Abstract. The Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) produces precise measurements of the column average dry-air mole fractions of CO 2 , CO, CH 4 , N 2 O and H 2 O at a variety of sites worldwide. These observations rely on spectroscopic parameters that are not known with sufficient accuracy to compute total columns that can be used in combination with in situ measurements. The TCCON must therefore be calibrated to World Meteorological Orga-

[1] The Earth Observing System (EOS) Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) aboard the Aura satellite has provided essentially daily global measurements of ozone (O 3 ) profiles from the upper troposphere to the upper mesosphere since August of 2004. This paper focuses on validation of the MLS stratospheric standard ozone product and its uncertainties, as obtained from the 240 GHz radiometer measurements, with a few results concerning mesospheric ozone. We compare average differences and scatter from matched MLS version 2.2 profiles and coincident ozone profiles from other satellite instruments, as well as from aircraft lidar measurements taken during Aura Validation Experiment (AVE) campaigns. Ozone comparisons are also made between MLS and balloon-borne remote and in situ sensors. We provide a detailed characterization of random and systematic uncertainties for MLS ozone. We typically find better agreement in the comparisons using MLS version 2.2 ozone than the version 1.5 data. The agreement and the MLS uncertainty estimates in the stratosphere are often of the order of 5%, with values closer to 10% (and occasionally 20%) at the lowest stratospheric altitudes, where small positive MLS biases can be found. There is very good agreement in the latitudinal distributions obtained from MLS and from coincident profiles from other satellite instruments, as well as from aircraft lidar data along the MLS track.

Lidar observations collected during the Lidar In-space Technology Experiment experiment in conjunction with the Meteosat and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts data have been used not only to validate the Saharan dust plume conceptual model constructed from the GARP (Global Atmospheric Research Programme) Atlantic Tropical Experiment data, but also to examine the vicissitudes of the Saharan aerosol including their optical depths across the west Africa and east Atlantic regions. Optical depths were evaluated from both the Meteosat and lidar data. Back trajectory calculations were also made along selected lidar orbits to verify the characteristic anticyclonic rotation of the dust plume over the eastern Atlantic as well as to trace the origin of a dust outbreak over West Africa. A detailed synoptic analysis including the satellite-derived optical depths, vertical lidar backscattering cross section profiles, and back trajectories of the 16-19 September 1994 Saharan dust outbreak over the eastern Atlantic and its origin over West Africa during the 12-15 September period have been presented. In addition, lidar-derived backscattering profiles and optical depths were objectively analyzed to investigate the general features of the dust plume and its geographical variations in optical thickness. These analyses validated many of the familiar characteristic features of the Saharan dust plume conceptual model such as (i) the lifting of the aerosol over central Sahara and its subsequent transport to the top of the Saharan air layer (SAL), (ii) the westward rise of the dust layer above the gradually deepening marine mixed layer and the sinking of the dust-layer top, (iii) the anticyclonic gyration of the dust pulse between two consecutive trough axes, (iv) the dome-shaped structure of the dust-layer top and bottom, (v) occurrence of a middlelevel jet near the southern boundary of the SAL, (vi) transverse-vertical circulations across the SAL front including their possible role in the initiation of a squall line to the southside of the jet that ultimately developed into a tropical storm, and (vii) existence of satellite-based high optical depths to the north of the middle-level jet in the ridge region of the wave. Furthermore, the combined analyses reveal a complex structure of the dust plume including its origin over North Africa and its subsequent westward migration over the Atlantic Ocean. The dust plume over the west African coastline appears to be composed of two separate but narrow plumes originating over the central Sahara and Lake Chad regions, in contrast to one single large plume shown in the conceptual model. Lidar observations clearly show that the Saharan aerosol over North Africa not only consist of background dust (Harmattan haze) but also wind-blown aerosol from fresh dust outbreaks. They further exhibit maximum dust concentration near the middle-level jet axis with downward extension of heavy dust into the marine boundary layer including a clean dust-free trade wind inversion to the north of the d...

[1] Global satellite observations of ozone and carbon monoxide from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the EOS Aura spacecraft are discussed with emphasis on those observations in the 215-100 hPa region (the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere). The precision, resolution and accuracy of the data produced by the MLS ''version 2.2'' processing algorithms are discussed and quantified. O 3 accuracy is estimated at $40 ppbv +5% ($20 ppbv +20% at 215 hPa) while the CO accuracy is estimated at $30 ppbv +30% for pressures of 147 hPa and less. Comparisons with expectations and other observations show good agreements for the O 3 product, generally consistent with the systematic errors quoted above. In the case of CO, a persistent factor of $2 high bias is seen at 215 hPa. However, the morphology is shown to be realistic, consistent with raw MLS radiance data, and useful for scientific study. The MLS CO data at higher altitudes are shown to be consistent with other observations.

[1] Satellite observations of carbon monoxide (CO) from the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument are combined with measurements from the Transport and Chemical Evolution Over the Pacific (TRACE-P) aircraft mission over the northwest Pacific and with a global three-dimensional chemical transport model (GEOS-CHEM) to quantify Asian pollution outflow and its trans-Pacific transport during spring 2001. Global CO column distributions in MOPITT and GEOS-CHEM are highly correlated (R 2 = 0.87), with no significant model bias. The largest regional bias is over Southeast Asia, where the model is 18% too high. A 60% decrease of regional biomass burning emissions in the model (to 39 Tg yr À1 ) would correct the discrepancy; this result is consistent with TRACE-P observations. MOPITT and TRACE-P also give consistent constraints on the Chinese source of CO from fuel combustion (181 Tg CO yr À1 ). Four major events of trans-Pacific transport of Asian pollution in spring 2001 were seen by MOPITT, in situ platforms, and GEOS-CHEM. One of them was sampled by TRACE-P (26-27 February) as a succession of pollution layers over the northeast Pacific. These layers all originated from one single event of Asian outflow that split into northern and southern plumes over the central Pacific. The northern plume (sampled at 6-8 km off California) had no ozone enhancement. The southern subsiding plume (sampled at 2-4 km west of Hawaii) contained a 8-17 ppbv ozone enhancement, driven by decomposition of peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN) to nitrogen oxides (NO x ). This result suggests that PAN decomposition in trans-Pacific pollution plumes subsiding over the United States could lead to significant enhancements of surface ozone.