Comparison of profile total ozone from SBUV(v8.6) with GOME-type and ground-based total ozone for 16-yr period (1996 to 2011)

Abstract

Abstract. This paper describes the comparison of the variability of total column ozone inferred from the three independent multi-year data records, namely, (i) SBUV(v8.6) profile total ozone, (ii) GTO(GOME-Type total ozone), and (iii) Ground-based total ozone data records covering the 16-yr overlap period (March 1996 through June 2011). Analyses are conducted based on area weighted zonal means for (0–30° S), (0–30° N), (50–30° S), and (30–60° N). It has been found that on average, the differences in monthly zonal mean total ozone vary between −0.32 to 0.76 % and are well within 1%. For "GTO minus SBUV", the standard deviations and ranges (maximum minus minimum) of the differences regarding monthly zonal mean total ozone vary between 0.58 to 0.66% and 2.83 to 3.82% respectively, depending on the latitude band. The corresponding standard deviations and ranges regarding the differences in monthly zonal mean anomalies show values between 0.40 to 0.59% and 2.19 to 3.53%. The standard deviations and ranges of the differences "Ground-based minus SBUV" regarding both monthly zonal means and anomalies are larger by a factor of 1.4 to 2.9 in comparison to "GTO minus SBUV". The Ground-based zonal means, while show no systematic differences, demonstrate larger scattering of monthly data compared to satellite-based records. The differences in the scattering are significantly reduced if seasonal zonal averages are analyzed. The trends of the differences "GTO minus SBUV" and "Ground-based minus SBUV" are found to vary between −0.04 and 0.12% yr−1 (−0.11 and 0.31 DU yr−1). These negligibly small trends have provided strong evidence that there are no significant time dependent differences among these multi-year total ozone data records. Analyses of the deviations from pre-1980 level indicate that for the overlap period of 1996 to 2010, all three data records show gradual recovery at (30–60° N) from −5% in 1996 to −2% in 2010. The corresponding recovery at (50–30° S) is not as obvious until after 2006.