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At least 19 records

Profile shape dependence in backscattered ultraviolet satellite retrievals of total ozone

Total ozone operational algorithms use climatological mean ozone profiles. When the actual ozone profiles have significantly different shapes versus the climatology and the solar zenith angles are large, retrieved total ozone will have an error. Recalibrated SBUV profiles are used to estimate this error. Preliminary results suggest that, on the average, the change and variation in significant profiles shapes can to a large degree be estimated by the SBUV derived profiles. Preliminary results suggest the average error in the report algorithm ozone trend (trend in reported ozone) from profile shape is relatively small during the north hemisphere winter (less than 2 percent) for solar zenith angles less than 82 degrees (for 60 degrees North Latitude).

Taylor, S. L.↗

Evidence of Stratosphere-to-Troposphere Transport Within a Mesoscale Model and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer Total Ozone

We evaluate evidence for stratospheric mass transport into, and mass remaining in, the troposphere during an intense midlatitude cyclone. Mesoscale forecast model analysis fields from the Mesoscale Analysis and Prediction System were matched with total ozone observations from the Total Ozone Measurement Spectrometer. Combined with parcel back trajectory calculations, the analyses imply that two mechanisms contributed to the mass exchange: (1) An area of dynamically induced exchange was observed on the cyclone's southern edge. Parcels originally in the stratosphere crossed the jet core and were diluted through turbulent mixing with tropospheric air; (2) Diabetic effects reduced parcel potential vorticity (PC) for trajectories traversing precipitation regions, creating a 'PV hole' signature in the center of the cyclone. Air with characteristics of ozone and water vapor found in the lower stratosphere remained in the troposphere. The strength of the latter process may be unusual. Combined with other research, these results suggest that precipitation-induced diabetic effects can significantly modify (either decreasing or increasing) parcel potential vorticity, depending on parcel trajectory configuration with respect to maximum heating regions and jet core. The diabetic heating effect on stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) is more important to tropopause erosion than to altering parcel trajectories. In addition, these results underline the importance of using not only PC but also chemical constituents for diagnoses of STE.

Olsen, Mark A.↗

Total ozone and total NO2 latitudinal distribution derived from measurements in the Atlantic Ocean in May 1988

Total ozone and NO2 were measured aboard a ship in the 40S - 40N latitude band in the Atlantic Ocean in the second half of May 1988. The main features of the latitudinal distributions of total NO2 and ozone are similar. There is seen an increase of total ozone and NO2 from the tropical to subtropical latitudes, strongest in the region of the subtropical jet stream. The fine structure has been revealed in the total ozone and NO2 latitudinal distributions, connected most likely with stratosphere-troposphere exchange processes in the tropopause folding zone.

Elokhov, Alexander S.↗

A global climatology of total ozone from the Nimbus 7 total ozone mapping spectrometer

A global climatology of total column ozone has been computed from 4 years of daily observations by the total ozone mapping spectrometer aboard the Nimbus 7 polar-orbiting satellite. Observations were made at local noon; no observations are available in polar regions during the polar night. The orbital data have been area averaged onto a regular 5 deg by 5 deg latitude-longitude grid. The global coverage is more than 90 percent complete during the last 3 observing years (October 1979 to September 1982) and approximately 70 percent complete during the first year (October 1978 to September 1979). Global maps of the temporal mean and rms variance and the amplitude and phase of the annual and semiannual harmonics are presented. Similar analyses of the zonal mean values are given along with a time-latitude section of the zonal-mean total ozone. This climatology should be useful both for validating numerical models and for inspiring theoretical analyses.

Bowman, K. P.↗

New Total Ozone Algorithm for Application to the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer

The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) series comprises four instruments providing a total of 25 years of daily global stratospheric ozone data over the sunlit portion of the Earth. A new retrieval algorithm has been developed for TOMS, designated Version 8. The algorithm is based on differential absorption across a pair of wavelength channels chosen close together to minimize the impact of wavelength dependent forward modeling errors. Version 8 enhancements include correction for the presence of tropospheric aerosols and sun glint from water surfaces, a better treatment of variability due to tropospheric ozone and temperature dependence, and an improved forward model, particularly in regions of persistent snow and ice. Among other things, the Version 8 enhancements have reduced latitudinal dependence seen previously in TOMS - Dobson comparisons, predominantly in the Southern Hemisphere's summer, when the tropospheric ozone, temperature, and snow/ice corrections are additive. The basic components of the algorithm and its impact on derived total ozone will be discussed.

Wellemeyer, C.↗

Upper-tropospheric and lower-stratospheric dynamics associated with tropical cyclones as inferred from total ozone measurements

Total ozone associated with western Atlantic and Pacific tropical cyclones at different developmental stages is analyzed in an attempt to monitor the lower-stratospheric and upper-tropospheric mass adjustment processes associated with the tropical cyclone and its environment. The analysis is based on total ozone measurements obtained using the total ozone mapping spectrometer onboard the Nimbus-7. In order to study the total ozone within and surrounding the tropical cyclone, the storm is divided into four regions: the environment, the moat, the central dense overcast, and the eye. Tropical Cyclone Allen is used to discuss the total ozone features that are typical of other western Atlantic and Pacific storms. Western Pacific storms are emphasized in the discussion of the eye total ozone distribution.

Rodgers, Edward↗

Comparison of Profile Total Ozone from SBUV (v8.6) with GOME-Type and Ground-Based Total Ozone for a 16-Year Period (1996 to 2011)

This paper describes the comparison of the variability of total column ozone inferred from the three independent multi-year data records, namely, (i) Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument (SBUV) v8.6 profile total ozone, (ii) GTO (GOME-type total ozone), and (iii) ground-based total ozone data records covering the 16-year overlap period (March 1996 through June 2011). Analyses are conducted based on area-weighted zonal means for 0-30degS, 0-30degN, 50-30degS, and 30-60degN. It has been found that, on average, the differences in monthly zonal mean total ozone vary between −0.3 and 0.8% and are well within 1 %. For GTO minus SBUV, the standard deviations and ranges (maximum minus minimum) of the differences regarding monthly zonal mean total ozone vary between 0.6-0.7% and 2.8-3.8% respectively, depending on the latitude band. The corresponding standard deviations and ranges regarding the differences in monthly zonal mean anomalies show values between 0.4-0.6% and 2.2-3.5 %. The standard deviations and ranges of the differences ground-based minus SBUV regarding both monthly zonal means and anomalies are larger by a factor of 1.4-2.9 in comparison to GTO minus SBUV. The ground-based zonal means demonstrate larger scattering of monthly data compared to satellite-based records. The differences in the scattering are significantly reduced if seasonal zonal averages are analyzed. The trends of the differences GTO minus SBUV and ground-based minus SBUV are found to vary between −0.04 and 0.1%/yr (−0.1 and 0.3DU/yr). These negligibly small trends have provided strong evidence that there are no significant time-dependent differences among these multiyear total ozone data records. Analyses of the annual deviations from pre-1980 level indicate that, for the 15-year period of 1996 to 2010, all three data records show a gradual increase at 30-60degN from −5% in 1996 to −2% in 2010. In contrast, at 50-30degS and 30degS- 30degN there has been a leveling off in the 15 years after 1996. The deviations inferred from GTO and SBUV show agreement within 1 %, but a slight increase has been found in the differences during the period 1996-2010.

trends↗

Merged Long-Term Data Sets from TOMS and SBUV Total Ozone Measurements

Total ozone has been measured by a series of nadir-viewing satellite instruments. These measurements begin with the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and Solar Backscatter UltraViolet (SBUV) instruments on Nimbus 7, launched in late 1978. The measurements have continued with the Meteor 3 TOMS, Earth Probe TOMS, and NOAA 9,11,14 SBUV/2 instruments. The problem for producing a long-term data set is establishing the relative calibration of the various instruments to better than 1%. There was a nearly two year gap between the Meteor 3 TOMS and the Earth Probe TOMS. This gap is filled by the NOAA 9 and 11 SBUV/2 instruments, but they were in drifting orbits that result in effective gaps in the record when the equator crossing time occurs at large solar zenith angle. We have used recently re-derived calibrations of the SBUV instruments using the D-pair (306/313 nm wavelengths) data at the equator. These equatorial D-pair measurements should maintain the internal calibration of each instrument better than previous approaches. We then use the comparisons between instruments during their overlap periods to establish a consistent calibration over the entire data set. The resulting merged ozone data set is independent of the ground-based Dobson/Brewer network.

Stolarski, Richard↗

First results from the Nimbus 7 total ozone mapping spectrometer

The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument was launched on the Nimbus 7 satellite in October 1978. This instrument is designed to measure spatial variations in the total ozone field. The employed technique is an extension of the Backscattered Ultraviolet (BUV) total ozone method. The TOMS instrument has an improved capability for detailed monitoring of total ozone. The obtained data appear to contain information about dynamical processes in the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere. Investigations are being conducted to determine qualitatively the conditions, if any, where total ozone fails as a predictor for tropopause height. Quantitative relations between the dynamic parameters and total ozone are also being studied.

Krueger, A. J.↗

Assessment of Long-term Trends in the Collection 4 Total Ozone Record from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument

Long-term changes in total ozone affect the amount of harmful UV radiation reaching Earth’s surface and reflect progress made towards recovery of stratospheric ozone. Satellite total ozone data are also used to estimate long-term trends in tropospheric ozone, a reactive and potent greenhouse gas, by subtracting the stratospheric column timeseries from that of total ozone. For these scientific applications, the long-term stability should be better than 1%. Left unchecked, instrument calibration drift can produce a trend of this magnitude or greater. NASA has produced nearly twenty years of total ozone data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) using the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) algorithm. The drift in the OMI instrument as monitored by ice radiance calibration has been relatively slow, but it has reached a level of ~3% over the mission lifetime. This drift was corrected in the recently released Collection 4 OMI calibrated radiances, updating the Collection 3 calibration released in 2006. We have reprocessed the OMI total ozone record using the Collection 4 calibration and updates to the TOMS algorithm. We summarize these changes and evaluate their impact by comparing to the previous Collection 3 OMI dataset, the Suomi NPP Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite Nadir Mapper (OMPS-NM) and Solar Backscatter UV (SBUV) Merged Ozone Dataset (MOD) total ozone records and other independent satellite total ozone datasets. Climatological radiance residuals from OMI and OMPS-NM are calculated and compared to investigate differences in spectral calibration that can cause drifts in long-term total ozone trends. We also analyze the tropospheric ozone record produced using the Collection 4 OMI total ozone and stratospheric column ozone from MLS. Collection 3 OMI data processed with the TOMS algorithm show a positive drift relative to other satellite and ground-based data of 1-2 DU per decade. Initial results show that this drift is reduced in Collection 4 OMI, due to the updated OMI calibration. In this work we will quantify the improvements in Collection 4 OMI relative to independent data sources at both the ozone and radiance level

Collection 4 OMI Total Ozone↗

Evaluation of a Multi-Decadal Simulation of Stratospheric Ozone by Comparison with Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) Observations

One key application of atmospheric chemistry and transport models is prediction of the response of ozone and other constituents to various natural and anthropogenic perturbations. These include changes in composition, such as the previous rise and recent decline in emission of man-made chlorofluorcarbons, changes in aerosol loading due to volcanic eruption, and changes in solar forcing. Comparisons of hindcast model results for the past few decades with observations are a key element of model evaluation and provide a sense of the reliability of model predictions. The 25 year data set from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometers is a cornerstone of such model evaluation. Here we report evaluation of three-dimensional multi-decadal simulation of stratospheric composition. Meteorological fields for this off-line calculation are taken from a 50 year simulation of a general circulation model. Model fields are compared with observations from TOMS and also with observations from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE), Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES), and the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE). This overall evaluation will emphasize the spatial, seasonal, and interannual variability of the simulation compared with observed atmospheric variability.

Douglass, Anne R.↗

Distribution of total ozone and stratospheric ozone in the tropics - Implications for the distribution of tropospheric ozone

Climatologies of total columnar ozone and integrated stratospheric ozone amounts at low latitudes (15 deg N to 15 deg S), derived from satellite observations, are presented. A significant longitudinal variability in total ozone is present, with highest values generally located between 60 deg W and 60 deg E. The integrated stratospheric component of total ozone, on the other hand, does not exhibit a longitudinal preference for high values. Therefore it is hypothesized that the climatological longitudinal distribution of total ozone reflects the variability of the abundance of tropospheric ozone at low latitudes. Furthermore, it is speculated that in situ photochemical production of ozone resulting from biomass burning may be responsible for the observed enhancement of total ozone at these longitudes.

Fishman, Jack↗

Nimbus-7 total ozone algorithm

The total ozone algorithm used for the processing of Nimbus-4 BUV measurements is modified to account for off-nadir viewing of the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer onboard Nimbus-7 satellite. TOMS is a cross-track scanning instrument with a 50 x 50-km field of view, increasing to 150 x 150 km at the extreme off-nadir angle of 51 deg and six spectral bands in the 310-380-nm region. Consideration is given to the determination of the pressure at the reflecting surface and profile selection scheme at very high solar zenith angles. The algorithm is also applicable to the Solar Backscattered UV Experiment aboard the same satellite. The modifications provide for a better cloud height, snow correction, and improved retrievals near the terminator.

Bhartia, P. K.↗

Tropospheric Ozone Pollution Transport Traced from the TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) Instrument During the Nashville-1999 Campaign

Over the past several years, we have developed two new tropospheric ozone retrievals from the TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) satellite instrument that are of sufficient resolution to follow pollution episodes. The modified-residual technique [Hudson and Thompson, 1998; Thompson and Hudson, 1999] uses v. 7 TOMS total ozone and is applicable to tropical regimes in which the wave-one pattern in total ozone is observed. The TOMS-direct method [("TDOT" = TOMS Direct Ozone in the Troposphere; Frolov et al., 2000] represents a new algorithm that uses TOMS radiances directly (i.e., not previously processed for TOMS ozone) to extract tropospheric ozone in regions of constant stratospheric ozone and tropospheric ozone displaying high mixing ratios and variability characteristic of pollution. These events tend to occur in certain meteorological regimes. For example, mid-latitude pollution usually occurs on the backside of subtropical fronts, as low pv, usually moist air intrudes to the extra-tropics. July 1999 was a month characterized by robust pollution in the eastern US, with high ozone, as detected by TOMS, originating over south central states and moving up the Atlantic seaboard. This corresponds to 50-80 DU in tropospheric ozone column depth. In most cases, further transport occurred to the North Atlantic, with ozone plumes traveling to western Europe in 4-5 days. Examples of high ozone and transit across boundaries within the US, as well as US->Europe, give a regional context for model results and field measurements taken in the SE US during the Nashville-1999 campaign period. Validation of the TDOT maps is made with ozonesondes taken during that time. TDOT maps also show ozone pollution from Asia traveling to the western US in July 1999.

Thompson, Anne M.↗

Stratospheric ozone profile and total ozone trends derived from the SAGE I and SAGE II data

Global trends in both stratospheric column ozone and as a function of altitude are derived on the basis of SAGE I/II ozone data from the period 1979-1991. A statistical model containing quasi-biennial, seasonal, and semiannual oscillations, a linear component, and a first-order autoregressive noise process was fit to the time series of SAGE I/II monthly zonal mean data. The linear trend in column ozone above 17-km altitude, averaged between 65 deg S and 65 deg N, is -0.30 +/-0.19 percent/yr, or -3.6 percent over the time period February 1979 through April 1991. The data show that the column trend above 17 km is nearly zero in the tropics and increases towards the high latitudes with values of -0.6 percent/yr at 60 deg S and -0.35 percent/yr at 60 deg N. Both these results are in agreement with the recent TOMS results. The profile trend analyses show that the column ozone losses are occurring below 25 km, with most of the loss coming from the region between 17 and 20 km. Negative trend values on the order of -2 percent/yr are found at 17 km in midlatitudes.

Mccormick, M. P.↗

Tropospheric ozone from satellite total ozone measurements

A method for determining the amount of ozone in the tropical troposphere from concurrent sets of satellite data is presented. This procedure is applied only in the Tropics and the results indicate that a significant longitudinal gradient is present at low latitudes and that the highest amounts of tropospheric ozone are located west (i.e., downwind) of Africa and South America. Such a distribution suggests that biomass burning, or another stationary source of continental origin, is the largest source of ozone in the Tropics. The integrated amount of ozone in the Tropics that is derived from this analysis is comparable to or only slightly less than the amount of ozone that is present in northern mid latitudes. If such an interpretation is valid, then it suggests that the magnitude of the amount of tropospheric ozone resulting from in situ photochemical production in this region is comparable to the in situ photochemical source from industrialized emissions.

Fishman, Jack↗

An analysis of the 7-year record of SBUV satellite ozone data - Global profile features and trends in total ozone

Results are presented from an analysis of Nimbus 7 SBUV monthly-average total ozone data for the November 1978 - September 1985 period. Linear drifts are estimated for the differences between SBUV and Dobson ground station total ozone data. The results show an average negative linear drift in SBUV data relative to Dobson data of about -0.4 percent per year. The global estimate of the relation between total ozone and solar flux variations is 0.97 + or - 0.61/100 solar flux units, representing a change of total ozone over the 7-year period associated with solar flux variations of about -0.20 + or - 0.13 percent per year.

Reinsel, Gregory C.↗

Tropical cyclone-upper atmospheric interaction as inferred from satellite total ozone observations

The Nimbus-7 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) was used to map the distribution of total ozone in and around western Atlantic tropical cyclones from 1979 to 1982. It was found that the TOMS-observed total ozone distribution within the subtropics during the tropical cyclone season correlated well with the tropopause topography, similar to earlier middle-latitudinal observations. This relationship made it possible to use TOMS to monitor the propagation of upper-tropospheric subtropical transient waves and the mutual adjustment between the tropical cyclone and the upper-tropospheric waves during their interaction. These total ozone patterns reflected the three-dimensional upper-tropospheric transport processes that were conducive for storm intensification and weakening. It was also found from satellite observations and numerical model simulations that modification of the environmental distribution of total ozone by the tropical cyclones was primarily caused by the secondary circulation associated with the tropical cyclone's outflow jet and the intrusion of stratospheric air in the eyes of tropical cyclones.

Rodgers, Edward B.↗