science Team. A Test instance of the OMIDAPS has also supported a series of "Interface Confidence Tests" (ICTs) and End-to-End Ground System tests to ensure the launch readiness of the system. This paper will discuss the high-level hardware, software, and database organization of the OMIDAPS and how it builds on the MODAPS heritage system. It will also provide an overview of the testing and implementation of the production OMIDAPS.

Tilmes, Curt↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Version 7 Near-Real-Time Product and Imagery Released by NASA GES DISC

The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) has been the home of data processing, archive, and distribution services for data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) mission since its launch in 2002. The GES DISC provides service to both AIRS routine and Near Real-Time (NRT) products. The AIRS NRT products are an important element in the Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE). In collaboration with AIRS Project, the GES DISC has just released products from the Version 7 algorithm. The new version algorithm provides significant improvements over the previous version. The most substantial advances are: improved consistency between day and night water vapor; improved total column ozone and temperature; improved infrared-only (IR-only) retrievals, especially in high latitude regions; an improved Stochastic Cloud Clearing Neural Network used as a first guess at the initial value in the iterative retrieval process; and removal of ambiguity in surface classification in the IR-only retrieval algorithm. In addition, the GES DISC produces AIRS NRT imagery. The AIRS NRT imagery are generated by mosaicking and mapping the available AIRS 6-minute retrieval granules to a global projection. The images are constantly refreshed when new granules are produced. The AIRS NRT Viewer and LANCE Worldview provide visualization services to online users for AIRS NRT imagery. The data products used to generate this imagery include atmospheric temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloud, Dust Score, CO, and SO2. In this presentation, we will demonstrate visualization of the AIRS NRT imagery from the new Version 7, and demonstrate some improvements over the previous version. Progress on improving the AIRS NRT imagery, a collaboration project with the AIRS Applications Development Team at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), will also be presented.

Feng Ding↗
NASA NTRS2021

Depletion & Recovery of the O3 Layer Observed from Space Over the Past 50 Years of the Anthropocene

This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the launch of the backscatter UV (BUV) instrument on NASA’s Nimbus-4 satellite. Since then 10 more advanced instruments, but based on the same basic measurement principle, have been launched on polar orbiting NASA and NOAA satellites. The datasets produced by these instruments are unique for they have captured the period before the onset of the decline of the ozone layer due to manmade chemicals, the declining period, and the present slow recovery period. This period includes the rapid development of the iconic anthropocene era feature called the “Ozone Hole” . However, stitching together data from 11 separate satellite instruments to create a homogeneous record has presented many challenges. The first two NASA instruments suffered considerable degradation after launch that required the development of novel techniques to characterize their calibration. The next 7 instruments were launched on NOAA’s polar orbiting weather satellites that were not designed for long-term monitoring of climate variables. In particular, they didn’t have the station keeping capabilities needed to maintain a stable equator crossing time. Drifting orbits not only stress the retrieval algorithm and the calibration system of UV instruments but also make the interpretation of data difficult because the upper stratospheric ozone has systematic and complex diurnal variabilities that are comparable to the anthropogenic signal one wants to extract. We will highlight our recent efforts in untangling this knot. Finally, we will discuss the results from the OMPS limb scattering instrument, a recent addition to this constellation, that has been operating on the Suomi NPP satellite since October 2011. It is helping us capture how the ozone layer in the lower stratosphere and troposphere is evolving in response to the climate change and rising chemical pollutants in some parts of the world, while the upper stratosphere slowly recovers due to phaseout of the chemicals that initiated the decline of the ozone layer in the late 70s.

P Bhartia↗
NASA NTRS2016

Analysis of CrIS ATMS and AIRS AMSU Data Using Scientifically Equivalent Retrieval Algorithms

Monthly mean August 2014 Version-6.28 AIRS and CrIS products agree well with OMPS and CERES, and reasonably well with each other. Version-6.28 CrIS total precipitable water is biased dry compared to AIRS. AIRS and CrIS Version-6.36 water vapor products are both improved compared to Version-6.28. Version-6.36 AIRS and CrIS total precipitable water also shows improved agreement with each other. AIRS Version-6.36 total ozone agrees even better with OMPS than does AIRS Version-6.28, and gives reasonable results during polar winter where OMPS does not generate products. CrIS and ATMS are high spectral resolution IR and Microwave atmospheric sounders currently flying on the SNPP satellite, and are also scheduled for flight on future NPOESS satellites. CrIS/ATMS have similar sounding capabilities to those of the AIRS/AMSU sounder suite flying on EOS Aqua. The objective of this research is to develop and implement scientifically equivalent AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS retrieval algorithms with the goal of generating a continuous data record of AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS level-3 data products with a seamless transition between them in time. To achieve this, monthly mean AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS retrieved products, and more importantly their interannual differences, should show excellent agreement with each other. The currently operational AIRS Science Team Version-6 retrieval algorithm has generated 14 years of level-3 data products. A scientifically improved AIRS Version-7 retrieval algorithm is expected to become operational in 2017. We see significant improvements in water vapor and ozone in Version-7 retrieval methodology compared to Version-6.We are working toward finalization and implementation of scientifically equivalent AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS Version-7 retrieval algorithms to be used for the eventual processing of all AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS data. The latest version of our retrieval algorithm is Verison-6.36, which includes almost all the improvements we want in Version-7. Version-6.28 has been used to process both AIRS and CrIS data for August 2014. This poster compares August 2014 monthly mean Version-6.28 AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS products with each other, and also with monthly mean products obtained using AIRS Version-6. AIRS and CrIS results using Version-6.36 are presented for April 15, 2016. These demonstrate further improvements since Version-6.28. The new results also show improved agreement of Version-6.36 AIRS and CrIS products with each other. Version-6.36 is not yet optimized for CrIS ozone products.

AIRS↗
NASA NTRS2012

Tropospheric Ozone as a Short-lived Chemical Climate Forcer

Tropospheric ozone is the third most important greenhouse gas according to the most recent IPCC assessment. However, tropospheric ozone is highly variable in both space and time. Ozone that is located in the vicinity of the tropopause has the greatest effect on climate forcing. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the most important precursors for ozone In most of the troposphere. Therefore, pollution that is lofted upward in thunderstorm updrafts or NOx produced by lightning leads to efficient ozone production in the upper troposphere, where ozone is most important climatically. Global and regional model estimates of the impact of North American pollution and lightning on ozone radiative forcing will be presented. It will be shown that in the Northern Hemisphere summer, the lightning effect on ozone radiative forcing can dominate over that of pollution, and that the radiative forcing signal from North America extends well into Europe and North Africa. An algorithm for predicting lightning flash rates and estimating lightning NOx emissions is being incorporated into the NASA GEOS-5 Chemistry and Climate Model. Changes in flash rates and emissions over an ENSO cycle and in future climates will be assessed, along with the resulting changes in upper tropospheric ozone. Other research on the production of NOx per lightning flash and its distribution in the vertical based on cloud-resolving modeling and satellite observations will be presented. Distributions of NO2 and O3 over the Middle East from the OMI instrument on NASA's Aura satellite will also be shown.

Pickering, Kenneth E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Incorporation of multiple cloud layers for ultraviolet radiation modeling studies

Cloud data sets compiled from surface observations were used to develop an algorithm for incorporating multiple cloud layers into a multiple-scattering radiative transfer model. Aerosol extinction and ozone data sets were also incorporated to estimate the seasonally averaged ultraviolet (UV) flux reaching the surface of the Earth in the Detroit, Michigan, region for the years 1979-1991, corresponding to Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) version 6 ozone observations. The calculated UV spectrum was convolved with an erythema action spectrum to estimate the effective biological exposure for erythema. Calculations show that decreasing the total column density of ozone by 1% leads to an increase in erythemal exposure by approximately 1.1-1.3%, in good agreement with previous studies. A comparison of the UV radiation budget at the surface between a single cloud layer method and a multiple cloud layer method presented here is discussed, along with limitations of each technique. With improved parameterization of cloud properties, and as knowledge of biological effects of UV exposure increase, inclusion of multiple cloud layers may be important in accurately determining the biologically effective UV budget at the surface of the Earth.

Charache, Darryl H.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Improving Forecast Skill by Assimilation of AIRS Temperature Soundings

AIRS was launched on EOS Aqua on May 4, 2002, together with AMSU-A and HSB, to form a next generation polar orbiting infrared and microwave atmospheric sounding system. The primary products of AIRS/AMSU-A are twice daily global fields of atmospheric temperature-humidity profiles, ozone profiles, sea/land surface skin temperature, and cloud related parameters including OLR. The AIRS Version 5 retrieval algorithm, is now being used operationally at the Goddard DISC in the routine generation of geophysical parameters derived from AIRS/AMSU data. A major innovation in Version 5 is the ability to generate case-by-case level-by-level error estimates delta T(p) for retrieved quantities and the use of these error estimates for Quality Control. We conducted a number of data assimilation experiments using the NASA GEOS-5 Data Assimilation System as a step toward finding an optimum balance of spatial coverage and sounding accuracy with regard to improving forecast skill. The model was run at a horizontal resolution of 0.5 deg. latitude X 0.67 deg longitude with 72 vertical levels. These experiments were run during four different seasons, each using a different year. The AIRS temperature profiles were presented to the GEOS-5 analysis as rawinsonde profiles, and the profile error estimates delta (p) were used as the uncertainty for each measurement in the data assimilation process. We compared forecasts analyses generated from the analyses done by assimilation of AIRS temperature profiles with three different sets of thresholds; Standard, Medium, and Tight. Assimilation of Quality Controlled AIRS temperature profiles significantly improve 5-7 day forecast skill compared to that obtained without the benefit of AIRS data in all of the cases studied. In addition, assimilation of Quality Controlled AIRS temperature soundings performs better than assimilation of AIRS observed radiances. Based on the experiments shown, Tight Quality Control of AIRS temperature profile performs best on the average from the perspective of improving Global 7 day forecast skill.

Susskind, Joel↗
NASA NTRS2020

A New Method to Correct the Electrochemical Concentration Cell (ECC) Ozonesonde Time Response and its Implications for "Background Current" and Pump Efficiency

The electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesonde has been the main instrument for in situ profiling of ozone worldwide; yet, some details of its operation, which contribute to the ozone uncertainty budget, are not well understood. Here, we investigate the time response of the chemical reactions inside the ECC and how corrections can be used to remove some systematic biases. The analysis is based on the understanding that two reaction pathways involving ozone occur inside the ECC that generate electrical currents on two very different timescales. The main fast-reaction pathway with a time constant of about 20 s is due the conversion of iodide to molecular iodine and the generation of two free electrons per ozone molecule. A secondary slow-reaction pathway involving the buffer generates an excess current of about 2 %–10 % with a time constant of about 25 min. This excess current can be interpreted as what has conventionally been considered the “background current”. This contribution can be calculated and removed from the measured current instead of the background current. Here we provide an algorithm to calculate and remove the contribution of the slow-reaction pathway and to correct for the time lag of the fast-reaction pathway. This processing algorithm has been applied to ozonesonde profiles at Costa Rica and during the Central Equatorial Pacific Experiment (CEPEX) as well as to laboratory experiments evaluating the performance of ECC ozonesondes. At Costa Rica, where a 1 % KI, 1/10th buffer solution is used, there is no change in the derived total ozone column; however, in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, average reported ozone concentrations increase by up to 7 % and above 30 km decrease by up to 7 %. During CEPEX, where a 1 % KI, full-buffer solution was used, ozone concentrations are increased mostly in the upper troposphere, with no change near the top of the profile. In the laboratory measurements, the processing algorithms have been applied to measurements using the majority of current sensing solutions and using only the stronger pump efficiency correction reported by Johnson et al. (2002). This improves the accuracy of the ECC sonde ozone profiles, especially for low ozone concentrations or large ozone gradients and removes systematic biases relative to the reference instruments. In the surface layer, operational procedures prior to launch, in particular the use of filters, influence how typical gradients above the surface are detected. The correction algorithm may report gradients that are steeper than originally reported, but their uncertainty is strongly influenced by the prelaunch procedures.

electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesond↗
NASA NTRS2002

Seasonal Characteristics of Tropical Ozone Profiles using the SHADOZ Ozonesonde Data Set: Comparisons with TOMS Tropical Ozone Climatology

Advances in tropospheric ozone data products being developed for tropical and subtropical regions using TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) and other satellites are motivating efforts to renew and expand the collection of balloon-borne ozonesonde observations. The SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere ADditional OZonesondes) project is a web-based archive established since 1998. It's goals are to support validation of TOMS and SBUV (Solar Backscatter UV) satellite ozone measurements and to improve remote sensing techniques for estimating tropical and subtropical ozone. Profile data are taken from balloon-borne ozonesondes, currently at 11 stations coordinating weekly to bi-weekly launches. Station data are publically available at a central location via the internet: . Since the start of the project, the SHADOZ archive has accumulated over 1500 ozonesonde profiles. Data also includes measurements from various SHADOZ supported field campaigns, such as, the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX), Sounding of Ozone and Water in the Equatorial Region (SOWER) and Aerosols99 Atlantic Cruise. Using data from the archive, profile climatologies from selected stations will be shown to 1/characterize the variability of tropospheric tropical ozone among stations, 2/illustrate the seasonal offsets with respect to the tropical profile used in the TOMS v7 algorithm, and 3/estimate the potential error in TOMS retrieval estimates of the tropospheric portion of the atmosphere.

Witte, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Assessment of OMI Near-UV Aerosol Optical Depth over Land

This is the first comprehensive assessment of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) product retrieved from the near-UV observations by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) onboard the Aura satellite. The OMI-retrieved AOD by the ultraviolet (UV) aerosol algorithm (OMAERUV version 1.4.2) was evaluated using collocated Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) level 2.0 direct Sun AOD measurements over 8 years (2005-2012). A time series analysis of collocated satellite and ground-based AOD observations over 8 years shows no discernible drift in OMI's calibration. A rigorous validation analysis over 4 years (2005-2008) was carried out at 44 globally distributed AERONET land sites. The chosen locations are representative of major aerosol types such as smoke from biomass burning or wildfires, desert mineral dust, and urban/industrial pollutants. Correlation coefficient (p) values of 0.75 or better were obtained at 50 percent of the sites with about 33 percent of the sites in the analysis reporting regression line slope values larger than 0.70 but always less than unity. The combined AERONET-OMAERUV analysis of the 44 sites yielded a p of 0.81, slope of 0.79, Y intercept of 0.10, and 65 percent OMAERUV AOD falling within the expected uncertainty range (largest of 30 percent or 0.1) at 440 nanometers. The most accurate OMAERUV retrievals are reported over northern Africa locations where the predominant aerosol type is desert dust and cloud presence is less frequent. Reliable retrievals were documented at many sites characterized by urban-type aerosols with low to moderate AOD values, concentrated in the boundary layer. These results confirm that the near-ultraviolet observations are sensitive to the entire aerosol column. A simultaneous comparison of OMAERUV, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Deep Blue, and Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) AOD retrievals to AERONET measurements was also carried out to evaluate the OMAERUV accuracy in relation to those of the standard aerosol satellite products. The outcome of the comparison indicates that OMAERUV, MODIS Deep Blue, and MISR retrieval accuracies in arid and semiarid environments are statistically comparable.

aerosol optical depth↗