Comparison of long-term total ozone observations from space- and ground-based methods at Zhongshan Station, Antarctica

Abstract

Total ozone errors for satellite observations at Zhongshan Station in Antarctica are characterized using their relative difference (RD) from ground-based Brewer observations during 1993–2015. All satellite total ozone observations slightly overestimated ground-based ones (with RD less than 4%). This is in contrast to conclusions drawn from global-scale validation studies, where main ground-based reference stations are located in middle latitudes. Given multiple total ozone data per day at Zhongshan Station, observed by a sun synchronous orbit satellite, measurements at the lowest solar zenith angle (SZA) show greatest consistency with Brewer ones, having an overall RD of −0.02–1.15%. Algorithm-retrieved total ozone data from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), including Solar Backscatter Ultra Violet (SBUV), TOMS-Earth Probe (EP), Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)-TOMS, show best agreement with ground-based values; followed by the Global Ozone Measurement Experiment-type Direct Fitting (GOD-FIT) algorithm for the GOME-2A, and finally the Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) —Algorithm retrieved products for satellites-detectors of Global Ozone Measurement Experiment (GOME), Scanning Imaging Absorption spectroMetr for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY), and OMI. Satellite total ozone RD presents some statistical characteristics, but no specific trends. DOAS and GOME-2A algorithms have values that significantly increase, when the SZA is above 60°–70°, whereas values for GOME-2A decrease, when the SZA is 80–85°. Satellite total ozone RD is a minimum, when the Brewer total ozone is 300–350 DU, with an obvious increase in RD values for DOAS- and GOME-2A, when the Brewer total ozone is 150–300 DU. Satellite total ozone RD obviously increases, as the time difference between satellite overpasses and Brewer measurements grows. Specifically, RD rises as the absolute time difference increases to more than 4 h, yielding an OMI-TOMS RD of more than 10% as this difference increases to 8 h. The DOAS- RD may be up to 15%, while GOME-2A RD does not exceed 10%. The satellite total ozone RD may reach −5%, as the distance between the satellite overpass pixel and the station become more than 100 km. Possibly because of the discrepancy in surface albedo, the TOMS-algorithm retrieved total ozone produced underestimation, when the pixel on the south-east side of the station (the Antarctica continent) is used, but overestimation on the north-west side of the station (the Indian Ocean). Consistency between space and ground-based total ozone data is least for the “ozone hole”. Typically, the RD of TOMS-algorithm retrieved total ozone is within 1%/10 yr. Thus, the SBUV and Brewer monthly averaged total ozone anomalies from 1996 to 2015 were 1%/10 yr and 0.9%/10 yr, respectively. Both indicate slight, but consistent, ozone layer recovery.