Comparison of high-latitude line-of-sight ozone column density with derived ozone fields and the effects of horizontal inhomogeneity

W. H. Swartz (1) , J.-H. Yee (1) , C. E. Randall (2) , R. E. Shetter (3) , E. V. Browell (4) , J. F. Burris (5) , T. J. Mcgee (5) , M. A. Avery (4)

1 APL - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD]
2 LASP - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics [Boulder]
3 NCAR - National Center for Atmospheric Research [Boulder]
4 NASA Headquarters
5 GSFC - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Extensive ozone measurements were made during the second SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE II). We compare high-latitude line-of-sight (LOS) slant column ozone measurements from the NASA DC-8 to ozone simulated by forward integration of measurement-derived ozone fields constructed both with and without the assumption of horizontal homogeneity. The average bias and rms error of the simulations assuming homogeneity are relatively small (?6 and 10%, respectively) in comparison to the LOS measurements. The comparison improves significantly (?2% bias; 8% rms error) using forward integrations of three-dimensional proxy ozone fields reconstructed from potential vorticity-O₃ correlations. The comparisons provide additional verification of the proxy fields and quantify the influence of large-scale ozone inhomogeneity. The spatial inhomogeneity of the atmosphere is a source of error in the retrieval of trace gas vertical profiles and column abundance from LOS measurements, as well as a complicating factor in intercomparisons that include LOS measurements at large solar zenith angles.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

W. H. Swartz, J.-H. Yee, C. E. Randall, R. E. Shetter, E. V. Browell, et al.. Comparison of high-latitude line-of-sight ozone column density with derived ozone fields and the effects of horizontal inhomogeneity. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2006, 6 (7), pp.1843-1852. ⟨hal-00295928⟩