Trend of total column ozone over Mexico from TOMS and OMI data (1978-2013)

Abstract

Using satellite measurements from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) version 8, this work presents the total column ozone (TCO) trends over Mexico and, in particular, over the state of Zacatecas. Interannual variations and their statistical dispersion show a surprisingly systematic behavior. Yearly low values occur during December and January, while high values between April and May. A significant depletion of about 2.5% in TCO between 1978 and 1994 is derived from their statistical analysis, which also shows stabilization from 1996 to 2013. Although the depletion is merely significant, it is a sign that the studied regions, crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, have not escaped to the depletion of the ozone layer. The characterization described herein is important in terms of the correlation of TCO and ultraviolet radiation levels.