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Ozone Measurements and a 3D Chemical Transport Model

We have used our three-dimensional chemical transport model (CTM) to calculate the expected reponse of stratospheric composition over the past 30 years to forcing by chlorine and bromine compounds, solar ultraviolet, and volcanic aerosols. The CTM uses off-line winds and temperatures fiom a 50-year run of the finite volume general circulation model (FVGCM). We compare the total column ozone and the ozone profile fiom the CTM output to a variety of data sources. These include a merged total ozone data set from TOMS and SBUV using the new version 8 algorithm. Total ozone fiom the CTM are compared to ground-station measurements of total ozone at specific locations. Ozone profiles are compared to satellite meausrements fiom SBUV, SAGE, and HALOE. Profiles are also compared to ozonesondes over several locations. The results of the comparisons are quantified by using a time-series statistical analysis to determine trends, solar cycle, and volcanic reponse in both the model and in the data. Initial results indicate that the model responds to forcings in a way that is similar to the observed atmospheric response. The model does seem to be more sensitive to the chlorine and bromine perturbation ihan is the data. Further details and comparisons wiii be discussed.

Stolarski, Richard S.↗

Climatology 2011: An MLS and Sonde Derived Ozone Climatology for Satellite Retrieval Algorithms

The ozone climatology used as the a priori for the version 8 Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) retrieval algorithms has been updated. The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument on Aura has excellent latitude coverage and measures ozone daily from the upper troposphere to the lower mesosphere. The new climatology consists of monthly average ozone profiles for ten degree latitude zones covering pressure altitudes from 0 to 65 km. The climatology was formed by combining data from Aura MLS (2004-2010) with data from balloon sondes (1988-2010). Ozone below 8 km (below 12 km at high latitudes) is based on balloons sondes, while ozone above 16 km (21 km at high latitudes) is based on MLS measurements. Sonde and MLS data are blended in the transition region. Ozone accuracy in the upper troposphere is greatly improved because of the near uniform coverage by Aura MLS, while the addition of a large number of balloon sonde measurements improves the accuracy in the lower troposphere, in the tropics and southern hemisphere in particular. The addition of MLS data also improves the accuracy of climatology in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere. The revised climatology has been used for the latest reprocessing of SBUV and TOMS satellite ozone data.

McPeters, Richard D.↗

Changes in Global Tropospheric OH Expected as a Result of Climate Change Over the Last Several Decades

The oxidizing capacity of the troposphere is controlled primarily by the abundance of hydroxyl radical (OH). The global mean concentration of OH, [OH]_GLOBAL, inferred from measurements of methyl chloroform, has remained relatively constant during the past several decades, despite rising levels of CH4 that should have led to a steady decline. Here we examine other factors that may have affected [OH]_GLOBAL, such as the changing overhead burden of stratospheric O3 using observations from OMI, TOMS and SBUV; rising tropospheric H2O using observations from AIRS and reanalysis fields from MERRA; and widening of the climatological tropics using widening rate estimates from the literature and global OH fields from the GEOS Chemistry-Climate Model. Our analysis suggests these factors may have contributed a positive trend to [OH]_GLOBAL large enough to counter the decrease due to CH4.

Climate Change↗

Monitoring and Assimilation of MLS Measurements in the DAO Ozone Data Assimilation System

Since 1999 the DAO (Data Assimilation Office) at NASA Goddard has operationally assimilated ozone measurements in near real time. Currently, the assimilation system analyzes SBUV profile and total column measurements using an off line CTM with parameterized chemistry within the 3D-PSAS algorithm. During the last year the assimilation system was modified to either monitor or actively assimilate MLS (Microwave Limb Sounder) measurements in conjunction with the active assimilation of TOMS total column and SBUV profiles. It is expected that the active assimilation of MLS profiles will improve analysis results in two ways. First, there should be an improvement in the vertical resolution. Second, there should be an improvement in regions where SBUV measurements do not exist (such as in the polar night). A series of experiments using UARS (Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite) MLS data from December 1991 to March 1992 were run. In these experiments MLS data was either monitored in conjunction with active assimilation of the SBUV profile and TOMS total column measurements, or some combination of MLS, TOMS, and SBUV observations was actively assimilated. Monitoring of MLS data indicated that the MLS observations contain verifiable information that should improve the vertical structure of the analysis results, especially below the ozone peak and above the tropopause. The monitoring also substantiated the potential to improve the assimilation in the polar night. Active assimilation of MLS data does indeed improve the analysis results in these two ways, although the quality of the improvements is not uniform. This suggests that refinement of the specification of the error covariances might be needed to optimize the system. In addition it may be necessary to account for biases between the different sources of ozone information.

Atlas, Robert↗

Comparison of satellite measurements of ozone and ozone trends

Measurements of ozone retrieved from satellite instruments over the 1979-1991 period are compared. The instruments used are the total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS), the solar backscattered ultraviolet experiment (SBUV), and stratospheric aerosol and gas experiments (SAGE) I and II. Although there is good agreement between the absolute densities of ozone as measured by the various instruments, the long-term changes (1979-1990) disagree sharply as a function of pressure and in the integrated ozone amount. In the upper stratosphere, SBUV trends are negative with maximum values of about -1.5%/year at high latitudes. Combined SAGE I and II trends are slightly positive in this region and peak near 0.5%/year at equatorial latitudes. In the lower stratosphere, SBUV trends reflect small decreases in ozone, generally less than -0.4%/year except at high southern latitudes where the trends rearch values of approximately -1.5%/year. SAGE ozone trends exhibit large decreases particularly in the equatorial regions where decreases of 3-6%/year are seen at pressures between 60 and 90 mbar. At higher latitudes, SAGE trends are more comparable to SBUV trends in the lower stratosphere. Total ozone trends from TOMS and SBUV agree within their uncertainties. Near-zero trends are indicated at low latitudes, and larger, negative trends (approximately -0.5%/year) are indicated near the poles. The SAGE column ozone trends depend upon the base level altitude of integration but do not exhibit a strong latitude dependence.

Rusch, D. W.↗

Instrument Drift Uncertainties and the Long-Term TOMS/SBUV Total Ozone Record

Long-term climate records from satellites are often constructed from the measurements of a sequence of instruments launched at different times. Each of these instruments is calibrated prior to launch. After launch they are subjected to potential offsets and slow drifts in calibration. We illustrate these issues in the construction of a merged total ozone record from two TOMS and three SBUV instruments. This record extends from late 1978 through the present. The question is "How good are these records?". We have examined the uncertainty in determining the relative calibration of two instruments during an overlap period in their measurements. When comparing a TOMS instrument, such as that on Nimbus 7, with an SBUV instrument, also on Nimbus 7, we find systematic differences and random differences. We have combined these findings with estimates of individual instrument drift into a monte- carlo uncertainty propagation model. We estimate an instrument drift uncertainty of a little larger than 1 percent per decade over the 25-year history of the TOMS/SBUV measurements. We make an independent estimate of the drift uncertainty in the ground-based network of total ozone measurements and find it to be of similar, but slightly smaller magnitude. The implications of these uncertainties for trend and recovery determination will be discussed.

Solarski, Richard S.↗

Evaluation of Upper-Tropospheric and Lower-Stratospheric Ozone Profiles from a Global Ozone Data Assimilation System

The Data Assimilation Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center provides global 3D ozone fields at six-hour time intervals. Data from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) instrument are used in the assimilation. TOMS provides total column information and SBUV provides profile information, primarily above the ozone peak. Information below the ozone peak comes from the model. This paper will explore the realism of the assimilated ozone in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere through validation with ozonesondes, Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), and Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) observations. This work is in preparation of using the assimilated ozone in the radiative calculation for the meteorological assimilation as well as in the derivation of tropospheric ozone.

Rood, Richard B.↗

Applications of Constituent Data Assimilation Systems

Organizations in Europe, Australia, and the United States have recently broadened constituent assimilation activities beyond that water vapor, which has been assimilated for years in the numerical weather prediction community. Many of these activities have focused on ozone, with some efforts focused on the entire suite of reactive constituents that control the ozone distribution. This talk will draw from results from the near real-time ozone data assimilation system being run by NASA's Data Assimilation Office. This system utilizes ozone observations from both the TOMS and the SBUV instrument to generate global synoptic maps of ozone. The initial application of this product is to provide ozone fields to assist in the atmospheric corrections' that are necessary for the retrieval of information from other NASA instruments. The validation of the ozone assimilation system shows that the assimilated product agrees well with independent HALOE and ozonesonde observations. This suggests that the product is of sufficient quality to be extended to other applications. This talk will enumerate these other applications and present initial results from exploratory research. The applications being considered include estimates of tropospheric ozone, provision of ozone fields for interactive retrievals, use of analysis increments from the assimilation to evaluate model performance, and development of long-term consistent three-dimensional global ozone fields. The results from the exploratory studies are promising, and help demonstrate how assumptions made in the p development of the ozone assimilation impact the other applications. For instance, RMS errors in the current product are large near the tropopause, which is sensitive to the specification of vertical correlation functions, which in turns impacts the amount of ozone analyzed to be in the troposphere. How these sensitivities impact the different applications will also be discussed.

Rood, Richard B.↗

Results from NASA's Near Real Time Ozone Data Assimilation Systems

Organizations in Europe, Australia, and the United States have recently broadened constituent assimilation activities beyond water vapor, which has been assimilated for years in the numerical weather prediction applications. Many of these activities have focused on ozone, with some efforts focused on the entire suite of reactive constituents that control the ozone distribution. This talk will draw from results from the near real-time ozone data assimilation system being run by NASA's Data Assimilation Office. This system utilizes ozone observations from both the TOMS and the SBUV instrument to generate global synoptic maps of ozone. The initial application of this product is to provide ozone fields to assist in the atmospheric corrections' that are necessary for the retrieval of information from other NASA instruments. The validation of the ozone assimilation system shows that the assimilated product agrees well with independent HALOE and ozonesonde observations. Aside from providing a global synoptic map, there is verifiable geophysical information at higher vertical resolution than either of the date types input into the system. This talk will establish the validation results and enumerate applications of the ozone data assimilation system. Results from exploratory research will be presented. The applications being considered include estimates of tropospheric ozone, provision of ozone fields for interactive retrievals, use of analysis increments from the assimilation to evaluate model performance, and development of long-term consistent three-dimensional global ozone fields. The results from the exploratory studies are promising, and help demonstrate how assumptions made in the development of the ozone assimilation impact the other applications. For instance, RMS errors in the current product are large near the tropopause, which is sensitive to the specification of vertical correlation functions, which in turns impacts the amount of ozone analyzed to be in the troposphere. How these sensitivities impact the different applications will also be discussed.

Rood, Richard B.↗

A New ENSO Index Derived from Satellite Measurements of Column Ozone

Column Ozone measured in tropical latitudes from Nimbus 7 total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS), Earth Probe TOMS, solar backscatter ultraviolet (SBUV), and Aura ozone monitoring instrument (OMI) are used to derive an El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index. This index, which covers a time period from 1979 to the present, is defined as the Ozone ENSO Index (OEI) and is the first developed from atmospheric trace gas measurements. The OEI is constructed by first averaging monthly mean column ozone over two broad regions in the western and eastern Pacific and then taking their difference. This differencing yields a self-calibrating ENSO index which is independent of individual instrument calibration offsets and drifts in measurements over the long record. The combined Aura OMI and MLS ozone data confirm that zonal variability in total column ozone in the tropics caused by ENSO events lies almost entirely in the troposphere. As a result, the OEI can be derived directly from total column ozone instead of tropospheric column ozone. For clear-sky ozone measurements a +1K change in Nino 3.4 index corresponds to +2.9 Dobson Unit (DU) change in the OEI, while a +1 hPa change in SOI coincides with a -1.7DU change in the OEI. For ozone measurements under all cloud conditions these numbers are +2.4DU and -1.4 DU, respectively. As an ENSO index based upon ozone, it is potentially useful in evaluating climate models predicting long term changes in ozone and other trace gases.

Ziemke, J. R.↗

An assessment of the long-term drift in TOMS total ozone data, based on comparison with the Dobson network

Seven years of total ozone data derived from the TOMS instrument on Nimbus-7 are compared with results from 41 Dobson stations. In this study, a significant improvement in fit from previous studies is obtained using a model which assumes a change in the rate of drift between TOMS and Dobson around the middle of 1982. Results indicate that the TOMS measurements have drifted relative to the Dobson stations with a two-part linear trend of -0.25 + or - 0.17 percent per year during the period from launch to 6/30/82, and -0.51 + or - 0.21 percent per year during 7/1/82 - 10/31/85. The causes of this drift cannot be definitively separated between residual uncorrected drift in the TOMS instrument (a similar drift is apparent in the SBUV-Dobson comparisons), limited sensitivity of the TOMS to increases in tropospheric ozone, and the effect of local increases in pollution levels on individual Dobson stations.

Fleig, Albert J.↗

Sensitivity of Lower Stratospheric Assimilated Ozone on Error Covariance Modeling and Data Selection

Assimilated ozone is produced at the NASA/Goddard Data Assimilation Office by blending ozone retrieved from the Solar Backscatter UltraViolet/2 (SBUV/2) instrument and the Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EP TOMS) measurements into an off-line transport model. The current system tends to overestimate the amount of lower stratospheric ozone. This is a region where ozone plays a key role in the forcing of climate. A biased ozone field in this region will adversely impact calculations of the stratosphere-troposphere exchange and, when used as a first guess in retrievals, the values determined from satellite observations. Since these are all important applications of assimilated ozone products, effort is being directed towards reducing this bias. The SBUV ozone data have a coarse vertical resolution with increased uncertainty below the ozone maximum, and TOMS provides only total ozone columns. Thus, the assimilated ozone in the lower stratosphere, and its vertical distribution in particular, are only weakly constrained by the incoming SBUV and TOMS data. Consequently, the assimilated ozone distribution should be sensitive to changes in inputs to the statistical analysis scheme. Accordingly, the sensitivity of the assimilated lower stratospheric ozone fields to changes in the TOMS error-covariance modeling and the SBUV data selection has been investigated. The use of a spatially correlated TOMS error covariance model led to improvements in the product. However, withholding the SBUV/2 data for the layer between 63 and 126 hPa typically degraded the product, a result which vindicates the use of this layer ozone product, despite its known errors. These efforts to improve the lower stratospheric distribution will be extended to include a more advanced forecast error covariance model, and by assimilating ozone products from new instruments on Envisat and EOS Aura.

Stajner, Ivanka↗

Comparison of TOMS, SBW & SBUV/2 Version 8 Total Column Ozone Data with Data from Groundstations

The Nimbus-7 and Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data as well as SBUV and SBUV/2 data have been reprocessed with a new retrieval algorithm (Version 8) and an updated calibration procedure. An overview will be presented systematically comparing ozone values to an ensemble of Brewer and Dobson spectrophotometers. The comparisons were made as a function of latitude, solar zenith angle, reflectivity and total ozone. Results show that the accuracy of the TOMS retrieval has been improved when aerosols are present in the atmosphere, when snow/ice and sea glint are present, and when ozone in the northern hemisphere is extremely low. TOMS overpass data are derived from the single TOMS best match measurement, almost always located within one degree of the ground station and usually made within an hour of local noon. The Version 8 Earth Probe TOMS ozone values have decreased by an average of about 1% due to a much better understanding of the calibration of the instrument. N-7 SBUV as well as the series of NOAA SBUV/2 column ozone values have also been processed with the Version 8 algorithm and have been compared to values from an ensemble of groundstations. Results show that the SBW column ozone values agree well with the groundstations and the datasets are useful for trend studies.

Labow, G. J.↗

Ozone trends deduced from combined Nimbus 7 SBUV and NOAA 11 SBUV/2 data

The long-term time series of global ozone from the Nimbus-7 Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet instrument (SBUV) (Nov. 1978-June 1990) are extended through June 1994 by using measurements from the NOAA-11 SBUV/2. The data sets are merged based upon comparisons during the 18-month overlap period in which both instruments were operational. During this period, the average offset between the two time series is less than 2% in total ozone, and less than 6% in Umkehr layers 1-10. A linear-regression trend model is applied to the extended time series to calculate updated trends as a function of latitude and altitude. Trends through June 1994 are 1.5-2% per decade less negative than through June 1990 in the tropical middle stratosphere (35-40 km) and in the upper stratosphere (45-50 km) at mid-latitudes. In the lower stratosphere, the trends are nearly 1.5% per decade more negative in the southern hemisphere tropical regions to 25 deg S, but remain relatively unchanged elsewhere. The seasonal structure of the total ozone trends is similar to past trend study results, but the magnitude of the seasonal trend can vary by 2% per decade depending on the length of the time series. Both Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) (through April 1993) and SBUV total ozone time series show small negative trends in the equatorial region, though they are not statistically at the 2-sigma level.

Hollandsworth, S. M.↗

Chemistry and Transport in a Multi-Dimensional Model

Our work has two primary scientific goals, the interannual variability (IAV) of stratospheric ozone and the hydrological cycle of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Our efforts are aimed at integrating new information obtained by spacecraft and aircraft measurements to achieve a better understanding of the chemical and dynamical processes that are needed for realistic evaluations of human impact on the global environment. A primary motivation for studying the ozone layer is to separate the anthropogenic perturbations of the ozone layer from natural variability. Using the recently available merged ozone data (MOD), we have carried out an empirical orthogonal function EOF) study of the temporal and spatial patterns of the IAV of total column ozone in the tropics. The outstanding problem about water in the stratosphere is its secular increase in the last few decades. The Caltech/PL multi-dimensional chemical transport model (CTM) photochemical model is used to simulate the processes that control the water vapor and its isotopic composition in the stratosphere. Datasets we will use for comparison with model results include those obtained by the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV and SBUV/2), Stratosphere Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE I and II), the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), the Atmospheric Trace Molecular Spectroscopy (ATMOS) and those soon to be obtained by the Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE) mission. The focus of the investigations is the exchange between the stratosphere and the troposphere, and between the troposphere and the biosphere.

Yung, Yuk L.↗

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↗