ALBERT

Description: The trends and variability of ozone are assessed over a northern mid-latitude station, Haute-Provence Observatory (OHP: 43.93° N, 5.71° E), using total column ozone observations from the Dobson and Système d'Analyse par Observation Zénithale spectrometers, and stratospheric ozone profile measurements from light detection and ranging (lidar), ozonesondes, Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II, Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). A multivariate regression model with quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), solar flux, aerosol optical thickness, heat flux, North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and a piecewise linear trend (PWLT) or equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine (EESC) functions is applied to the ozone anomalies. The maximum variability of ozone in winter/spring is explained by QBO and heat flux in the ranges 15–45 km and 15–24 km, respectively. The NAO shows maximum influence in the lower stratosphere during winter, while the solar flux influence is largest in the lower and middle stratosphere in summer. The total column ozone trends estimated from the PWLT and EESC functions are of −1.47 ± 0.27 and −1.40 ± 0.25 DU yr−1, respectively, over the period 1984–1996 and about 0.55 ± 0.30 and 0.42 ± 0.08 DU yr−1, respectively, over the period 1997–2010. The ozone profiles yield similar and significant EESC-based and PWLT trends for 1984–1996, and are about −0.5 and −0.8% yr−1 in the lower and upper stratosphere, respectively. For 1997–2010, the EESC-based and PWLT estimates are of the order of 0.3 and 0.1% yr−1, respectively, in the 18–28 km range, and at 40–45 km, EESC provides significant ozone trends larger than the insignificant PWLT results. Furthermore, very similar vertical trends for the respective time periods are also deduced from another long-term satellite-based data set (GOZCARDS–Global OZone Chemistry And Related trace gas Data records for the Stratosphere) sampled at northern mid-latitudes. Therefore, this analysis unveils ozone recovery signals from total column ozone and profile measurements at OHP, and hence in the northern mid-latitudes.

Description: Accurate long-term monitoring of total ozone is one of the most important requirements for identifying possible natural or anthropogenic changes in the composition of the stratosphere. For this purpose, the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change) UV-visible Working Group has made recommendations for improving and homogenizing the retrieval of total ozone columns from twilight zenith-sky visible spectrometers. These instruments, deployed all over the world in about 35 stations, allow measuring total ozone twice daily with limited sensitivity to stratospheric temperature and cloud cover. The NDACC recommendations address both the DOAS spectral parameters and the calculation of air mass factors (AMF) needed for the conversion of O3 slant column densities into vertical column amounts. The most important improvement is the use of O3 AMF look-up tables calculated using the TOMS V8 (TV8) O3 profile climatology, that allows accounting for the dependence of the O3 AMF on the seasonal and latitudinal variations of the O3 vertical distribution. To investigate their impact on the retrieved ozone columns, the recommendations have been applied to measurements from the NDACC/SAOZ (Système d'Analyse par Observation Zénithale) network. The revised SAOZ ozone data from eight stations deployed at all latitudes have been compared to TOMS, GOME-GDP4, SCIAMACHY-TOSOMI, SCIAMACHY-OL3, OMI-TOMS, and OMI-DOAS satellite overpass observations, as well as to those of collocated Dobson and Brewer instruments at Observatoire de Haute Provence (44° N, 5.5° E) and Sodankyla (67° N, 27° E), respectively. A significantly better agreement is obtained between SAOZ and correlative reference ground-based measurements after applying the new O3 AMFs. However, systematic seasonal differences between SAOZ and satellite instruments remain. These are shown to mainly originate from (i) a possible problem in the satellite retrieval algorithms in dealing with the temperature dependence of the ozone cross-sections in the UV and the solar zenith angle (SZA) dependence, (ii) zonal modulations and seasonal variations of tropospheric ozone columns not accounted for in the TV8 profile climatology, and (iii) uncertainty on the stratospheric ozone profiles at high latitude in the winter in the TV8 climatology. For those measurements mostly sensitive to stratospheric temperature like TOMS, OMI-TOMS, Dobson and Brewer, or to SZA like SCIAMACHY-TOSOMI, the application of temperature and SZA corrections results in the almost complete removal of the seasonal difference with SAOZ, improving significantly the consistency between all ground-based and satellite total ozone observations.

Description: Analyses of stratospheric ozone data determined from Dobson Umkehr measurements since 1977 at the Syowa (69.0° S, 39.6° E), Antarctica station show a significant decrease in ozone at altitudes higher than that of the 4 hPa pressure level during the 1980s and 1990s. Ozone values over Syowa have remained low since 2001. The time series of upper stratospheric ozone from the homogenized NOAA (/2) SBUV 8.6 overpass data (± 4°, 24 h) are in qualitative agreement with Syowa station data. Ozone recovery during the austral spring over Syowa station appears to be slower than predicted by the Equivalent Effective Stratospheric Chlorine (EESC) curve. The long-term changes in station's equivalent latitude are derived from MERRA analysis at ~2 hPa and ~50 hPa. These data are used to attribute some of the upper and middle stratospheric ozone changes to the changes in vortex position relative to station location. In addition, high correlation of the Southern Hemisphere Annular Mode (SAM) with polar upper stratospheric ozone during years of maximum solar activity points toward a strong relationship between the strength of the Brewer-Dobson circulation and the polar stratospheric ozone recovery. We have analyzed the results of ozone profiles over Syowa determined from measurements of the Umkehr effect by Dobson ozone spectrophotometers. The ozone depletion attributable to CFCs is clearly visible in the record, but the recovery is slower than predicted. Further research indicates that dynamical and other chemical changes in the atmosphere are delaying the recovery over this station.

Description: The trends and variability of ozone are assessed over a northern mid-latitude station, Haute-Provence Observatory (OHP – 43.93° N, 5.71° E), using total column ozone observations from the Dobson and Système d'Analyse par Observation Zénithale spectrometers, and stratospheric ozone profile measurements from Light detection and ranging, ozonesondes, Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II, Halogen Occultation Experiment and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder. A multi-variate regression model with quasi biennial oscillation (QBO), solar flux, aerosol optical thickness, heat flux, North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) and piecewise linear trend (PWLT) or Equivalent Effective Stratospheric Chlorine (EESC) functions is applied to the ozone anomalies. The maximum variability of ozone in winter/spring is explained by QBO and heat flux in 15–45 km and in 15–24 km, respectively. The NAO shows maximum influence in the lower stratosphere during winter while the solar flux influence is largest in the lower and middle stratosphere in summer. The total column ozone trends estimated from the PWLT and EESC functions are of −1.39±0.26 and −1.40±0.25 DU yr−1, respectively over 1984–1996 and about 0.65±0.32 and 0.42±0.08 DU yr−1, respectively over 1997–2010. The ozone profiles yield similar and significant EESC-based and PWLT trends in 1984–1996 and are about −0.5 and −0.8 % yr−1 in the lower and upper stratosphere, respectively. In 1997–2010, the EESC-based and PWLT trends are significant and of order 0.3 and 0.1 % yr−1, respectively in the 18–28 km range, and at 40–45 km, EESC provides significant ozone trends larger than the insignificant PWLT results. Therefore, this analysis unveils ozone recovery signals from total column ozone and profile measurements at OHP, and hence in the mid-latitudes.

Description: Accurate long-term monitoring of total ozone is one of the most important requirements for identifying possible natural or anthropogenic changes in the composition of the stratosphere. For this purpose, the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change) UV-visible Working Group has made recommendations for improving and homogenizing the retrieval of total ozone columns from twilight zenith-sky visible spectrometers. These instruments, deployed all over the world in about 35 stations, allow measurements of total ozone twice daily with little sensitivity to stratospheric temperature and cloud cover. The NDACC recommendations address both the DOAS retrieval parameters and the calculation of air mass factors (AMF) needed for the conversion of O3 slant column densities into vertical column amounts. The most important improvement is the use of O3 AMF look-up tables calculated using the TOMS V8 O3 profile climatology, that allows accounting for the dependence of the O3 AMF on the seasonal and latitudinal variations of the O3 vertical distribution. To investigate their impact on the retrieved ozone columns, the recommendations have been applied to measurements from the NDACC/SAOZ (Système d'Analyse par Observation Zénithale) network. The revised SAOZ ozone data from eight stations covering all latitude regions have been compared to TOMS, GOME-GDP4, SCIAMACHY-TOSOMI, OMI-TOMS, and OMI-DOAS satellite overpass observations, as well as to those of collocated Dobson and Brewer instruments. A significant improvement is obtained after applying the new O3 AMFs, although systematic seasonal differences between SAOZ and all other instruments remain. These are shown to mainly originate from i) the temperature dependence of the ozone absorption cross sections in the UV being not or improperly corrected by some retrieval algorithms, and ii) the longitudinal differences in tropospheric ozone column being ignored by zonal climatologies. For those measurements sensitive to stratospheric temperature like TOMS, OMI-TOMS, Dobson and Brewer, the application of a temperature correction results in the almost complete removal of the seasonal difference with SAOZ, improving significantly the consistency between all ground-based and satellite total ozone observations.

Description: Analyses of stratospheric ozone data determined from Dobson–Umkehr measurements since 1977 at the Syowa (69.0° S, 39.6° E), Antarctica, station show a significant decrease in ozone at altitudes higher than that of the 4 hPa pressure level during the 1980s and 1990s. Ozone values over Syowa have remained low since 2001. The time series of upper stratospheric ozone from the homogenized NOAA SBUV (Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument)(/2) 8.6 overpass data (±4°, 24 h) are in qualitative agreement with those from the Syowa station data. Ozone recovery during the austral spring over the Syowa station appears to be slower than predicted by the equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine (EESC) curve. The long-term changes in the station's equivalent latitude (indicative of vortex size/position in winter and spring) are derived from MERRA (Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications) reanalyses at ~ 2 and ~ 50 hPa. These data are used to attribute some of the upper and middle stratospheric ozone changes to the changes in vortex position relative to the station's location. In addition, high correlation of the Southern Hemisphere annular mode (SAM) with polar upper stratospheric ozone during years of maximum solar activity points toward a strong relationship between the strength of the Brewer–Dobson circulation and the polar stratospheric ozone recovery. In the lower stratosphere, ozone recovery attributable to CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) is still not definitive, whereas the recovery of the upper stratosphere is slower than predicted. Further research indicates that dynamical and other chemical changes in the atmosphere are delaying detection of recovery over this station.