Abstract
This study aims to compare the ground-based Brewer spectrophotometer total ozone column measurements with the Dobson spectrophotometer and various satellite overpass data available at Marambio Base during the period 2011–2013. This station provides a unique opportunity to study ozone variability near the edge of the southern polar vortex; therefore, many institutions, such as the National Meteorological Service of Argentina, the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, have been carrying out various scientific activities there. The intercomparison was performed using total ozone column data sets retrieved from the ground-based instruments and from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)—Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), OMI–Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS), Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment 2 (GOME2), and Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrophotometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) satellite observations. To assess the quality of the selected data products, comparisons with reference to the Brewer spectrophotometer single observations were made. The performance of the satellite observational techniques was assessed against the solar zenith angle and effective temperature, as well as against the actual shape of the vertical ozone profiles, which represent an important input parameter for the satellite ozone retrievals. The ground-based Dobson observations showed the best agreement with the Brewer data set (R2 = 1.00, RMSE = 1.5%); however, significant solar zenith angle (SZA) dependency was found. The satellite overpass data confirmed good agreement with the Brewer observations but were, however, overestimated in all cases except for the OMI(TOMS), when the mean bias differed from −0.7 DU in the case of the OMI(TOMS) to 6.4 DU for the SCIAMACHY. The differences in satellite observational techniques were further evaluated using statistical analyses adapted for depleted and non-depleted conditions over the ozone hole period.
Highlights
Stratospheric ozone is an important gas, which attenuates harmful ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation and protects life on earth from the damage of DNA structures and related negative health effects, e.g., [1,2]
The satellite overpass data confirmed good agreement with the Brewer observations but were, overestimated in all cases except for the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)(TOMS), when the mean bias differed from −0.7 DU in the case of the OMI(TOMS) to 6.4 DU for the SCIAMACHY
This study offers a complex assessment of the different total ozone column (TOC) monitoring methods, using all ground-based data sources available at the given location, including the highly precise measurements from a double-monochromator Brewer spectrophotometer
Summary
Stratospheric ozone is an important gas, which attenuates harmful ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation and protects life on earth from the damage of DNA structures and related negative health effects, e.g., [1,2]. Within the area of the southern polar vortex, severe stratospheric ozone losses have been observed since the late 1970s, especially in September and October (e.g., [3,4,5]). Atmosphere 2019, 10, 721 ozone-depleting substances have been dramatically limited to the effect of the 1987 Montreal Protocol and its amendments; the first signs of ozone layer recovery have recently been observed, e.g., [8]. In the southern polar regions, [9] found positive trends reaching up to 10% per decade in September, but smaller trends in October. Depending on the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases, the ozone layer is expected to reach pre-depletion levels in the 2040s to the 2050s, with the possibility of exceeding them further in ozone super recovery [10]
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