Midlatitude tropospheric ozone columns derived from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument and Microwave Limb Sounder measurements
Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
10-27-2007
Abstract
Tropospheric ozone columns derived from differences between the Dutch-Finnish Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) measurements of the total atmospheric ozone column and the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) measurements of stratospheric ozone columns are discussed. Because the measurements by these two instruments are not spatially coincident, interpolation techniques, with emphasis on mapping the stratospheric columns in space and time using the relationships between lower stratospheric ozone and potential vorticities (PV) and geopotential heights (Z), are evaluated. It is shown that this PV mapping procedure produces somewhat better agreement in comparisons with ozonesonde measurements, particularly in winter, than does simple linear interpolation of the MLS stratospheric columns or the use of typical coincidence criteria. The OMI/MLS derived tropospheric columns are calculated to be 4 Dobson units (DU) smaller than the sonde measured columns. This mean difference is consistent with the MLS (version 1.5) stratospheric ozone columns being high relative to Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE II) columns by 3 DU. Standard deviations between the derived tropospheric columns and those measured by ozonesondes are 9 DU (30%) annually but they are just 6 DU (15%) in summer. Uncertainties in the interpolated MLS stratospheric columns are likely to be the primary cause of these standard deviations. An important advantage of the PV mapping approach is that it works well when MLS data are missing (e.g., when an orbit of measurements is missing). In the comparisons against ozonesonde measurements, it provides up to twice as many comparisons compared to the other techniques. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
Volume
112
Issue
20
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Yang, Q., D. M. Cunnold, H. J. Wang, L. Froidevaux, H. Claude, J. Merrill, M. Newchurch, and S. J. Oltmans. "Midlatitude tropospheric ozone columns derived from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument and Microwave Limb Sounder measurements." Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres 112, 20 (2007). doi: 10.1029/2007JD008528.