An empirical model for estimating stratospheric ozone vertical distributions over China

Abstract

Based on the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II and the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) ozone profiles and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) total ozone data sets, an empirical model for estimating the vertical distribution of stratospheric ozone over China is proposed. By using this model, the vertical distribution of stratospheric (16–50 km) ozone can be estimated according to latitude, month and total ozone. Comparisons are made between the modeled ozone profiles and the SAGEII/HALOE monthly mean ozone measurements, and the results show that the model calculated ozone concentrations conform well with the SAGEII/HALOE measured values, with the differences being less than 15% between 16 km and 18 km, less than 5% between 19 km and 40 km, and less than 10% between 41 km and 50 km. Comparisons of the model results with balloon-borne ozonesonde measurements performed in Beijing also show good agreement, within 5%, at altitudes between 19 km and 30 km.