Long-term tropospheric and lower stratospheric ozone variations from ozonesonde observations

Abstract

An analysis is presented of the long-term mean pressure latitude seasonal distribution of tropospheric and lower stratospheric ozone for the four seasons covering, in part, over 20 years of ozonesonde data. The observed patterns show minimum ozone mixing ratios in the equatorial and tropical troposphere except in regions where net photochemical production is dominant. In the middle and upper troposphere, and low stratosphere to 50 mb, ozone increases from the tropics to subpolar latitudes of both hemispheres. In mid stratosphere, the ozone mixing ratio is a maximum over the tropics. The observed vertical ozone gradient is small in the troposphere but increases rapidly above the tropopause. The seasonal variation at a typical mid latitude station (Hohenpeissenberg) shows a summer maximum in the low to middle troposphere, shifting to a winter-spring maximum in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere and spring -summer maximum at 10 mb. The amplitude of the annual variation increases from a minimum in the tropics to a maximum in polar regions. Also, the amplitude increases with height at all latitudes up to about 30 mb where the phase of the annual variation changes abruptly. The phase of the annual variation is during spring in the boundary layer, summer in mid troposphere, and spring in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The annual long-term ozone trends are significantly positive at about + 1.2% yr in mid troposphere (500 mb) and significantly negative at about − 0.6% yr 1 in the lower stratosphere(50mb)