Distribution of tropospheric ozone determined from satellite data

Journal Article · Tue Mar 20 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JD095iD04p03599· OSTI ID:5041460

Fishman, J ^[1]; Watson, C E ^[2]; Larsen, J C ^[3]; Logan, J A ^[4]

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1. NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA (United States)
2. Lockhead Sciences and Engineering Corp., Hampton, VA (United States)
3. STX Corp., Hampton, VA (United States)
4. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)

An analysis of more than 22,000 ozone profiles from Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment 1 (SAGE 1) (1979-1981) and SAGE 2 (1984-1987) between 50{degree}N and 50{degree}S is used in conjunction with 9 years (1979-1987) of daily global depictions of total ozone from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument abroad Nimbus 7 to investigate the spatial distribution and seasonal cycle of the integrated amount of ozone in the troposphere. In the tropics, highest concentrations are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean downwind (west) of Africa and maximize during the time when biomass burning is most prevalent, between July and October. A different seasonal cycle in the tropics is also observed over Indonesia where a relative maximum is present in the March-April time frame, likewise consistent with when biomass burning is most prevalent. At mid-latitudes, highest concentrations are found downwind of Asia and maximize in the summer. Relatively higher amounts of tropospheric ozone are similarly observed downwind of North America and Europe. At mid-latitudes, the ratio between the amount of tropospheric ozone in the northern hemisphere and the amount in the southern hemisphere is 1.4, in good agreement with in situ measurements. A detailed comparison of this satellite technique with available ozonesonde measurements suggests that the accuracy of this method for deriving the climatology of tropospheric ozone is probably better than 10% in the tropics and 15% at mid-latitudes. The authors also show that TOMS total ozone measurements in the tropics can often be used independently to provide important qualitative insight into the behavior of tropospheric ozone at these low latitudes.

• OSTI ID: 5041460
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 95:D4; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ASIA
ATLANTIC OCEAN
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
BIOMASS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
COMBUSTION
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DISTRIBUTION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENERGY SOURCES
EUROPE
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
INDONESIA
ISLANDS
LATITUDE EFFECT
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDATION
OZONE
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SATELLITES
SEAS
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
STRATOSPHERE
SURFACE WATERS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TROPICAL REGIONS
TROPOSPHERE
VARIATIONS