Improving ECC Ozonesonde Data Quality: Assessment of Current Methods and Outstanding Issues

Abstract

Ozonesondes are the backbone of the global ozone observing network, making relatively inexpensive, accurate measurements of ozone from the ground to 30 km, with high vertical resolution (∼100 m), for more than 50 years. Ozonesonde data are used extensively for validation of satellite ozone data products, and are also part of merged satellite data sets and climatologies that are used for trend analyses and as a priori data for satellite retrievals. The importance of electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) sondes for trend

An Examination of the Recent Stability of Ozonesonde Global Network Data

“…Instrument performance has been evaluated through laboratory experiments (Smit & ASOPOS, 2014; Smit et al., 2007, 2021; Thompson et al., 2019), field campaigns (Boyd et al., 1998; Deshler et al., 2008; Komhyr et al., 1995), and analysis of historical records (Tarasick et al., 2019). Uncertainties associated with ECC ozonesonde measurements have decreased from >10% in the late 1990s, to near 5% today (Smit et al., 2021; Tarasick et al., 2021; Witte et al., 2018). The satellite instrument community has requested even more stable and reliable data to detect and quantify drift in satellite measurements that span a decade or more (Hubert et al., 2016).…”

“…Always paired with a meteorological radiosonde, the ECC provides continuous, high‐quality, in‐situ measurements of ozone with high vertical resolution (100–150 m) from the surface to over 30‐km altitude, characteristics that no other instrument, remote‐sensing or otherwise, can match. The measurement principle of the ECC is based on the wet chemical reaction of ozone in a neutral‐buffered potassium iodide (KI) solution, such that approximately two electrons flow in an external circuit in the ECC for each ozone molecule absorbed into the solution (Smit et al., 2021; Tarasick et al., 2021). The magnitude of the resulting current is transmitted via the radiosonde to a receiving station and converted into ozone partial pressure.…”

Effect of Synoptic‐Scale Dynamics on the Vertical Distribution of Tropospheric Ozone Over the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean During the Boreal Winter of 2018

“…ECC Ozonesondes measure the vertical distribution of ozone at very high vertical resolution (∼100–150 m) based on the principle of iodometric titration (Komhyr, 1969). The accuracy of the ozone measurement is within 15% up to 30 km altitude (D. W. Tarasick et al., 2021; Witte et al., 2018). The detailed description of the measurement technique of ECC ozonesonde and their measurement uncertainty can be found in Smit and ASOPOS‐panel (2014) and Smit and ASOPOS 2.0‐panel (2021).…”

An Examination of the Recent Stability of Ozonesonde Global Network Data

“…Always paired with a meteorological radiosonde, the ECC provides continuous, high-quality, in-situ measurements of ozone with high vertical resolution (100-150 m) from the surface to over 30-km altitude, characteristics that no other instrument, remote-sensing or otherwise, can match. The measurement principle of the ECC is based on the wet chemical reaction of ozone in a neutral-buffered potassium iodide (KI) solution, such that approximately two electrons flow in an external circuit in the ECC for each ozone molecule absorbed into the solution (Smit et al, 2021;Tarasick et al, 2021). The magnitude of the resulting current is transmitted via the radiosonde to a receiving station and converted into ozone partial pressure.…”

“…Instrument performance has been evaluated through laboratory experiments (Smit & ASOPOS, 2014;Smit et al, 2007Smit et al, , 2021Thompson et al, 2019), field campaigns (Boyd et al, 1998;Deshler et al, 2008;Komhyr et al, 1995), and analysis of historical records (Tarasick et al, 2019). Uncertainties associated with ECC ozonesonde measurements have decreased from >10% in the late 1990s, to near 5% today (Smit et al, 2021;Tarasick et al, 2021;Witte et al, 2018). The satellite instrument community has requested even more stable and reliable data to detect and quantify drift in satellite measurements that span a decade or more (Hubert et al, 2016).…”