Homogenizing and estimating the uncertainty in NOAA's long-term vertical ozone profile records measured with the electrochemical concentration cell ozonesonde

Sterling, Chance W.; Johnson, B. J.; Oltmans, S. J.; Smit, H. G. J.; Jordan, A. F.; Cullis, Patrick; Hall, E.; Thompson, A. M.; Witte, J. C.

doi:10.5194/amt-11-3661-2018

Cited by 77 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Vertical resolution is 250 m.10.1029/2018JD030098Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres the measured signal. This is similar to the results inWitte et al (2018) that reported on ozone uncertainties in the reprocessed tropical Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes data set andSterling et al (2018) that presented uncertainty estimates for profiles at eight NOAA ozonesonde stations.…”

supporting

confidence: 91%

“…In the right panel of Figure 11b, the ratios of the WFF operational SST to the two profile types are closest to unity when the 2ZNOAA PCF is applied. These values have been recommended by Johnson et al (2002), applied to all NOAA-run station records, and validated by Sterling et al (2018) who recommends adding a 4% transfer function to the 2.0% NB ozone profiles when reprocessing. The agreement between sonde TCO and EP-TOMS overpasses are within 4% (mean absolute percentage differences with respect to the sondes) overall.…”

Section: 1029/2018jd030098mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The NASA Wallops Flight Facility Digital Ozonesonde Record: Reprocessing, Uncertainties, and Dual Launches

et al. 2019

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The NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF; Wallops Is., VA, USA) is the longest continuously operating ozonesonde station in the continental United States (since 1970). The well‐established WFF ozonesonde system comprises a Science Pump Corporation (SPC) electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozone sensor with a 1% potassium iodide and phosphate buffer sensing solution type (SST), interfaced with a Lockheed Martin Sippican radiosonde that provides winds, GPS coordinates, pressure, temperature, and relative humidity. A major milestone has been achieved with the reprocessing of the WFF ozone profiles during the digital measurement era (since 1995) to remove known biases and improve overall accuracy. We present an overview of the reprocessing methods and evaluate the homogenized data set relative to the original records, colocated Dobson, and satellite overpasses. Reprocessing yields modest changes in total column ozone by up to 3%, affirming the high data quality of the original ozone records. First estimates of ozone uncertainty are summarized and found to be consistent with estimates from previous studies. WFF has a history of evaluating ozonesonde performance via dual sonde launches that have tested standard operating procedures and combinations of ECC sensors and SST formulae. This rich data set illustrates how various ECC/SST combinations affect the ozone measurement. Results from the dual launches reaffirm the World Meteorological Organization recommended standard operating procedures where the ozone agreement between the SPC/1% Buffer and EN‐SCI/0.5% Half Buffer pair is well within ±5% throughout the profile. Tests of the SST under field conditions reveal the high sensitivity of ozone measurements to the buffer strength.

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supporting

confidence: 91%

Section: 1029/2018jd030098mentioning

confidence: 99%

The NASA Wallops Flight Facility Digital Ozonesonde Record: Reprocessing, Uncertainties, and Dual Launches

et al. 2019

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“…The ozonesonde package provided a high quality O 3 profile with an uncertainty in the 1 second data of ±1.5 ppb (Sterling et al, 2018). A comparison between the surface O 3 measurement obtained with the tethersonde and the O 3 value from the surface monitor operated by the CDPHE at the Ft. Collins West site shows agreement between the observations ( Figure S2) over the full range of mixing ratios sampled with a linear regression slope of 1.03 and R 2 of 0.99.…”

Section: Measurement Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boundary layer ozone in the Northern Colorado Front Range in July–August 2014 during FRAPPE and DISCOVER-AQ from vertical profile measurements

Oltmans¹,

Cheadle

Johnson³

et al. 2019

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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Data from ground-based ozone (O3) vertical profiling platforms operated during the FRAPPE/DISCOVER-AQ campaigns in summer 2014 were used to characterize key processes responsible for establishing O3 profile development in the boundary layer in the Northern Colorado Front Range. Morning mixing from the upper boundary layer and lower free troposphere into the lower boundary layer was the key process establishing the mid-morning boundary layer O3 mixing ratio. Photochemical O3 production throughout the boundary layer builds on the mid-morning profile. From late morning to mid-afternoon the continuing O3 increase was nearly uniform through the depth of the profile measured by the tethersonde (~400 m). Ozonesondes flown on a near daily schedule over a four week period with multiple profiles on a number of days captured the full 1500 to 2000 m vertical extent of O3 enhancements in the mixed boundary layer confirming O3 production throughout the entire boundary layer. Continuous O3 measurements from the Boulder Atmospheric Observatory (BAO) tall tower at 6 m and 300 m showed hourly O3 at the 6 m level ≥75 ppb on 15% of the days. The diurnal variation on these days followed a pattern similar to that seen in the tethersonde profiles. The association of high O3 days at the BAO tower with transport from sectors with intense oil and natural gas production toward the northeast suggests emissions from this industry were an important source of O3 precursors and are crucial in producing peak O3 events in the NCFR. Higher elevation locations to the west of the NCFR plains regularly experience higher O3 values than those in the lower elevation NCFR locations. Exposure of populations in these areas is not captured by the current regulatory network, and likely underestimated in population O3 exposure assessments.

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“…Because ozonesonde profiles are relied upon as the foundation for satellite O 3 retrievals and validation, we reexamine the agreement among sonde, satellite, and ground‐based TCO with two more years of data from the SHADOZ and NOAA networks to determine if the dropoffs reported in Thompson et al (2017) and Sterling et al (2018) persist. We also extend these analyses to the global network during the Aura satellite era of October 2004 to present.…”

Section: Background: the Ozonesonde Instrument And Data Quality Assurmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Post‐2013 Dropoff in Total Ozone at a Third of Global Ozonesonde Stations: Electrochemical Concentration Cell Instrument Artifacts?

Stauffer

Thompson²,

Kollonige³

et al. 2020

Geophysical Research Letters

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An international effort to improve ozonesonde data quality and to reevaluate historical records has made significant improvements in the accuracy of global network data. However, between 2014 and 2016, ozonesonde total column ozone (TCO; O3) at 14 of 37 regularly reporting stations exhibited a sudden dropoff relative to satellite measurements. The ozonesonde TCO drop is 3–7% compared to satellite and ground‐based TCO, and 5–10% or more compared to satellite stratospheric O3 profiles, compromising the use of recent data for trends, although they remain reliable for other uses. Hardware changes in the ozonesonde instrument are likely a major factor in the O3 dropoff, but no single property of the ozonesonde explains the findings. The bias remains in recent data. Research to understand the dropoff is in progress; this letter is intended as a caution to users of the data. Our findings underscore the importance of regular ozonesonde data evaluation.

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Homogenizing and estimating the uncertainty in NOAA's long-term vertical ozone profile records measured with the electrochemical concentration cell ozonesonde

Cited by 77 publications

References 61 publications

The NASA Wallops Flight Facility Digital Ozonesonde Record: Reprocessing, Uncertainties, and Dual Launches

The NASA Wallops Flight Facility Digital Ozonesonde Record: Reprocessing, Uncertainties, and Dual Launches

Boundary layer ozone in the Northern Colorado Front Range in July–August 2014 during FRAPPE and DISCOVER-AQ from vertical profile measurements

A Post‐2013 Dropoff in Total Ozone at a Third of Global Ozonesonde Stations: Electrochemical Concentration Cell Instrument Artifacts?

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