Articles | Volume 18, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3247-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3247-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Jul 2025
Research article |
| 17 Jul 2025
| 17 Jul 2025
Intercomparison of tropospheric ozone column datasets from combined nadir and limb satellite observations
Carlo Arosio
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Environmental Physics, Bremen University, Bremen, Germany
Viktoria Sofieva
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Andrea Orfanoz-Cheuquelaf
Institute of Environmental Physics, Bremen University, Bremen, Germany
Alexei Rozanov
Institute of Environmental Physics, Bremen University, Bremen, Germany
Klaus-Peter Heue
Institut für Methodik der Fernerkundung am Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Diego Loyola
Institut für Methodik der Fernerkundung am Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Edward Malina
European Space Agency, ESRIN, Frascati, Italy
Ryan M. Stauffer
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
David Tarasick
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Downsview, ON, Canada
Roeland Van Malderen
Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
Jerry R. Ziemke
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Mark Weber
Institute of Environmental Physics, Bremen University, Bremen, Germany
Related authors
Sean M. Davis, William T. Ball, Yue Jia, Gabriel Chiodo, Justin A. Alsing, James Keeble, Hideharu Akiyoshi, Carlo Arosio, Ewa M. Bednarz, Andreas Chrysanthou, Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Robert Damadeo, Sandip Dhomse, Mohamadou A. Diallo, Simone Dietmuller, Roland Eichinger, Stacey Frith, Birgit Hassler, Michaela I. Hegglin, Daan Hubert, Patrick Jöckel, Béatrice Josse, Natalya Kramarova, Diego Loyola, Eliane Maillard Barras, Marion Marchand, Olaf Morgenstern, David Plummer, Robert W. Portmann, Karen H. Rosenlof, Alexei Rozanov, Viktoria F. Sofieva, Johannes Staehelin, Timofei Sukhodolov, Kleareti Tourpali, Ronald J. Van der A, H. J. Ray Wang, Krzysztof Wargan, Shingo Watanabe, Mark Weber, Jeannette D. Wild, Yousuke Yamashita, and Jerry Ziemke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 13817–13843, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13817-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13817-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates tropical ozone changes in models and satellite observations to determine how well they agree and whether observations can constrain model projections. At some levels, satellite records disagree significantly on the magnitude of ozone changes. While early and late 21st century trends are correlated across models, suggesting a potential emergent constraint, the spread in observations means they are unable to provide guidance on the credibility of model projections.
Brian Auffarth, Mark Weber, Alexei Rozanov, Carlo Arosio, John P. Burrows, Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Sean M. Davis, Doug Degenstein, Kimberlee Dubé, Stacey M. Frith, Lucien Froidevaux, Diego Loyola, Vitali E. Fioletov, Viktoria Sofieva, Ronald van der A, and Jeannette D. Wild
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 13359–13386, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13359-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13359-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines the trends of stratospheric and total ozone between 2000 and 2024, using long-term satellite datasets. Our results show positive trends in the upper stratosphere and a strong ozone recovery in the Southern Hemisphere, while changes in lower altitudes remain mostly small. The total and stratospheric trends show very similar results, indicating that tropospheric ozone contributes little to total column changes, while the stratospheric column is the dominant driver.
Carlo Arosio, Alexei Rozanov, Vladimir Rozanov, Andrea Orfanoz-Cheuquelaf, John P. Burrows, Edward Malina, and Hartmut Boesch
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5113, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5113, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We present an improved method for retrieving ozone profiles from OMPS satellite limb observations. The aim is to mitigate an artifact related to the variation of surface reflectivity along the satellite line of sight. We prescribe surface reflectivity from VIIRS to mitigate the artifact, particularly in regions with sharp changes in reflectivity, such as coastlines and transitions between clouds and ocean. Updated stratospheric ozone profiles and tropospheric ozone column products are presented.
Evgenia Galytska, Birgit Hassler, Carlo Arosio, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Sandip S. Dhomse, Kimberlee Dubé, Wuhu Feng, Fernando Iglesias-Suarez, and Jakob Runge
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 8185–8209, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8185-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8185-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We explore how chemical and dynamical processes shape ozone in the tropical middle stratosphere using satellite data and a chemistry-transport model. We apply a framework to identify cause–effect relationships and estimate their strength. For 2004-2021 monthly data, we detect an indirect pathway controlling ozone variability, with effects increasing after two–three months. We further assess how different wind regimes influence this pathway.
Viktoria F. Sofieva, Monika E. Szelag, Natalya A. Kramarova, Robert Damadeo, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Corinne Vigouroux, Eliane Maillard Barras, Daniel Zawada, Kleareti Tourpali, Stacey M. Frith, Jeannette D. Wild, Sean M. Davis, Carlo Arosio, Mark Weber, Alexei Rozanov, Brian Auffarth, Lucien Froidevaux, Ryan Fuller, Doug Degenstein, Kimberlee Dube, Peter Effertz, Thierry Leblanc, Gérard Ancellet, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Glen McConville, Richard Querel, Dan Smale, Marie-Renee DeBacker, Emmanuel Mahieu, and Ralf Sussmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 7387–7405, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7387-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7387-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We present an updated evaluation of stratospheric ozone profile trends in the 60°S–60°N latitude range using long-term ground-based and satellite climate data records, as well as simulations by chemistry-climate models. Analyses confirm the statistically significant positive ozone trends in the upper stratosphere of ~1–3 % decade-1. The trends are close to zero in the middle stratosphere, and mostly negative in the lower stratosphere, but they are not statistically significant.
Mian Chin, Jonathon S. Wright, Huisheng Bian, Qian Tan, Xiaohua Pan, Toshihiko Takemura, Hitoshi Matsui, Kostas Tsigaridis, Susanne Bauer, Paul Ginoux, Yiran Peng, Zengyuan Guo, Suvarna Fadnavis, Anton Laakso, John P. Burrows, Ghassan Taha, Jayanta Kar, Alexei Rozanov, Carlo Arosio, Landon Rieger, and Adam Bourassa
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 6035–6059, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6035-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6035-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Aerosols in the upper troposphere influence weather and climate. The Asian summer monsoon efficiently transports surface pollutants upward, shaping aerosol amounts and variability in the upper troposphere. Using multiple global models, this study finds a summertime increase in upper-tropospheric aerosols at 1.2 % per year from 2000 to 2018 over Asia, consistent with rising pollutant emissions in Asia, while year-to-year changes are mainly driven by climate variability affecting monsoon dynamics.
Viktoria F. Sofieva, Alexandra Laeng, Thomas von Clarmann, Gabriele Stiller, Michael Kiefer, Johanna Tamminen, Alexey Rozanov, Carlo Arosio, Nathaniel Livesey, Robert Damadeo, Patrick Sheese, Kaley A. Walker, Doug Degenstein, Daniel Zawada, Natalya A. Kramarova, and Arno Keppens
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 1837–1852, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1837-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1837-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
For satellite measurements of atmospheric composition, the random uncertainty estimates provided by retrieval algorithms might be imperfect due to various approximations used in the retrievals or presence of unknown error sources. This paper presents an overview of the methods used for validation of random uncertainty estimates. All methods discussed in this study are categorized, and assumptions and limitations of each method are discussed.
Alexei Rozanov, Christine Pohl, Carlo Arosio, Adam Bourassa, Klaus Bramstedt, Elizaveta Malinina, Landon Rieger, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6677–6695, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6677-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6677-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a new algorithm to retrieve vertical distributions of aerosol extinction coefficients in the stratosphere. The algorithm is applied to measurements of scattered solar light from the spaceborne OMPS-LP (Ozone Mapper and Profiler Suite Limb Profiler) instrument. The retrieval results are compared to data from other spaceborne instruments and used to investigate the evolution of the aerosol plume following the eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcano in January 2022.
Andrea Orfanoz-Cheuquelaf, Carlo Arosio, Alexei Rozanov, Mark Weber, Annette Ladstätter-Weißenmayer, John P. Burrows, Anne M. Thompson, Ryan M. Stauffer, and Debra E. Kollonige
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1791–1809, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1791-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1791-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Valuable information on the tropospheric ozone column (TrOC) can be obtained globally by combining space-borne limb and nadir measurements (limb–nadir matching, LNM). This study describes the retrieval of TrOC from the OMPS instrument (since 2012) using the LNM technique. The OMPS-LNM TrOC was compared with ozonesondes and other satellite measurements, showing a good agreement with a negative bias within 1 to 4 DU. This new dataset is suitable for pollution studies.
Viktoria F. Sofieva, Monika Szelag, Johanna Tamminen, Carlo Arosio, Alexei Rozanov, Mark Weber, Doug Degenstein, Adam Bourassa, Daniel Zawada, Michael Kiefer, Alexandra Laeng, Kaley A. Walker, Patrick Sheese, Daan Hubert, Michel van Roozendael, Christian Retscher, Robert Damadeo, and Jerry D. Lumpe
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1881–1899, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1881-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1881-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The paper presents the updated SAGE-CCI-OMPS+ climate data record of monthly zonal mean ozone profiles. This dataset covers the stratosphere and combines measurements by nine limb and occultation satellite instruments (SAGE II, OSIRIS, MIPAS, SCIAMACHY, GOMOS, ACE-FTS, OMPS-LP, POAM III, and SAGE III/ISS). The update includes new versions of MIPAS, ACE-FTS, and OSIRIS datasets and introduces data from additional sensors (POAM III and SAGE III/ISS) and retrieval processors (OMPS-LP).
Carlo Arosio, Alexei Rozanov, Victor Gorshelev, Alexandra Laeng, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5949–5967, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5949-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5949-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper characterizes the uncertainties affecting the ozone profiles retrieved at the University of Bremen through OMPS limb satellite observations. An accurate knowledge of the uncertainties is relevant for the validation of the product and to correctly interpret the retrieval results. We investigate several sources of uncertainties, estimate a total random and systematic component, and verify the consistency of the combined OMPS-MLS total uncertainty.
Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Niramson Azouz, Viktoria F. Sofieva, Daan Hubert, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Peter Effertz, Gérard Ancellet, Doug A. Degenstein, Daniel Zawada, Lucien Froidevaux, Stacey Frith, Jeannette Wild, Sean Davis, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, Thierry Leblanc, Richard Querel, Kleareti Tourpali, Robert Damadeo, Eliane Maillard Barras, René Stübi, Corinne Vigouroux, Carlo Arosio, Gerald Nedoluha, Ian Boyd, Roeland Van Malderen, Emmanuel Mahieu, Dan Smale, and Ralf Sussmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 11657–11673, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11657-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11657-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
An updated evaluation up to 2020 of stratospheric ozone profile long-term trends at extrapolar latitudes based on satellite and ground-based records is presented. Ozone increase in the upper stratosphere is confirmed, with significant trends at most latitudes. In this altitude region, a very good agreement is found with trends derived from chemistry–climate model simulations. Observed and modelled trends diverge in the lower stratosphere, but the differences are non-significant.
Mark Weber, Carlo Arosio, Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Vitali E. Fioletov, Stacey M. Frith, Jeannette D. Wild, Kleareti Tourpali, John P. Burrows, and Diego Loyola
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6843–6859, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6843-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6843-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Long-term trends in column ozone have been determined from five merged total ozone datasets spanning the period 1978–2020. We show that ozone recovery due to the decline in stratospheric halogens after the 1990s (as regulated by the Montreal Protocol) is evident outside the tropical region and amounts to half a percent per decade. The ozone recovery in the Northern Hemisphere is however compensated for by the negative long-term trend contribution from atmospheric dynamics since the year 2000.
Sandip S. Dhomse, Carlo Arosio, Wuhu Feng, Alexei Rozanov, Mark Weber, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5711–5729, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5711-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5711-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
High-quality long-term ozone profile data sets are key to estimating short- and long-term ozone variability. Almost all the satellite (and chemical model) data sets show some kind of bias with respect to each other. This is because of differences in measurement methodologies as well as simplified processes in the models. We use satellite data sets and chemical model output to generate 42 years of ozone profile data sets using a random-forest machine-learning algorithm that is named ML-TOMCAT.
Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Andreas Karipis, Alexandra Tsekeri, Otto Hasekamp, Kirk Knobelspiesse, Meng Gao, Santiago Gasso, Gerd-jan van Zadelhoff, Athanasios Tsikerdekis, Guangliang Fu, Anton Lopatin, Oleg Dubovik, Edward Malina, Eleni Marinou, and Vassilis Amiridis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5990, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5990, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Short summary
This study evaluates two satellite-based methods for retrieving aerosol layer height using observations from the PACE and EarthCARE missions. We assess the consistency of their retrievals under different atmospheric conditions and across diverse regions, identifying when they agree best and highlighting the strengths and limitations of each approach. The results support the validation of these missions, which are expected to provide long-term observations for reliable climate data records.
Francisco J. Pérez-Invernón, Francisco J. Gordillo-Vázquez, Oscar van der Velde, Joan Montanyà, Jesús Alberto López Trujillo, Nicolau Pineda, Diego Loyola, Sora Seo, Christoph Knote, Alexandre O. Fierro, and Heidi Huntrieser
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 14277–14301, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-14277-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-14277-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Lightning is a major source of atmospheric pollutants. This study uses advanced satellite and ground-based data to show how lightning characteristics, such as length, brightness, and duration, affect the production of these pollutants in storms over Spain’s Ebro Valley.
Johanna Mayer, Daniele Gasbarra, Robin J. Hogan, Edward Malina, Shannon L. Mason, and Blanka Piskala Gvozdikova
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 14085–14110, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-14085-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-14085-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate transitions from closed to open stratocumulus cells using synergistic observations from the EarthCARE and GOES satellites. Microphysical changes and increasing rain up to 25 hours before transitions support a precipitation-driven pathway. These findings provide new observational constraints on the processes driving stratocumulus breakup and its radiative impact.
Sean M. Davis, William T. Ball, Yue Jia, Gabriel Chiodo, Justin A. Alsing, James Keeble, Hideharu Akiyoshi, Carlo Arosio, Ewa M. Bednarz, Andreas Chrysanthou, Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Robert Damadeo, Sandip Dhomse, Mohamadou A. Diallo, Simone Dietmuller, Roland Eichinger, Stacey Frith, Birgit Hassler, Michaela I. Hegglin, Daan Hubert, Patrick Jöckel, Béatrice Josse, Natalya Kramarova, Diego Loyola, Eliane Maillard Barras, Marion Marchand, Olaf Morgenstern, David Plummer, Robert W. Portmann, Karen H. Rosenlof, Alexei Rozanov, Viktoria F. Sofieva, Johannes Staehelin, Timofei Sukhodolov, Kleareti Tourpali, Ronald J. Van der A, H. J. Ray Wang, Krzysztof Wargan, Shingo Watanabe, Mark Weber, Jeannette D. Wild, Yousuke Yamashita, and Jerry Ziemke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 13817–13843, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13817-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13817-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates tropical ozone changes in models and satellite observations to determine how well they agree and whether observations can constrain model projections. At some levels, satellite records disagree significantly on the magnitude of ozone changes. While early and late 21st century trends are correlated across models, suggesting a potential emergent constraint, the spread in observations means they are unable to provide guidance on the credibility of model projections.
Brian Auffarth, Mark Weber, Alexei Rozanov, Carlo Arosio, John P. Burrows, Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Sean M. Davis, Doug Degenstein, Kimberlee Dubé, Stacey M. Frith, Lucien Froidevaux, Diego Loyola, Vitali E. Fioletov, Viktoria Sofieva, Ronald van der A, and Jeannette D. Wild
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 13359–13386, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13359-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13359-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines the trends of stratospheric and total ozone between 2000 and 2024, using long-term satellite datasets. Our results show positive trends in the upper stratosphere and a strong ozone recovery in the Southern Hemisphere, while changes in lower altitudes remain mostly small. The total and stratospheric trends show very similar results, indicating that tropospheric ozone contributes little to total column changes, while the stratospheric column is the dominant driver.
Linlu Mei, Vladimir Rozanov, Alexei Rozanov, and John P. Burrows
Geosci. Model Dev., 19, 8779–8800, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-8779-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-8779-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The cryosphere, including snow, ice, and melt ponds, strongly influences how sunlight is reflected and absorbed, affecting climate change. We developed a new version of radiative transfer model SCIATRAN, to better represent these complex surfaces and their interaction with the atmosphere. The model was validated using real measurements and showed good accuracy. These advances help scientists better understand climate processes in polar regions and improve satellite observations.
Anna Lange, John Andrew Dykema, Sandro Vattioni, Ulrike Niemeier, Alexei Rozanov, and Christian von Savigny
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 13055–13067, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13055-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13055-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study addresses the question of whether it is possible to detect the continuous injection of 5 Tg yr-1 of alumina or calcite into the stratosphere using satellite solar occultation instruments. The research shows that it is possible to detect these injections of solid particles into the stratosphere and that they can also be distinguished from natural variability, considering the assumptions made.
Carlo Arosio, Alexei Rozanov, Vladimir Rozanov, Andrea Orfanoz-Cheuquelaf, John P. Burrows, Edward Malina, and Hartmut Boesch
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5113, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5113, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We present an improved method for retrieving ozone profiles from OMPS satellite limb observations. The aim is to mitigate an artifact related to the variation of surface reflectivity along the satellite line of sight. We prescribe surface reflectivity from VIIRS to mitigate the artifact, particularly in regions with sharp changes in reflectivity, such as coastlines and transitions between clouds and ocean. Updated stratospheric ozone profiles and tropospheric ozone column products are presented.
Joshua Singleton, Hantao Wang, Jerry R. Ziemke, Marc L. Serre, and J. Jason West
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4798, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4798, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite ozone observations have been considered poor predictors of ozone at ground level. Here we evaluate the ability of one satellite product to estimate ground-level ozone globally over 18 years. The satellite product shows a modest correlation with ground-level ozone that does not vary strongly with year, season, world region, or ozone level. Using a linear regression, we translate the satellite product into a global monthly ground-level ozone dataset for use in future data fusion studies.
Leonardo M. A. Alvarado, Sora Seo, Adrian Doicu, Andreas Richter, and Diego Loyola
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4360, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4360, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Short summary
Chlorine dioxide reveals the chemistry that destroys ozone in the upper atmosphere, but it is hard to measure from space, especially in the dim light of polar winter. We built a new method to analyse satellite measurements that separates the true signal from instrument noise and gives a trustworthy uncertainty for every observation, without extra corrections. It matches an existing product while being more reliable, supporting operational European monitoring and future missions for other gases.
Blanka Piskala Gvoždíková, Johanna Mayer, Saskia Maria Brose, Edward Malina, Daniele Gasbarra, Anežka Doležalová, and Krasen Samardzhiev
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-470, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-470, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
This study introduces Lightning2EarthCARE, an open dataset linking satellite lightning observations with narrow vertical slices through storms from the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer mission. Covering August 2024 to January 2026, it includes more than 6000 storms available for case studies and broader analyses. The dataset can help reveal how lightning relates to cloud particles, precipitation, and storm motion, supporting better weather and climate models.
Fiona Lippert, Andrew Gerald Barr, Marcos Herreras-Giralda, Masahiro Momoi, Fernando Rejano, Sha Lu, Otto Hasekamp, Oleg Dubovik, Edward Malina, and Jochen Landgraf
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4724, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4724, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Retrieving greenhouse gas concentrations from satellite measurements is computationally demanding. We show that machine learning can greatly accelerate this process while maintaining high accuracy and interpretability. Combining simplified atmospheric simulations with neural networks proved substantially more reliable than using machine learning alone. This hybrid approach could facilitate near-real time processing of rapidly increasing data volumes.
Anna Lange, Ilaria Quaglia, Daniele Visioni, Alexei Rozanov, and Christian von Savigny
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3347, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3347, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
What happens to the colours of the sky when a volcano erupts during an ongoing stratospheric aerosol injection deployment? This study is the first to tackle this question, combining climate model simulations, radiative transfer calculations, and colour modelling. The results show several optical phenomena, including Bishop's Rings, unusual greenish twilight colours, and purple light.
Man Mei Chim, Dominik Stiller, Elisa Ziegler, Thomas J. Aubry, Lucas Boissel, Sébastien Guillet, Brennan Rodgers, Matthew Toohey, Christine Pohl, and Alexei Rozanov
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4193, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4193, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Stratospheric aerosols from explosive volcanic eruptions are a major climate forcer. We compare the stratospheric aerosol forcing for the next phase of coordinated climate model experiments (CMIP7) against complementary datasets, such as observations of lunar eclipses, stellar extinction, and from satellites. We highlight the potential value of combining observational constraints from complementary datasets with the extensive CMIP7 volcanic emission inventory to refine future forcing data.
Louis Mirallie, Eliane Maillard Barras, Caroline Jonas, Corinne Vigouroux, Roeland Van Malderen, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Thierry Leblanc, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, Antoine Vadès, Rolf Ruefenacht, Alexander Haefele, Gunter Stober, Peter Effertz, Julian Gröbner, Gerard Ancellet, María Cazorla, Petra Duff, Matthias M. Frey, Michael Gill, James W. Hannigan, Nicholas Jones, Rigel Kivi, Raphael Köhler, Bogumil Kois, Debra E. Kollonige, Emmanuel Mahieu, Glen McConville, Johan Mellqvist, Gary Morris, Isao Murata, Tomoo Nagahama, Gerald E. Nedoluha, Shin-Ya Ogino, Richard Querel, Ryan M. Stauffer, Wolfgang Stremme, Kimberly Strong, Ralf Sussmann, Anne M. Thompson, and Yana Virolainen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 10303–10330, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-10303-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-10303-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We present regional Bayesian composites of ground-based ozone partial column records. Defining coherent regions using a CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) representativeness study, we merge five instrument types using the BASIC (Ball et al., 2017) algorithm, reducing trend uncertainties by 9.4 % compared to a weighted mean. Results confirm upper stratospheric recovery, predominantly negative middle stratospheric trends, while lower stratospheric trends remain mostly non-significant.
Haotian He, Shujie Chang, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Sandip S. Dhomse, Wuhu Feng, Saffron G. Heddell, Yajuan Li, and Mark Weber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 9741–9756, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-9741-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-9741-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Overall, in the long-term, Antarctic ozone evolution reflects the interplay of multiple processes, with dynamical drivers holding a particularly strong influence on recovery patterns. The Brewer-Dobson circulation perturbations play a significant role in the long-term ozone trend, requiring more research and continued attention to the ozone hole and dynamic processes to improve our understanding of long-term ozone variability and predict future changes in the Antarctic ozone hole.
Emeline Tapin, Antoine Berchet, Adrien Martinez, Malika Menoud, Joël Thanwerdas, Xin Lan, Edward Malina, Daniele Gasbarra, and Marielle Saunois
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 4793–4832, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-4793-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-4793-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We present global δ¹³C-CH₄ source signature maps (1998–2022) at 1°×1° resolution for five emission sectors and 11 sub-sectors, with quantified uncertainties. Sensitivity experiments with an atmospheric transport model assess how uncertainties in emissions, isotopic signatures, OH sinks, and kinetic isotope effects influence atmospheric δ¹³C-CH₄ and CH₄, providing guidance for isotopic inversions.
Hongrui Gao, Qin He, Kai Qin, Jhoon Kim, Diego Loyola, Pravash Tiwari, Lingxiao Lu, and Jason Blake Cohen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-443, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-443, 2026
Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
There are always gaps in satellite records of air pollution because of factors such as clouds and operating conditions. We used a physics-aware deep learning method, producing a gapless 0.05° hourly dataset of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide over Asian pollution hotspots from 2019 to 2024. The dataset can capture sub-daily changes, revealing how traffic, industry, and clean-air policies shaped pollution, supporting health and environment studies.
Irina Petropavlovskikh, Martine De Mazière, Anne M. Thompson, Jeannette D. Wild, James W. Hannigan, Henry B. Selkirk, Reem A. Hannun, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Roeland Van Malderen, Elizabeth Asher, Raul R. Cordero, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Daan Hubert, Sergey Khaykin, Karin Kreher, Thierry Leblanc, Emmanuel Mahieu, Eliane Maillard Barras, Glen McConville, Gerald Nedoluha, Ivan Ortega, Alberto Redondas Marrero, Gunther Seckmeyer, Ryan M. Stauffer, Sarah A. Strode, Kim Strong, Takafumi Sugita, Michel Van Roozendael, Voltaire Velazco, Corinne Vigouroux, and Bärbel Vogel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 8637–8675, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8637-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8637-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This introduction to the special issue "Achievements and perspectives of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change after 35 years of operation” provides an overview of important research findings achieved under the NDACC objectives. The future of NDACC is discussed in the light of the evolution of the scientific questions, evolving collaborations with partners and Cooperating Networks, and the current landscape of gaps in satellite and ground-based observations.
Hantao Wang, Marc L. Serre, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, Juan Cuesta, Jerry R. Ziemke, and J. Jason West
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2812, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2812, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
Ground-level ozone poses a significant health risk, yet ground monitors are sparse and satellites lack surface sensitivity. Here we develop a framework to infer surface ozone directly from satellite observations. By leveraging vertical profiles from balloons and aircraft and using chemical reanalysis vertical ratios, we significantly improved the accuracy of ozone estimates. Our 2005–2022 global dataset provides a valuable ground-level ozone background field for regions lacking ground networks.
Evgenia Galytska, Birgit Hassler, Carlo Arosio, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Sandip S. Dhomse, Kimberlee Dubé, Wuhu Feng, Fernando Iglesias-Suarez, and Jakob Runge
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 8185–8209, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8185-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8185-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We explore how chemical and dynamical processes shape ozone in the tropical middle stratosphere using satellite data and a chemistry-transport model. We apply a framework to identify cause–effect relationships and estimate their strength. For 2004-2021 monthly data, we detect an indirect pathway controlling ozone variability, with effects increasing after two–three months. We further assess how different wind regimes influence this pathway.
Caroline Jonas, Corinne Vigouroux, Bavo Langerock, Robin Björklund, Anne Boynard, Thomas Carlund, Martine De Mazière, Peter Effertz, Quentin Errera, Matthias M. Frey, José Granville, James W. Hannigan, Arno Keppens, Nis Jepsen, Rigel Kivi, Norrie Lyall, Mathias Palm, Maxime Prignon, Viktoria F. Sofieva, Kimberly Strong, Tove Svendby, David Tarasick, Laura Thölix, Roeland Van Malderen, Yana Virolainen, Sibylle von Löwis, and Xiaoyi Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 8089–8124, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8089-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8089-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We study the evolution of ozone in the Arctic over the 2000–2024 period in the stratosphere (about 10 to 50 km) to assess the expected recovery of the ozone layer following the diminution of ozone-depleting substances. We merge ground-based data sets within spatially coherent regions to reduce uncertainties and we obtain positive trends for the total column everywhere in the Arctic and for the middle and upper stratosphere over Canada, but no significant trends in the lower stratosphere.
Monika E. Szelag, Viktoria F. Sofieva, Edward Malina, Pekka T. Verronen, Michelle L. Santee, Manuel López-Puertas, Bernd Funke, Gabriele Stiller, Alexandra Laeng, Kaley A. Walker, Patrick E. Sheese, Mark E. Hervig, and Benjamin T. Marshall
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 7503–7522, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7503-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7503-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new global dataset of ozone profiles in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, created by combining several satellite measurements covering more than three decades. Our results show that ozone is recovering in the stratosphere but decreasing in the mesosphere, with the strongest declines near the mesopause. This dataset provides a valuable resource for investigating long-term changes, improving model performance, and addressing an observational gap in the upper atmosphere.
Viktoria F. Sofieva, Monika E. Szelag, Natalya A. Kramarova, Robert Damadeo, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Corinne Vigouroux, Eliane Maillard Barras, Daniel Zawada, Kleareti Tourpali, Stacey M. Frith, Jeannette D. Wild, Sean M. Davis, Carlo Arosio, Mark Weber, Alexei Rozanov, Brian Auffarth, Lucien Froidevaux, Ryan Fuller, Doug Degenstein, Kimberlee Dube, Peter Effertz, Thierry Leblanc, Gérard Ancellet, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Glen McConville, Richard Querel, Dan Smale, Marie-Renee DeBacker, Emmanuel Mahieu, and Ralf Sussmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 7387–7405, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7387-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7387-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We present an updated evaluation of stratospheric ozone profile trends in the 60°S–60°N latitude range using long-term ground-based and satellite climate data records, as well as simulations by chemistry-climate models. Analyses confirm the statistically significant positive ozone trends in the upper stratosphere of ~1–3 % decade-1. The trends are close to zero in the middle stratosphere, and mostly negative in the lower stratosphere, but they are not statistically significant.
Jay R. Herman and Jerald Ziemke
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1631, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1631, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The amount of reflected sunlight has been estimated by two independent satellite observations, EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) and CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System). Both measurements show that the amount of reflected light from the Earth has decreased since 2016 and with a faster rate of decrease since 2020. The decreased reflectivity enhances the effect of global warming from increased amounts of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere.
Mian Chin, Jonathon S. Wright, Huisheng Bian, Qian Tan, Xiaohua Pan, Toshihiko Takemura, Hitoshi Matsui, Kostas Tsigaridis, Susanne Bauer, Paul Ginoux, Yiran Peng, Zengyuan Guo, Suvarna Fadnavis, Anton Laakso, John P. Burrows, Ghassan Taha, Jayanta Kar, Alexei Rozanov, Carlo Arosio, Landon Rieger, and Adam Bourassa
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 6035–6059, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6035-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6035-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Aerosols in the upper troposphere influence weather and climate. The Asian summer monsoon efficiently transports surface pollutants upward, shaping aerosol amounts and variability in the upper troposphere. Using multiple global models, this study finds a summertime increase in upper-tropospheric aerosols at 1.2 % per year from 2000 to 2018 over Asia, consistent with rising pollutant emissions in Asia, while year-to-year changes are mainly driven by climate variability affecting monsoon dynamics.
Anna Lange, Ulrike Niemeier, Alexei Rozanov, and Christian von Savigny
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 1973–1989, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1973-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1973-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate which wavelengths, depending on the latitude, are required for aerosol measurements after continuous sulphur injections of 30 Tg S yr-1 into the stratosphere, here at 19 km, in order to obtain physically meaningful stratospheric aerosol extinction profile retrieval results from the perspective of a typical satellite instrument with the so-called solar occultation geometry. Consistent with expectations, a longer wavelength is required for the latitude range of and near the injection.
Viktoria F. Sofieva, Alexandra Laeng, Thomas von Clarmann, Gabriele Stiller, Michael Kiefer, Johanna Tamminen, Alexey Rozanov, Carlo Arosio, Nathaniel Livesey, Robert Damadeo, Patrick Sheese, Kaley A. Walker, Doug Degenstein, Daniel Zawada, Natalya A. Kramarova, and Arno Keppens
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 1837–1852, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1837-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1837-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
For satellite measurements of atmospheric composition, the random uncertainty estimates provided by retrieval algorithms might be imperfect due to various approximations used in the retrievals or presence of unknown error sources. This paper presents an overview of the methods used for validation of random uncertainty estimates. All methods discussed in this study are categorized, and assumptions and limitations of each method are discussed.
Clair Duchamp, Bernard Legras, Aurélien Podglajen, Pasquale Sellitto, Adam E. Bourassa, Alexei Rozanov, Ghassan Taha, and Daniel J. Zawada
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 1675–1696, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1675-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1675-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed the stratospheric aerosol plume from the 2022 Hunga eruption using satellite lidar data. We implemented a method to retrieve some aerosol properties, as standard products failed in this case. We found very high optical depth values in the days following the eruption, which decreased rapidly but remained elevated for months. Our results are broadly validated, though some satellite products underestimate the values due, in part, to the unusual aerosol size distribution in the plume.
África Barreto, Francisco Quirós, Omaira E. García, Jorge Pereda-de-Pablo, Daniel González-Fernández, Andrés Bedoya-Velásquez, Michael Sicard, Carmen Córdoba-Jabonero, Marco Iarlori, Vincenzo Rizi, Nickolay Krotkov, Simon Carn, Reijo Roininen, Antonio J. Molina-Arias, A. Fernando Almansa, Óscar Álvarez-Losada, Carla Aramo, Juan José Bustos, Romain Ceolato, Adolfo Comerón, Alicia Felpeto, Rosa D. García, Pablo González-Sicilia, Yenny González, Pascal Hedelt, Miguel Hernández, María-Ángeles López-Cayuela, Diego Loyola, Stavros Meletlidis, Constantino Muñoz-Porcar, Ermanno Pietropaolo, Ramón Ramos, Alejandro Rodríguez-Gómez, Roberto Román, Pedro M. Romero-Campos, Martin Stuefer, Carlos Toledano, and Ellsworth J. Welton
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 1385–1406, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1385-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1385-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This manuscript describes the instrumental coverage deployed during the Tajogaite eruption (19 September–25 December 2021) by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), the Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), and other Spanish members of ACTRIS (Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure) to monitor its atmospheric impact. Two complementary methods provide consistent plume height data for future operational surveillance.
Robert J. D. Spurr, Matt Christi, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Won-Ei Choi, Simon Carn, Can Li, Natalya Kramarova, David Haffner, Eun-Su Yang, Nick Gorkavyi, Alexander Vasilkov, Krzysztof Wargan, Omar Torres, Diego Loyola, Serena Di Pede, J. Pepijn Veefkind, Parker Case, Thomas Schroeder, and Pawan K. Bhartia
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 993–1021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-993-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-993-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The submarine eruption of the Hunga volcano released water vapor and sulfur dioxide directly into the stratosphere. The sulfur dioxide formed sulfuric acid aerosols leading to increased scattering of solar ultraviolet radiation (UV), interfering with satellite ozone retrievals. We present a new satellite technique for deriving the amount and height of Hunga aerosols from UV measurements, revealing an unusually low sulfuric acid concentration due to the water-rich conditions in the fresh plume.
Christine Pohl, Ulrike Niemeier, Alexei Rozanov, Felix Wrana, and Christian von Savigny
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-578, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-578, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite aerosol retrievals and models are crucial for studying volcanic impacts on the stratosphere but remain uncertain in perturbed situations due to assumed aerosol properties. SCIAMACHY retrievals are compared with ECHAM simulations following the Manam and Sarychev eruptions to evaluate both approaches. Agreement is found for Sarychev, while Manam shows differences. Comparisons with SAGE II support the SCIAMACHY retrievals. The importance of model setup details is highlighted.
Konstantinos Rizos, Emmanouil Proestakis, Thanasis Georgiou, Antonis Gkikas, Eleni Marinou, Peristera Paschou, Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Athanasios Tsikerdekis, David P. Donovan, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, Angela Benedetti, Holger Baars, Athena Augusta Floutsi, Nikos Benas, Martin Stengel, Christian Retscher, Edward Malina, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 699–728, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-699-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-699-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The Aeolus satellite's lidar system had limitations in detecting certain atmospheric layers and distinguishing between aerosol and cloud types. To improve accuracy, a new dust detection product was developed. By combining data from various sources and validating it with ground-based measurements, this enhanced product performs better than the original. It helps improve dust transport models and weather predictions, making it a valuable tool for atmospheric monitoring and forecasting.
Juseon Bak, Arno Keppens, Daesung Choi, Sungjae Hong, Jae-Hwan Kim, Cheol-Hee Kim, Hyo-Jung Lee, Wonbae Jeon, Jhoon Kim, Ja-Ho Koo, Joowan Kim, Kanghyun Baek, Kai Yang, Xiong Liu, Gonzalo González Abad, Klaus-Peter Heue, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Yeonjin Jung, Hyunkee Hong, and Won-Jin Lee
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 119–134, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-119-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-119-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the first complete description of the operational version 3 ozone profile retrieval algorithm for the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) and its performance characteristics. Improvements in radiometric and wavelength calibration reduce spectral fitting uncertainties and enhance agreement with ozonesonde profiles and Pandora total ozone measurements.
Anne M. Thompson, Ryan M. Stauffer, Debra E. Kollonige, Jerald R. Ziemke, Bryan J. Johnson, Gary A. Morris, Patrick Cullis, María Cazorla, Jorge Andres Diaz, Ankie Piters, Igor Nedeljkovic, Truus Warsodikromo, Francisco Raimundo Silva, E. Thomas Northam, Patrick Benjamin, Thumeka Mkololo, Tshidi Machinini, Christian Félix, Gonzague Romanens, Syprose Nyadida, Jérôme Brioude, Stéphanie Evan, Jean-Marc Metzger, Ambun Dindang, Yuzaimi B. Mahat, Mohan Kumar Sammathuria, Norazura Binti Zakaria, Ninong Komala, Shin-Ya Ogino, Nguyen Thi Quyen, Francis S. Mani, Miriama Vuiyasawa, David Nardini, Matthew Martinsen, Darryl T. Kuniyuki, Katrin Müller, Pawel Wolff, and Bastien Sauvage
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 18475–18507, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18475-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18475-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Ozone profile trends from SHADOZ sondes and IAGOS aircraft show that ozone in the tropical free troposphere (FT) is not growing fast except over equatorial SE Asia. This agrees with HEGIFTOM (Van Malderen et al., 2025), Stauffer et al. (2024) and Gaudel et al. (2024) TOAR-II papers. Other findings are as follows: (1) our trends are independent of method (QR, MLR) and (2) sample number (SN) (i.e., SHADOZ sampling is sufficient), and (3) all ground-based trends constitute the gold standard for satellite-derived trends.
Christian Löns, Ronald Eixmann, Christine Pohl, Alexei Rozanov, and Christian von Savigny
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 18209–18225, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18209-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18209-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
During the polar vortex season, so-called streamers can transport tropical air towards the pole in the middle stratosphere. This tropical air can get trapped in high-pressure areas at high latitudes after the polar vortex breaks down. In this study, remote sensing instruments are used to observe the course of such streamers by measuring the scattered solar radiation. Aerosols get transported to high latitudes at an altitude of about 25–35 km, increasing the aerosol mass there significantly.
Hannah E. Kessenich, Annika Seppälä, Dan Smale, Craig J. Rodger, and Mark Weber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 17527–17552, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17527-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17527-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use observational data to track a mass of mesospheric air which descends into the Antarctic polar vortex each spring. The altitude of the air mass at the end of October is used to create a new diagnostic metric. The metric captures the dynamical conditions of the vortex and can be used to estimate the amount of poleward ozone transport in October. When used as a proxy for October polar total column ozone, the metric explains the majority (63%) of the observed variance from 2004–2024.
Arno Keppens, Daan Hubert, José Granville, Oindrila Nath, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Catherine Wespes, Pierre-François Coheur, Cathy Clerbaux, Anne Boynard, Richard Siddans, Barry Latter, Brian Kerridge, Serena Di Pede, Pepijn Veefkind, Juan Cuesta, Gaelle Dufour, Klaus-Peter Heue, Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Diego Loyola, Andrea Orfanoz-Cheuquelaf, Swathi Maratt Satheesan, Kai-Uwe Eichmann, Alexei Rozanov, Viktoria F. Sofieva, Jerald R. Ziemke, Antje Inness, Roeland Van Malderen, and Lars Hoffmann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 6893–6916, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6893-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6893-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The first Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR) encountered discrepancies between several satellite sensors’ estimates of the distribution and change of ozone in the free troposphere. Therefore, contributing to the second TOAR, we harmonise as much as possible the observational perspective of sixteen tropospheric ozone products from satellites. This only partially accounts for the observed discrepancies, with a reduction of 10–40 % of the inter-product dispersion upon harmonisation.
Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Diego G. Loyola R., Barry Latter, Richard Siddans, Brian Kerridge, Daan Hubert, Michel van Roozendael, and Michael Eisinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 5485–5505, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5485-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5485-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME)-type Ozone Profile Essential Climate Variable (GOP-ECV) data record provides monthly mean ozone profiles with global coverage from 1995 to 2021 at a spatial resolution of 5° × 5°. Measurements from five nadir-viewing satellite sensors are first harmonized and then merged into a coherent record. The long-term stability of the data record is further improved through scaling the profiles using the GOME-type Total Ozone Essential Climate Variable (GTO-ECV) data record as a reference.
Gaëlle Dufour, Maxim Eremenko, Juan Cuesta, Gérard Ancellet, Michael Gill, Eliane Maillard Barras, and Roeland Van Malderen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 5049–5070, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5049-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5049-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Tropospheric ozone from the three Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) instruments is very consistent (<1 %). The validation against homogenized ozone sondes reveals an overall good agreement with slight biases (3 %–6 %) in tropospheric ozone and a possible temporal drift, but this is difficult to assess due to the limited number of sites. No specific trends are estimated for the tropospheric ozone column for the period 2008–2022, but persistent negative trends are observed in the lower troposphere.
Anna Lange, Ulrike Niemeier, Alexei Rozanov, and Christian von Savigny
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 11673–11688, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11673-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11673-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our paper investigates whether it is possible to observe continuous injections of 1 and 2 Tg S y-1 (sulfur per year) into the stratosphere with the currently active satellite occultation instruments. The calculations show that, considering the natural variability and the assumptions made here, the stratospheric aerosols formed from continuous emissions of 1 and 2 Tg S y-1 in the quasi-steady-state phase can be detected, which is not the case in the first month of the 2-year initial phase.
Yugo Kanaya, Roberto Sommariva, Alfonso Saiz-Lopez, Andrea Mazzeo, Theodore K. Koenig, Kaori Kawana, James E. Johnson, Aurélie Colomb, Pierre Tulet, Suzie Molloy, Ian E. Galbally, Rainer Volkamer, Anoop Mahajan, John W. Halfacre, Paul B. Shepson, Julia Schmale, Hélène Angot, Byron Blomquist, Matthew D. Shupe, Detlev Helmig, Junsu Gil, Meehye Lee, Sean C. Coburn, Ivan Ortega, Gao Chen, James Lee, Kenneth C. Aikin, David D. Parrish, John S. Holloway, Thomas B. Ryerson, Ilana B. Pollack, Eric J. Williams, Brian M. Lerner, Andrew J. Weinheimer, Teresa Campos, Frank M. Flocke, J. Ryan Spackman, Ilann Bourgeois, Jeff Peischl, Chelsea R. Thompson, Ralf M. Staebler, Amir A. Aliabadi, Wanmin Gong, Roeland Van Malderen, Anne M. Thompson, Ryan M. Stauffer, Debra E. Kollonige, Juan Carlos Gómez Martin, Masatomo Fujiwara, Katie Read, Matthew Rowlinson, Keiichi Sato, Junichi Kurokawa, Yoko Iwamoto, Fumikazu Taketani, Hisahiro Takashima, Mónica Navarro-Comas, Marios Panagi, and Martin G. Schultz
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 4901–4932, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-4901-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-4901-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The first comprehensive dataset of tropospheric ozone over oceans/polar regions is presented, including 77 ship/buoy and 48 aircraft campaign observations (1977–2022, 0–5000 m altitude), supplemented by ozonesonde and surface data. Air masses isolated from land for 72+ hours are systematically selected as essentially oceanic. Among the 11 global regions, they show daytime decreases of 11–16 % in the tropics, while near-zero depletions are rare, unlike in the Arctic, implying different mechanisms.
Roeland Van Malderen, Zhou Zang, Kai-Lan Chang, Robin Björklund, Owen R. Cooper, Jane Liu, Eliane Maillard Barras, Corinne Vigouroux, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Thierry Leblanc, Valérie Thouret, Pawel Wolff, Peter Effertz, Audrey Gaudel, David W. Tarasick, Herman G. J. Smit, Anne M. Thompson, Ryan M. Stauffer, Debra E. Kollonige, Deniz Poyraz, Gérard Ancellet, Marie-Renée De Backer, Matthias M. Frey, James W. Hannigan, José L. Hernandez, Bryan J. Johnson, Nicholas Jones, Rigel Kivi, Emmanuel Mahieu, Isamu Morino, Glen McConville, Katrin Müller, Isao Murata, Justus Notholt, Ankie Piters, Maxime Prignon, Richard Querel, Vincenzo Rizi, Dan Smale, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, Kimberly Strong, and Ralf Sussmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 9905–9935, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9905-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9905-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Tropospheric ozone is an important greenhouse gas and an air pollutant whose distribution and time variability are mainly governed by anthropogenic emissions and dynamics. In this paper, we assess regional trends of tropospheric ozone column amounts, based on two different approaches of merging or synthesizing ground-based observations and their trends within specific regions. Our findings clearly demonstrate regional trend differences but also consistently higher pre-COVID than post-COVID trends.
Wanmin Gong, Stephen R. Beagley, Kenjiro Toyota, Henrik Skov, Jesper Heile Christensen, Alex Lupu, Diane Pendlebury, Junhua Zhang, Ulas Im, Yugo Kanaya, Alfonso Saiz-Lopez, Roberto Sommariva, Peter Effertz, John W. Halfacre, Nis Jepsen, Rigel Kivi, Theodore K. Koenig, Katrin Müller, Claus Nordstrøm, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Paul B. Shepson, William R. Simpson, Sverre Solberg, Ralf M. Staebler, David W. Tarasick, Roeland Van Malderen, and Mika Vestenius
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8355–8405, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8355-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8355-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study showed that the springtime O3 depletion plays a critical role in driving the surface O3 seasonal cycle in the central Arctic. The O3 depletion events, while occurring most notably within the lowest few hundred metres above the Arctic Ocean, can induce a 5–7 % loss in the pan-Arctic tropospheric O3 burden during springtime. The study also found enhancements in O3 and NOy (mostly peroxyacetyl nitrate) concentrations in the Arctic due to northern boreal wildfires, particularly at higher altitudes.
Suvarna Fadnavis, Yasin Elshorbany, Jerald Ziemke, Brice Barret, Alexandru Rap, P. R. Satheesh Chandran, Richard J. Pope, Vijay Sagar, Domenico Taraborrelli, Eric Le Flochmoen, Juan Cuesta, Catherine Wespes, Folkert Boersma, Isolde Glissenaar, Isabelle De Smedt, Michel Van Roozendael, Hervé Petetin, and Isidora Anglou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8229–8254, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8229-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8229-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Satellites and model simulations show enhancement in tropospheric ozone, which is highly impacted by human-produced nitrous oxides compared to volatile organic compounds. The increased amount of ozone enhances ozone radiative forcing. The ozone enhancement and associated radiative forcing are the highest over South and East Asia. The emissions of nitrous oxides show a higher influence on shifting ozone photochemical regimes than volatile organic compounds.
Roeland Van Malderen, Anne M. Thompson, Debra E. Kollonige, Ryan M. Stauffer, Herman G. J. Smit, Eliane Maillard Barras, Corinne Vigouroux, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Thierry Leblanc, Valérie Thouret, Pawel Wolff, Peter Effertz, David W. Tarasick, Deniz Poyraz, Gérard Ancellet, Marie-Renée De Backer, Stéphanie Evan, Victoria Flood, Matthias M. Frey, James W. Hannigan, José L. Hernandez, Marco Iarlori, Bryan J. Johnson, Nicholas Jones, Rigel Kivi, Emmanuel Mahieu, Glen McConville, Katrin Müller, Tomoo Nagahama, Justus Notholt, Ankie Piters, Natalia Prats, Richard Querel, Dan Smale, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, Kimberly Strong, and Ralf Sussmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7187–7225, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7187-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7187-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Tropospheric ozone is an important greenhouse gas and is an air pollutant. The time variability of tropospheric ozone is mainly driven by anthropogenic emissions. In this paper, we study the distribution and time variability of ozone from harmonized ground-based observations from five different measurement techniques. Our findings provide clear standard references for atmospheric models and evolving tropospheric ozone satellite data for the 2000–2022 period.
Irina Petropavlovskikh, Jeannette D. Wild, Kari Abromitis, Peter Effertz, Koji Miyagawa, Lawrence E. Flynn, Eliane Maillard Barras, Robert Damadeo, Glen McConville, Bryan Johnson, Patrick Cullis, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Gerard Ancellet, Richard Querel, Roeland Van Malderen, and Daniel Zawada
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2895–2936, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2895-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2895-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Observational records show that stratospheric ozone is recovering in accordance with the implementation of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments. Natural ozone variability complicates the detection of small trends. This study optimizes a statistical model fit in ground-station-based observational records by adding parameters that interpret seasonal and long-term changes in atmospheric circulation and airmass mixing, which reduces uncertainties in detecting the stratospheric ozone recovery.
Swathi Maratt Satheesan, Kai-Uwe Eichmann, Mark Weber, Roeland Van Malderen, Ryan Stauffer, and David Tarasick
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-306, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-306, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the CLCD (CHORA Local Cloud Decision) algorithm for retrieving near-global tropospheric ozone using TROPOMI data. The approach refines the Convective Cloud Differential method by using a local cloud reference sector to minimize errors from stratospheric ozone variability, particularly in mid-latitudes. Validation against ground-based data shows good accuracy, highlighting its potential for improving air quality monitoring and supporting current and future satellite missions.
Min Huang, Gregory R. Carmichael, Kevin W. Bowman, Isabelle De Smedt, Andreas Colliander, Michael H. Cosh, Sujay V. Kumar, Alex B. Guenther, Scott J. Janz, Ryan M. Stauffer, Anne M. Thompson, Niko M. Fedkin, Robert J. Swap, John D. Bolten, and Alicia T. Joseph
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1449–1476, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1449-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1449-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use model simulations along with multiplatform, multidisciplinary observations and a range of analysis methods to estimate and understand the distributions, temporal changes, and impacts of reactive nitrogen and ozone over the most populous US region that has undergone significant environmental changes. Deposition, biogenic emissions, and extra-regional sources have been playing increasingly important roles in controlling pollutant budgets in this area as local anthropogenic emissions drop.
Pascal Hedelt, Jens Reichardt, Felix Lauermann, Benjamin Weiß, Nicolas Theys, Alberto Redondas, Africa Barreto, Omaira Garcia, and Diego Loyola
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1253–1272, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1253-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1253-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The 2021 volcanic eruption of Tajogaite on La Palma is investigated using ground-based and satellite measurements. In addition, the atmospheric transport of the volcanic cloud towards Europe is studied in detail. The amount of SO2 released during the eruption and the height of the volcanic plume are in excellent agreement among the different measurements. Furthermore, volcanic aerosol microphysical properties could be retrieved using a new retrieval approach based on lidar measurements.
Lucien Froidevaux, Douglas E. Kinnison, Benjamin Gaubert, Michael J. Schwartz, Nathaniel J. Livesey, William G. Read, Charles G. Bardeen, Jerry R. Ziemke, and Ryan A. Fuller
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 597–624, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-597-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-597-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We compare observed changes in ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the tropical upper troposphere (10–15 km altitude) for 2005–2020 to predictions from model simulations that track the evolution of natural and industrial emissions transported to this region. An increasing trend in measured upper-tropospheric O3 is well matched by model trends. We find that changes in modeled industrial CO surface emissions lead to better model agreement with observed slight decreases in upper-tropospheric CO.
Zhou Zang, Jane Liu, David Tarasick, Omid Moeini, Jianchun Bian, Jinqiang Zhang, Anne M. Thompson, Roeland Van Malderen, Herman G. J. Smit, Ryan M. Stauffer, Bryan J. Johnson, and Debra E. Kollonige
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13889–13912, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13889-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13889-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Trajectory-mapped Ozonesonde dataset for the Stratosphere and Troposphere (TOST) provides a global-scale, long-term ozone climatology that is horizontally and vertically resolved. In this study, we improved, updated and validated TOST from 1970 to 2021. Based on this TOST dataset, we characterized global ozone variations spatially in both the troposphere and stratosphere and temporally by season and decade. We also showed a stagnant lower stratospheric ozone variation since the late 1990s.
Jiansheng Zou, Kaley A. Walker, Patrick E. Sheese, Chris D. Boone, Ryan M. Stauffer, Anne M. Thompson, and David W. Tarasick
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6983–7005, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6983-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6983-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ozone measurements from the ACE-FTS satellite instrument have been compared to worldwide balloon-borne ozonesonde profiles using pairs of closely spaced profiles and monthly averaged profiles. ACE-FTS typically measures more ozone in the stratosphere by up to 10 %. The long-term stability of the ACE-FTS ozone data is good, exhibiting small (but non-significant) drifts of less than 3 % per decade in the stratosphere. Lower in the profiles, the calculated drifts are larger (up to 10 % per decade).
Robin Björklund, Corinne Vigouroux, Peter Effertz, Omaira E. García, Alex Geddes, James Hannigan, Koji Miyagawa, Michael Kotkamp, Bavo Langerock, Gerald Nedoluha, Ivan Ortega, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Deniz Poyraz, Richard Querel, John Robinson, Hisako Shiona, Dan Smale, Penny Smale, Roeland Van Malderen, and Martine De Mazière
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6819–6849, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6819-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6819-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Different ground-based ozone measurements from the last 2 decades at Lauder are compared to each other. We want to know why different trends have been observed in the stratosphere. Also, the quality and relevance of tropospheric datasets need to be evaluated. While remaining drifts are still present, our study explains roughly half of the differences in observed trends in previous studies and shows the necessity for continuous review and improvement of the measurements.
Alexei Rozanov, Christine Pohl, Carlo Arosio, Adam Bourassa, Klaus Bramstedt, Elizaveta Malinina, Landon Rieger, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6677–6695, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6677-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6677-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a new algorithm to retrieve vertical distributions of aerosol extinction coefficients in the stratosphere. The algorithm is applied to measurements of scattered solar light from the spaceborne OMPS-LP (Ozone Mapper and Profiler Suite Limb Profiler) instrument. The retrieval results are compared to data from other spaceborne instruments and used to investigate the evolution of the aerosol plume following the eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcano in January 2022.
Viktoria F. Sofieva, Alexei Rozanov, Monika Szelag, John P. Burrows, Christian Retscher, Robert Damadeo, Doug Degenstein, Landon A. Rieger, and Adam Bourassa
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 5227–5241, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5227-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5227-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Climate-related studies need information about the distribution of stratospheric aerosols, which influence the energy balance of the Earth’s atmosphere. In this work, we present a merged dataset of vertically resolved stratospheric aerosol extinction coefficients, which is derived from data of six limb and occultation satellite instruments. The created aerosol climate record covers the period from October 1984 to December 2023. It can be used in various climate-related studies.
Swathi Maratt Satheesan, Kai-Uwe Eichmann, John P. Burrows, Mark Weber, Ryan Stauffer, Anne M. Thompson, and Debra Kollonige
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6459–6484, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6459-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6459-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
CHORA, an advanced cloud convective differential technique, enhances the accuracy of tropospheric-ozone retrievals. Unlike the traditional Pacific cloud reference sector scheme, CHORA introduces a local-cloud reference sector and an alternative approach (CLCT) for precision. Analysing monthly averaged TROPOMI data from 2018 to 2022 and validating with SHADOZ ozonesonde data, CLCT outperforms other methods and so is the preferred choice, especially in future geostationary satellite missions.
Yasin Elshorbany, Jerald R. Ziemke, Sarah Strode, Hervé Petetin, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, Isabelle De Smedt, Kenneth Pickering, Rodrigo J. Seguel, Helen Worden, Tamara Emmerichs, Domenico Taraborrelli, Maria Cazorla, Suvarna Fadnavis, Rebecca R. Buchholz, Benjamin Gaubert, Néstor Y. Rojas, Thiago Nogueira, Thérèse Salameh, and Min Huang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12225–12257, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12225-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12225-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated tropospheric ozone spatial variability and trends from 2005 to 2019 and related those to ozone precursors on global and regional scales. We also investigate the spatiotemporal characteristics of the ozone formation regime in relation to ozone chemical sources and sinks. Our analysis is based on remote sensing products of the tropospheric column of ozone and its precursors, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and total column CO, as well as ozonesonde data and model simulations.
Athina Argyrouli, Diego Loyola, Fabian Romahn, Ronny Lutz, Víctor Molina García, Pascal Hedelt, Klaus-Peter Heue, and Richard Siddans
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6345–6367, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6345-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6345-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes a new treatment of the spatial misregistration of cloud properties for Sentinel-5 Precursor, when the footprints of different spectral bands are not perfectly aligned. The methodology exploits synergies between spectrometers and imagers, like TROPOMI and VIIRS. The largest improvements have been identified for heterogeneous scenes at cloud edges. This approach is generic and can also be applied to future Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5 instruments.
Honglei Wang, David W. Tarasick, Jane Liu, Herman G. J. Smit, Roeland Van Malderen, Lijuan Shen, Romain Blot, and Tianliang Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11927–11942, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11927-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11927-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we identify 23 suitable pairs of sites from World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre (WOUDC) and In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System (IAGOS) datasets (1995 to 2021), compare the average vertical distributions of tropospheric O3 from ozonesonde and aircraft measurements, and analyze the differences based on ozonesonde type and station–airport distance.
Sora Seo, Pieter Valks, Ronny Lutz, Klaus-Peter Heue, Pascal Hedelt, Víctor Molina García, Diego Loyola, Hanlim Lee, and Jhoon Kim
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6163–6191, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6163-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6163-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we developed an advanced retrieval algorithm for tropospheric NO2 columns from geostationary satellite spectrometers and applied it to GEMS measurements. The DLR GEMS NO2 retrieval algorithm follows the heritage from previous and existing algorithms, but improved approaches are applied to reflect the specific features of geostationary satellites. The DLR GEMS NO2 retrievals demonstrate a good capability for monitoring diurnal variability with a high spatial resolution.
Audrey Gaudel, Ilann Bourgeois, Meng Li, Kai-Lan Chang, Jerald Ziemke, Bastien Sauvage, Ryan M. Stauffer, Anne M. Thompson, Debra E. Kollonige, Nadia Smith, Daan Hubert, Arno Keppens, Juan Cuesta, Klaus-Peter Heue, Pepijn Veefkind, Kenneth Aikin, Jeff Peischl, Chelsea R. Thompson, Thomas B. Ryerson, Gregory J. Frost, Brian C. McDonald, and Owen R. Cooper
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9975–10000, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9975-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9975-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The study examines tropical tropospheric ozone changes. In situ data from 1994–2019 display increased ozone, notably over India, Southeast Asia, and Malaysia and Indonesia. Sparse in situ data limit trend detection for the 15-year period. In situ and satellite data, with limited sampling, struggle to consistently detect trends. Continuous observations are vital over the tropical Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, western Africa, and South Asia for accurate ozone trend estimation in these regions.
Tim Trent, Marc Schröder, Shu-Peng Ho, Steffen Beirle, Ralf Bennartz, Eva Borbas, Christian Borger, Helene Brogniez, Xavier Calbet, Elisa Castelli, Gilbert P. Compo, Wesley Ebisuzaki, Ulrike Falk, Frank Fell, John Forsythe, Hans Hersbach, Misako Kachi, Shinya Kobayashi, Robert E. Kursinski, Diego Loyola, Zhengzao Luo, Johannes K. Nielsen, Enzo Papandrea, Laurence Picon, Rene Preusker, Anthony Reale, Lei Shi, Laura Slivinski, Joao Teixeira, Tom Vonder Haar, and Thomas Wagner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9667–9695, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9667-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9667-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In a warmer future, water vapour will spend more time in the atmosphere, changing global rainfall patterns. In this study, we analysed the performance of 28 water vapour records between 1988 and 2014. We find sensitivity to surface warming generally outside expected ranges, attributed to breakpoints in individual record trends and differing representations of climate variability. The implication is that longer records are required for high confidence in assessing climate trends.
Falco Monsees, Alexei Rozanov, John P. Burrows, Mark Weber, Annette Rinke, Ralf Jaiser, and Peter von der Gathen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9085–9099, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9085-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9085-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Cyclones strongly influence weather predictability but still cannot be fully characterised in the Arctic because of the sparse coverage of meteorological measurements. A potential approach to compensate for this is the use of satellite measurements of ozone, because cyclones impact the tropopause and therefore also ozone. In this study we used this connection to investigate the correlation between ozone and the tropopause in the Arctic and to identify cyclones with satellite ozone observations.
Christine Pohl, Felix Wrana, Alexei Rozanov, Terry Deshler, Elizaveta Malinina, Christian von Savigny, Landon A. Rieger, Adam E. Bourassa, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4153–4181, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4153-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4153-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Knowledge of stratospheric aerosol characteristics is important for understanding chemical and climate aerosol feedbacks. Two particle size distribution parameters, the aerosol extinction coefficient and the effective radius, are obtained from SCIAMACHY limb observations. The aerosol characteristics show good agreement with independent data sets from balloon-borne and satellite observations. This data set expands the limited knowledge of stratospheric aerosol characteristics.
Arno Keppens, Serena Di Pede, Daan Hubert, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Pepijn Veefkind, Maarten Sneep, Johan De Haan, Mark ter Linden, Thierry Leblanc, Steven Compernolle, Tijl Verhoelst, José Granville, Oindrila Nath, Ann Mari Fjæraa, Ian Boyd, Sander Niemeijer, Roeland Van Malderen, Herman G. J. Smit, Valentin Duflot, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Bryan J. Johnson, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, David W. Tarasick, Debra E. Kollonige, Ryan M. Stauffer, Anne M. Thompson, Angelika Dehn, and Claus Zehner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3969–3993, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3969-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3969-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Sentinel-5P satellite operated by the European Space Agency has carried the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) around the Earth since October 2017. This mission also produces atmospheric ozone profile data which are described in detail for May 2018 to April 2023. Independent validation using ground-based reference measurements demonstrates that the operational ozone profile product mostly fully and at least partially complies with all mission requirements.
Robert P. Damadeo, Viktoria F. Sofieva, Alexei Rozanov, and Larry W. Thomason
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3669–3678, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3669-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3669-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Comparing different aerosol data sets for scientific studies often requires converting aerosol extinction data between different wavelengths. A common approximation for the spectral behavior of aerosol is the Ångström formula; however, this introduces biases. Using measurements across many different wavelengths from a single instrument, we derive an empirical relationship to both characterize this bias and offer a correction for other studies that may employ this analysis approach.
Mark Weber
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3597–3604, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3597-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3597-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate how stable the performance of a satellite instrument has to be to be useful for assessing long-term trends in stratospheric ozone. The stability of an instrument is specified in percent per decade and is also called instrument drift. Instrument drifts add to uncertainties of long-term trends. From simulated time series of ozone based on the Monte Carlo approach, we determine stability requirements that are needed to achieve the desired long-term trend uncertainty.
Guang Zeng, Richard Querel, Hisako Shiona, Deniz Poyraz, Roeland Van Malderen, Alex Geddes, Penny Smale, Dan Smale, John Robinson, and Olaf Morgenstern
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6413–6432, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6413-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6413-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present a homogenised ozonesonde record (1987–2020) for Lauder, a Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude site; identify factors driving ozone trends; and attribute them to anthropogenic forcings using statistical analysis and model simulations. We find that significant negative lower-stratospheric ozone trends identified at Lauder are associated with an increase in tropopause height and that CO2-driven dynamical changes have played an increasingly important role in driving ozone trends.
Viktoria F. Sofieva, Monika Szelag, Johanna Tamminen, Didier Fussen, Christine Bingen, Filip Vanhellemont, Nina Mateshvili, Alexei Rozanov, and Christine Pohl
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3085–3101, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3085-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3085-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We have developed the new multi-wavelength dataset of aerosol extinction profiles, which are retrieved from the averaged transmittance spectra by the Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars instrument aboard Envisat. The retrieved aerosol extinction profiles are provided in the altitude range 10–40 km at 400, 440, 452, 470, 500, 525, 550, 672 and 750 nm for the period 2002–2012. FMI-GOMOSaero aerosol profiles have improved quality; they are in good agreement with other datasets.
Ryan M. Stauffer, Anne M. Thompson, Debra E. Kollonige, Ninong Komala, Habib Khirzin Al-Ghazali, Dian Yudha Risdianto, Ambun Dindang, Ahmad Fairudz bin Jamaluddin, Mohan Kumar Sammathuria, Norazura Binti Zakaria, Bryan J. Johnson, and Patrick D. Cullis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5221–5234, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5221-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5221-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
SHADOZ balloon-borne ozone measurements over equatorial Southeast Asia from 1998–2022 reveal that ozone increases during the early months of the year are linked to reduced convective storm activity, which typically redistributes and cleans the atmosphere of ozone. These findings challenge models to replicate the trends produced by the SHADOZ and meteorological observations and emphasize the importance of studying monthly or seasonal instead of annual changes for understanding ozone trends.
Matthew S. Johnson, Alexei Rozanov, Mark Weber, Nora Mettig, John Sullivan, Michael J. Newchurch, Shi Kuang, Thierry Leblanc, Fernando Chouza, Timothy A. Berkoff, Guillaume Gronoff, Kevin B. Strawbridge, Raul J. Alvarez, Andrew O. Langford, Christoph J. Senff, Guillaume Kirgis, Brandi McCarty, and Larry Twigg
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2559–2582, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2559-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2559-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Monitoring tropospheric ozone (O3), a harmful pollutant negatively impacting human health, is primarily done using ground-based measurements and ozonesondes. However, these observation types lack the coverage to fully understand tropospheric O3. Satellites can retrieve tropospheric ozone with near-daily global coverage; however, they are known to have biases and errors. This study uses ground-based lidars to validate multiple satellites' ability to observe tropospheric O3.
Andrea Orfanoz-Cheuquelaf, Carlo Arosio, Alexei Rozanov, Mark Weber, Annette Ladstätter-Weißenmayer, John P. Burrows, Anne M. Thompson, Ryan M. Stauffer, and Debra E. Kollonige
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1791–1809, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1791-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1791-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Valuable information on the tropospheric ozone column (TrOC) can be obtained globally by combining space-borne limb and nadir measurements (limb–nadir matching, LNM). This study describes the retrieval of TrOC from the OMPS instrument (since 2012) using the LNM technique. The OMPS-LNM TrOC was compared with ozonesondes and other satellite measurements, showing a good agreement with a negative bias within 1 to 4 DU. This new dataset is suitable for pollution studies.
Christian von Savigny, Anna Lange, Christoph G. Hoffmann, and Alexei Rozanov
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2415–2422, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2415-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2415-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
It is well known that volcanic eruptions strongly affect the colours of the twilight sky. Typically, volcanic eruptions lead to enhanced reddish and violet twilight colours. In rare cases, however, volcanic eruptions can also lead to green sunsets. This study provides an explanation for the occurrence of these unusual green sunsets based on simulations with a radiative transfer model. Green volcanic sunsets require a sufficient stratospheric aerosol optical depth and specific aerosol sizes.
Herman G. J. Smit, Deniz Poyraz, Roeland Van Malderen, Anne M. Thompson, David W. Tarasick, Ryan M. Stauffer, Bryan J. Johnson, and Debra E. Kollonige
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 73–112, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-73-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-73-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This paper revisits fundamentals of ECC ozonesonde measurements to develop and characterize a methodology to correct for the fast and slow time responses using the JOSIE (Jülich Ozone Sonde Intercomparison Experiment) simulation chamber data. Comparing the new corrected ozonesonde profiles to an accurate ozone UV photometer (OPM) as reference allows us to evaluate the time response correction (TRC) method and to determine calibration functions traceable to one reference with 5 % uncertainty.
Anna Lange, Alexei Rozanov, and Christian von Savigny
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14829–14839, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14829-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14829-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We were able to demonstrate quantitatively that the blue colour of the sky cannot be solely attributed to Rayleigh scattering. The influence of ozone on the blue colour of the sky is calculated for different viewing geometries, total ozone columns and an enhanced stratospheric aerosol scenario. Furthermore, the effects of polarisation, surface albedo and observer height are investigated.
Xuanyi Zhang, Mark Gordon, Paul A. Makar, Timothy Jiang, Jonathan Davies, and David Tarasick
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 13647–13664, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13647-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13647-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Measurements of ozone in the atmosphere were made in a forest downwind of oil sands mining and production facilities in northern Alberta. These measurements show that the emissions of other pollutants from oil sands production and processing reduce the amount of ozone in the forest. By using an atmospheric model combined with measurements, we find that the rate at which ozone is absorbed by the forest is lower than typical rates from similar measurements in other forests.
Jay Herman, Jerald Ziemke, and Richard McPeters
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4693–4707, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4693-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4693-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Fourier series multivariate linear regression trends (% per decade) in ozone were estimated from the Merged Ozone Data Set (MOD) from 1979 to 2021 in two different regimes, from 1979 to TA (the date when ozone stopped decreasing) and TA to 2021. The derived TA is a latitude-dependent date, ranging from 1994 to 1998. TA(θ) is a marker for photochemistry dynamics models attempting to represent ozone change over the past 42 years.
Michael Kiefer, Dale F. Hurst, Gabriele P. Stiller, Stefan Lossow, Holger Vömel, John Anderson, Faiza Azam, Jean-Loup Bertaux, Laurent Blanot, Klaus Bramstedt, John P. Burrows, Robert Damadeo, Bianca Maria Dinelli, Patrick Eriksson, Maya García-Comas, John C. Gille, Mark Hervig, Yasuko Kasai, Farahnaz Khosrawi, Donal Murtagh, Gerald E. Nedoluha, Stefan Noël, Piera Raspollini, William G. Read, Karen H. Rosenlof, Alexei Rozanov, Christopher E. Sioris, Takafumi Sugita, Thomas von Clarmann, Kaley A. Walker, and Katja Weigel
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4589–4642, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4589-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4589-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We quantify biases and drifts (and their uncertainties) between the stratospheric water vapor measurement records of 15 satellite-based instruments (SATs, with 31 different retrievals) and balloon-borne frost point hygrometers (FPs) launched at 27 globally distributed stations. These comparisons of measurements during the period 2000–2016 are made using robust, consistent statistical methods. With some exceptions, the biases and drifts determined for most SAT–FP pairs are < 10 % and < 1 % yr−1.
Ka Lok Chan, Pieter Valks, Klaus-Peter Heue, Ronny Lutz, Pascal Hedelt, Diego Loyola, Gaia Pinardi, Michel Van Roozendael, François Hendrick, Thomas Wagner, Vinod Kumar, Alkis Bais, Ankie Piters, Hitoshi Irie, Hisahiro Takashima, Yugo Kanaya, Yongjoo Choi, Kihong Park, Jihyo Chong, Alexander Cede, Udo Frieß, Andreas Richter, Jianzhong Ma, Nuria Benavent, Robert Holla, Oleg Postylyakov, Claudia Rivera Cárdenas, and Mark Wenig
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1831–1870, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1831-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1831-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents the theoretical basis as well as verification and validation of the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) daily and monthly level-3 products.
Viktoria F. Sofieva, Monika Szelag, Johanna Tamminen, Carlo Arosio, Alexei Rozanov, Mark Weber, Doug Degenstein, Adam Bourassa, Daniel Zawada, Michael Kiefer, Alexandra Laeng, Kaley A. Walker, Patrick Sheese, Daan Hubert, Michel van Roozendael, Christian Retscher, Robert Damadeo, and Jerry D. Lumpe
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1881–1899, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1881-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1881-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The paper presents the updated SAGE-CCI-OMPS+ climate data record of monthly zonal mean ozone profiles. This dataset covers the stratosphere and combines measurements by nine limb and occultation satellite instruments (SAGE II, OSIRIS, MIPAS, SCIAMACHY, GOMOS, ACE-FTS, OMPS-LP, POAM III, and SAGE III/ISS). The update includes new versions of MIPAS, ACE-FTS, and OSIRIS datasets and introduces data from additional sensors (POAM III and SAGE III/ISS) and retrieval processors (OMPS-LP).
Peng Yuan, Roeland Van Malderen, Xungang Yin, Hannes Vogelmann, Weiping Jiang, Joseph Awange, Bernhard Heck, and Hansjörg Kutterer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3517–3541, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3517-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3517-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Water vapour plays an important role in various weather and climate processes. However, due to its large spatiotemporal variability, its high-accuracy quantification remains a challenge. In this study, 20+ years of GPS-derived integrated water vapour (IWV) retrievals in Europe were obtained. They were then used to characterise the temporal features of Europe's IWV and assess six atmospheric reanalyses. Results show that ERA5 outperforms the other reanalyses at most temporal scales.
Linlu Mei, Vladimir Rozanov, Alexei Rozanov, and John P. Burrows
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 1511–1536, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-1511-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-1511-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper summarizes recent developments of aerosol, cloud and surface reflectance databases and models in the framework of the software package SCIATRAN. These updates and developments extend the capabilities of the radiative transfer modeling, especially by accounting for different kinds of vertical inhomogeneties. Vertically inhomogeneous clouds and different aerosol types can be easily accounted for within SCIATRAN (V4.6). The widely used surface models and databases are now available.
Peng Yuan, Geoffrey Blewitt, Corné Kreemer, William C. Hammond, Donald Argus, Xungang Yin, Roeland Van Malderen, Michael Mayer, Weiping Jiang, Joseph Awange, and Hansjörg Kutterer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 723–743, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-723-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-723-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a 5 min global integrated water vapour (IWV) product from 12 552 ground-based GPS stations in 2020. It contains more than 1 billion IWV estimates. The dataset is an enhanced version of the existing operational GPS IWV dataset from the Nevada Geodetic Laboratory. The enhancement is reached by using accurate meteorological information from ERA5 for the GPS IWV retrieval with a significantly higher spatiotemporal resolution. The dataset is recommended for high-accuracy applications.
Catalina Poraicu, Jean-François Müller, Trissevgeni Stavrakou, Dominique Fonteyn, Frederik Tack, Felix Deutsch, Quentin Laffineur, Roeland Van Malderen, and Nele Veldeman
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 479–508, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-479-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-479-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
High-resolution WRF-Chem simulations are conducted over Antwerp, Belgium, in June 2019 and evaluated using meteorological data and in situ, airborne, and spaceborne NO2 measurements. An intercomparison of model, aircraft, and TROPOMI NO2 columns is conducted to characterize biases in versions 1.3.1 and 2.3.1 of the satellite product. A mass balance method is implemented to provide improved emissions for simulating NO2 distribution over the study area.
Cynthia H. Whaley, Kathy S. Law, Jens Liengaard Hjorth, Henrik Skov, Stephen R. Arnold, Joakim Langner, Jakob Boyd Pernov, Garance Bergeron, Ilann Bourgeois, Jesper H. Christensen, Rong-You Chien, Makoto Deushi, Xinyi Dong, Peter Effertz, Gregory Faluvegi, Mark Flanner, Joshua S. Fu, Michael Gauss, Greg Huey, Ulas Im, Rigel Kivi, Louis Marelle, Tatsuo Onishi, Naga Oshima, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Jeff Peischl, David A. Plummer, Luca Pozzoli, Jean-Christophe Raut, Tom Ryerson, Ragnhild Skeie, Sverre Solberg, Manu A. Thomas, Chelsea Thompson, Kostas Tsigaridis, Svetlana Tsyro, Steven T. Turnock, Knut von Salzen, and David W. Tarasick
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 637–661, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-637-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-637-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study summarizes recent research on ozone in the Arctic, a sensitive and rapidly warming region. We find that the seasonal cycles of near-surface atmospheric ozone are variable depending on whether they are near the coast, inland, or at high altitude. Several global model simulations were evaluated, and we found that because models lack some of the ozone chemistry that is important for the coastal Arctic locations, they do not accurately simulate ozone there.
Katerina Garane, Ka Lok Chan, Maria-Elissavet Koukouli, Diego Loyola, and Dimitris Balis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 57–74, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-57-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-57-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this work, 2.5 years of TROPOMI/S5P Total Column Water Vapor (TCWV) observations retrieved from the blue wavelength band are validated against co-located precipitable water measurements from NASA AERONET, which uses Cimel Sun photometers globally. Overall, the TCWV product agrees well on a global scale with the ground-based dataset (Pearson correl. coefficient 0.909) and has a mean relative bias of −2.7 ± 4.9 % with respect to the AERONET observations for moderate albedo and cloudiness.
Miriam Latsch, Andreas Richter, Henk Eskes, Maarten Sneep, Ping Wang, Pepijn Veefkind, Ronny Lutz, Diego Loyola, Athina Argyrouli, Pieter Valks, Thomas Wagner, Holger Sihler, Michel van Roozendael, Nicolas Theys, Huan Yu, Richard Siddans, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6257–6283, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6257-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6257-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The article investigates different S5P TROPOMI cloud retrieval algorithms for tropospheric trace gas retrievals. The cloud products show differences primarily over snow and ice and for scenes under sun glint. Some issues regarding across-track dependence are found for the cloud fractions as well as for the cloud heights.
Sarah A. Strode, Ghassan Taha, Luke D. Oman, Robert Damadeo, David Flittner, Mark Schoeberl, Christopher E. Sioris, and Ryan Stauffer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6145–6161, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6145-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6145-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We use a global atmospheric chemistry model simulation to generate scaling factors that account for the daily cycle of NO2 and ozone. These factors facilitate comparisons between sunrise and sunset observations from SAGE III/ISS and observations from other instruments. We provide the scaling factors as monthly zonal means for different latitudes and altitudes. We find that applying these factors yields more consistent comparisons between observations from SAGE III/ISS and other instruments.
Christian von Savigny, Anna Lange, Anne Hemkendreis, Christoph G. Hoffmann, and Alexei Rozanov
Clim. Past, 18, 2345–2356, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-2345-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-2345-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the possibility of inferring information on aerosol optical depth from photographs of historic paintings. The idea – which has been applied in previous studies – is very interesting because it would provide an archive of the atmospheric aerosol loading covering many centuries. We show that twilight colours depend not only on the aerosol optical thickness, but also on several other parameters, making a quantitative estimate of aerosol optical depth very difficult.
Carlo Arosio, Alexei Rozanov, Victor Gorshelev, Alexandra Laeng, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5949–5967, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5949-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5949-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper characterizes the uncertainties affecting the ozone profiles retrieved at the University of Bremen through OMPS limb satellite observations. An accurate knowledge of the uncertainties is relevant for the validation of the product and to correctly interpret the retrieval results. We investigate several sources of uncertainties, estimate a total random and systematic component, and verify the consistency of the combined OMPS-MLS total uncertainty.
Klaus-Peter Heue, Diego Loyola, Fabian Romahn, Walter Zimmer, Simon Chabrillat, Quentin Errera, Jerry Ziemke, and Natalya Kramarova
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5563–5579, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5563-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5563-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
To retrieve tropospheric ozone column information, we subtract stratospheric column data of BASCOE from TROPOMI/S5P total ozone columns.
The new S5P-BASCOE data agree well with existing tropospheric data like OMPS-MERRA-2. The data are also compared to ozone soundings.
The tropospheric ozone columns show the expected temporal and spatial patterns. We will also apply the algorithm to future UV nadir missions like Sentinel 4 or 5 or to recent and ongoing missions like GOME_2 or OMI.
Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Niramson Azouz, Viktoria F. Sofieva, Daan Hubert, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Peter Effertz, Gérard Ancellet, Doug A. Degenstein, Daniel Zawada, Lucien Froidevaux, Stacey Frith, Jeannette Wild, Sean Davis, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, Thierry Leblanc, Richard Querel, Kleareti Tourpali, Robert Damadeo, Eliane Maillard Barras, René Stübi, Corinne Vigouroux, Carlo Arosio, Gerald Nedoluha, Ian Boyd, Roeland Van Malderen, Emmanuel Mahieu, Dan Smale, and Ralf Sussmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 11657–11673, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11657-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11657-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
An updated evaluation up to 2020 of stratospheric ozone profile long-term trends at extrapolar latitudes based on satellite and ground-based records is presented. Ozone increase in the upper stratosphere is confirmed, with significant trends at most latitudes. In this altitude region, a very good agreement is found with trends derived from chemistry–climate model simulations. Observed and modelled trends diverge in the lower stratosphere, but the differences are non-significant.
Niilo Kalakoski, Viktoria F. Sofieva, René Preusker, Claire Henocq, Matthieu Denisselle, Steffen Dransfeld, and Silvia Scifoni
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5129–5140, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5129-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5129-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Geophysical validation of the Integrated Water Vapour (IWV) product from the Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) was performed against reference observations from SUOMINET and IGRA databases. Results for cloud-free matchups over land show a wet bias of 7 %–10 % for OLCI, with a high correlation against the reference observations (0.98 against SUOMINET and 0.90 against IGRA). Special attention is given to validation of uncertainty estimates and cloud flagging.
John T. Sullivan, Arnoud Apituley, Nora Mettig, Karin Kreher, K. Emma Knowland, Marc Allaart, Ankie Piters, Michel Van Roozendael, Pepijn Veefkind, Jerry R. Ziemke, Natalya Kramarova, Mark Weber, Alexei Rozanov, Laurence Twigg, Grant Sumnicht, and Thomas J. McGee
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 11137–11153, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11137-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11137-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) validation campaign (TROLIX-19) was held in the Netherlands in September 2019. The research presented here focuses on using ozone lidars from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to better evaluate the characterization of ozone throughout TROLIX-19 as compared to balloon-borne, space-borne and ground-based passive measurements, as well as a global coupled chemistry meteorology model.
Pieternel F. Levelt, Deborah C. Stein Zweers, Ilse Aben, Maite Bauwens, Tobias Borsdorff, Isabelle De Smedt, Henk J. Eskes, Christophe Lerot, Diego G. Loyola, Fabian Romahn, Trissevgeni Stavrakou, Nicolas Theys, Michel Van Roozendael, J. Pepijn Veefkind, and Tijl Verhoelst
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10319–10351, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10319-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10319-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Using the COVID-19 lockdown periods as an example, we show how Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI trace gas data (NO2, SO2, CO, HCHO and CHOCHO) can be used to understand impacts on air quality for regions and cities around the globe. We also provide information for both experienced and inexperienced users about how we created the data using state-of-the-art algorithms, where to get the data, methods taking meteorological and seasonal variability into consideration, and insights for future studies.
Anna Lange, Gerd Baumgarten, Alexei Rozanov, and Christian von Savigny
Ann. Geophys., 40, 407–419, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-407-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-407-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the influence of different parameters on the colour of noctilucent clouds (highest clouds in the atmosphere), using radiative transfer calculations. We determined the effect of the particle size, optical depth, single scattering/multiple scattering and ozone. For sufficiently large optical depth and for specific viewing geometries, ozone plays only a minor role in the blueish colour of noctilucent clouds (new result).
William G. Read, Gabriele Stiller, Stefan Lossow, Michael Kiefer, Farahnaz Khosrawi, Dale Hurst, Holger Vömel, Karen Rosenlof, Bianca M. Dinelli, Piera Raspollini, Gerald E. Nedoluha, John C. Gille, Yasuko Kasai, Patrick Eriksson, Christopher E. Sioris, Kaley A. Walker, Katja Weigel, John P. Burrows, and Alexei Rozanov
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3377–3400, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3377-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3377-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper attempts to provide an assessment of the accuracy of 21 satellite-based instruments that remotely measure atmospheric humidity in the upper troposphere of the Earth's atmosphere. The instruments made their measurements from 1984 to the present time; however, most of these instruments began operations after 2000, and only a few are still operational. The objective of this study is to quantify the accuracy of each satellite humidity data set.
Francisco J. Pérez-Invernón, Heidi Huntrieser, Thilo Erbertseder, Diego Loyola, Pieter Valks, Song Liu, Dale J. Allen, Kenneth E. Pickering, Eric J. Bucsela, Patrick Jöckel, Jos van Geffen, Henk Eskes, Sergio Soler, Francisco J. Gordillo-Vázquez, and Jeff Lapierre
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3329–3351, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3329-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3329-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Lightning, one of the major sources of nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere, contributes to the tropospheric concentration of ozone and to the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. In this work, we contribute to improving the estimation of lightning-produced nitrogen oxides in the Ebro Valley and the Pyrenees by using two different TROPOMI products and comparing the results.
Mark Weber, Carlo Arosio, Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Vitali E. Fioletov, Stacey M. Frith, Jeannette D. Wild, Kleareti Tourpali, John P. Burrows, and Diego Loyola
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6843–6859, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6843-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6843-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Long-term trends in column ozone have been determined from five merged total ozone datasets spanning the period 1978–2020. We show that ozone recovery due to the decline in stratospheric halogens after the 1990s (as regulated by the Montreal Protocol) is evident outside the tropical region and amounts to half a percent per decade. The ozone recovery in the Northern Hemisphere is however compensated for by the negative long-term trend contribution from atmospheric dynamics since the year 2000.
Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Diego G. Loyola, Christophe Lerot, and Michel Van Roozendael
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6861–6878, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6861-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6861-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Monitoring the long-term evolution of ozone and the evaluation of trends is essential to assess the efficacy of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments. The first signs of recovery as a consequence of decreasing amounts of ozone-depleting substances have been reported, but the impact needs to be investigated in more detail. In the Southern Hemisphere significant positive trends were found, but in the Northern Hemisphere the expected increase is still not yet visible.
Viktoria F. Sofieva, Risto Hänninen, Mikhail Sofiev, Monika Szeląg, Hei Shing Lee, Johanna Tamminen, and Christian Retscher
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3193–3212, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3193-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3193-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present tropospheric ozone column datasets that have been created using combinations of total ozone column from OMI and TROPOMI with stratospheric ozone column datasets from several available limb-viewing instruments (MLS, OSIRIS, MIPAS, SCIAMACHY, OMPS-LP, GOMOS). The main results are (i) several methodological developments, (ii) new tropospheric ozone column datasets from OMI and TROPOMI, and (iii) a new high-resolution dataset of ozone profiles from limb satellite instruments.
Gérard Ancellet, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Herman G. J. Smit, Ryan M. Stauffer, Roeland Van Malderen, Renaud Bodichon, and Andrea Pazmiño
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3105–3120, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3105-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3105-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The 1991–2021 Observatoire de Haute Provence electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesonde data have been homogenized according to the recommendations of the Ozonesonde Data Quality Assessment panel. Comparisons with ground-based instruments also measuring ozone at the same station (lidar, surface measurements) and with colocated satellite observations show the benefits of this homogenization. Remaining differences between ECC and other observations in the stratosphere are also discussed.
Nora Mettig, Mark Weber, Alexei Rozanov, John P. Burrows, Pepijn Veefkind, Anne M. Thompson, Ryan M. Stauffer, Thierry Leblanc, Gerard Ancellet, Michael J. Newchurch, Shi Kuang, Rigel Kivi, Matthew B. Tully, Roeland Van Malderen, Ankie Piters, Bogumil Kois, René Stübi, and Pavla Skrivankova
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2955–2978, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2955-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2955-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Vertical ozone profiles from combined spectral measurements in the UV and IR spectral ranges were retrieved by using data from TROPOMI/S5P and CrIS/Suomi-NPP. The vertical resolution and accuracy of the ozone profiles are improved by combining both wavelength ranges compared to retrievals limited to UV or IR spectral data only. The advancement of our TOPAS algorithm for combined measurements is required because in the UV-only retrieval the vertical resolution in the troposphere is very limited.
Maria-Elissavet Koukouli, Konstantinos Michailidis, Pascal Hedelt, Isabelle A. Taylor, Antje Inness, Lieven Clarisse, Dimitris Balis, Dmitry Efremenko, Diego Loyola, Roy G. Grainger, and Christian Retscher
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5665–5683, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5665-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5665-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Volcanic eruptions eject large amounts of ash and trace gases into the atmosphere. The use of space-borne instruments enables the global monitoring of volcanic SO2 emissions in an economical and risk-free manner. The main aim of this paper is to present its extensive verification, accomplished within the ESA S5P+I: SO2LH project, over major recent volcanic eruptions, against collocated space-borne measurements, as well as assess its impact on the forecasts provided by CAMS.
Edward Malina, Ben Veihelmann, Matthias Buschmann, Nicholas M. Deutscher, Dietrich G. Feist, and Isamu Morino
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2377–2406, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2377-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2377-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Methane retrievals from remote sensing instruments are fundamentally based on spectroscopic parameters, which indicate spectral-line positions, and their characteristics. These parameters are stored in several databases that vary in their make-up. Here we assess how concentrations of methane isotopologues measured from the same Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) instruments vary across a range of spectral windows using different spectroscopic databases and comment on the implications.
Antje Inness, Melanie Ades, Dimitris Balis, Dmitry Efremenko, Johannes Flemming, Pascal Hedelt, Maria-Elissavet Koukouli, Diego Loyola, and Roberto Ribas
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 971–994, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-971-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-971-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the way that the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) produces forecasts of volcanic SO2. These forecasts are provided routinely every day. They are created by blending SO2 data from satellite instruments (TROPOMI and GOME-2) with the CAMS model. We show that the quality of the CAMS SO2 forecasts can be improved if additional information about the height of volcanic plumes is provided in the satellite data.
Sandip S. Dhomse, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Ryan Hossaini, Graham W. Mann, Michelle L. Santee, and Mark Weber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 903–916, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-903-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-903-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Solar flux variations associated with 11-year sunspot cycle is believed to exert important external climate forcing. As largest variations occur at shorter wavelengths such as ultra-violet part of the solar spectrum, associated changes in stratospheric ozone are thought to provide direct evidence for solar climate interaction. Until now, most of the studies reported double-peak structured solar cycle signal (SCS), but relatively new satellite data suggest only single-peak-structured SCS.
Sandip S. Dhomse, Carlo Arosio, Wuhu Feng, Alexei Rozanov, Mark Weber, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5711–5729, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5711-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5711-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
High-quality long-term ozone profile data sets are key to estimating short- and long-term ozone variability. Almost all the satellite (and chemical model) data sets show some kind of bias with respect to each other. This is because of differences in measurement methodologies as well as simplified processes in the models. We use satellite data sets and chemical model output to generate 42 years of ozone profile data sets using a random-forest machine-learning algorithm that is named ML-TOMCAT.
Christophe Lerot, François Hendrick, Michel Van Roozendael, Leonardo M. A. Alvarado, Andreas Richter, Isabelle De Smedt, Nicolas Theys, Jonas Vlietinck, Huan Yu, Jeroen Van Gent, Trissevgeni Stavrakou, Jean-François Müller, Pieter Valks, Diego Loyola, Hitoshi Irie, Vinod Kumar, Thomas Wagner, Stefan F. Schreier, Vinayak Sinha, Ting Wang, Pucai Wang, and Christian Retscher
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7775–7807, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7775-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7775-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Global measurements of glyoxal tropospheric columns from the satellite instrument TROPOMI are presented. Such measurements can contribute to the estimation of atmospheric emissions of volatile organic compounds. This new glyoxal product has been fully characterized with a comprehensive error budget, with comparison with other satellite data sets as well as with validation based on independent ground-based remote sensing glyoxal observations.
Daan Hubert, Klaus-Peter Heue, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Tijl Verhoelst, Marc Allaart, Steven Compernolle, Patrick D. Cullis, Angelika Dehn, Christian Félix, Bryan J. Johnson, Arno Keppens, Debra E. Kollonige, Christophe Lerot, Diego Loyola, Matakite Maata, Sukarni Mitro, Maznorizan Mohamad, Ankie Piters, Fabian Romahn, Henry B. Selkirk, Francisco R. da Silva, Ryan M. Stauffer, Anne M. Thompson, J. Pepijn Veefkind, Holger Vömel, Jacquelyn C. Witte, and Claus Zehner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7405–7433, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7405-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7405-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We assess the first 2 years of TROPOMI tropical tropospheric ozone column data. Comparisons to reference measurements by ozonesonde and satellite sensors show that TROPOMI bias (−0.1 to +2.3 DU) and precision (1.5 to 2.5 DU) meet mission requirements. Potential causes of bias and its spatio-temporal structure are discussed, as well as ways to identify sampling errors. Our analysis of known geophysical patterns demonstrates the improved performance of TROPOMI with respect to its predecessors.
Song Liu, Pieter Valks, Gaia Pinardi, Jian Xu, Ka Lok Chan, Athina Argyrouli, Ronny Lutz, Steffen Beirle, Ehsan Khorsandi, Frank Baier, Vincent Huijnen, Alkiviadis Bais, Sebastian Donner, Steffen Dörner, Myrto Gratsea, François Hendrick, Dimitris Karagkiozidis, Kezia Lange, Ankie J. M. Piters, Julia Remmers, Andreas Richter, Michel Van Roozendael, Thomas Wagner, Mark Wenig, and Diego G. Loyola
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7297–7327, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7297-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7297-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this work, an improved tropospheric NO2 retrieval algorithm from TROPOMI measurements over Europe is presented. The stratospheric estimation is implemented with correction for the dependency of the stratospheric NO2 on the viewing geometry. The AMF calculation is implemented using improved surface albedo, a priori NO2 profiles, and cloud correction. The improved tropospheric NO2 data show good correlations with ground-based MAX-DOAS measurements.
Nicolas Theys, Vitali Fioletov, Can Li, Isabelle De Smedt, Christophe Lerot, Chris McLinden, Nickolay Krotkov, Debora Griffin, Lieven Clarisse, Pascal Hedelt, Diego Loyola, Thomas Wagner, Vinod Kumar, Antje Innes, Roberto Ribas, François Hendrick, Jonas Vlietinck, Hugues Brenot, and Michel Van Roozendael
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16727–16744, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16727-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16727-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new algorithm to retrieve sulfur dioxide from space UV measurements. We apply the technique to high-resolution TROPOMI measurements and demonstrate the high sensitivity of the approach to weak SO2 emissions worldwide with an unprecedented limit of detection of 8 kt yr−1. This result has broad implications for atmospheric science studies dealing with improving emission inventories and identifying and quantifying missing sources, in the context of air quality and climate.
Gaëlle Dufour, Didier Hauglustaine, Yunjiang Zhang, Maxim Eremenko, Yann Cohen, Audrey Gaudel, Guillaume Siour, Mathieu Lachatre, Axel Bense, Bertrand Bessagnet, Juan Cuesta, Jerry Ziemke, Valérie Thouret, and Bo Zheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16001–16025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16001-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16001-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The IASI observations and the LMDZ-OR-INCA model simulations show negative ozone trends in the Central East China region in the lower free (3–6 km column) and the upper free (6–9 km column) troposphere. Sensitivity studies from the model show that the Chinese anthropogenic emissions contribute to more than 50 % in the trend. The reduction in NOx emissions that has occurred since 2013 in China seems to lead to a decrease in ozone in the free troposphere, contrary to the increase at the surface.
Catherine Wilka, Susan Solomon, Doug Kinnison, and David Tarasick
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15771–15781, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15771-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15771-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We use satellite and balloon measurements to evaluate modeled ozone loss seen in the unusually cold Arctic of 2020 in the real world and compare it to simulations of a world avoided. We show that extensive denitrification in 2020 provides an important test case for stratospheric model process representations. If the Montreal Protocol had not banned ozone-depleting substances, an Arctic ozone hole would have emerged for the first time in spring 2020 that is comparable to those in the Antarctic.
Cited articles
Arosio, C.: Tropospheric ozone column from Limb-Nadir matching of SCIAMACHY and OMPS observations, merged to cover the 2003–2023 period (v1.0), Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15364058, 2025. a
Bak, J., Liu, X., Wei, J. C., Pan, L. L., Chance, K., and Kim, J. H.: Improvement of OMI ozone profile retrievals in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere by the use of a tropopause-based ozone profile climatology, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 2239–2254, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-2239-2013, 2013. a
Boynard, A., Clerbaux, C., Coheur, P.-F., Hurtmans, D., Turquety, S., George, M., Hadji-Lazaro, J., Keim, C., and Meyer-Arnek, J.: Measurements of total and tropospheric ozone from IASI: comparison with correlative satellite, ground-based and ozonesonde observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 6255–6271, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-6255-2009, 2009. a
Brown, J., Bowman, C., Buckley, B., Clark, M., and Dubois, J.: Integrated science assessment for ozone and related photochemical oxidants, Technical report, US Environmental Protection Agency, 2013. a
Bruckner, M., Pierce, R. B., and Lenzen, A.: Examining ENSO-related variability in tropical tropospheric ozone in the RAQMS-Aura chemical reanalysis, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10921–10945, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10921-2024, 2024. a
Chang, K.-L., Cooper, O. R., Gaudel, A., Allaart, M., Ancellet, G., Clark, H., Godin-Beekmann, S., Leblanc, T., Van Malderen, R., Nédélec, P., Petropavlovskikh, I., Steinbrecht, W., Stübi, R., Tarasick, D. W., and Torres, C.: Impact of the COVID-19 economic downturn on tropospheric ozone trends: An uncertainty weighted data synthesis for quantifying regional anomalies above western North America and Europe, AGU Advances, 3, e2021AV000542, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021AV000542, 2022. a
Chang, K.-L., Cooper, O. R., Rodriguez, G., Iraci, L. T., Yates, E. L., Johnson, M. S., Gaudel, A., Jaffe, D. A., Bernays, N., Clark, H., Effertz, P., Leblanc, T., Petropavlovskikh, I., Sauvage, B., and Tarasick, D. W.: Diverging ozone trends above western North America: Boundary layer decreases versus free tropospheric increases, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 128, e2022JD038090, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JD038090, 2023a. a
Chang, K.-L., Schultz, M. G., Koren, G., and Selke, N.: Guidance note on best statistical practices for TOAR analyses, arXiv [preprint], https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2304.14236, 2023b. a
Christiansen, A., Mickley, L. J., Liu, J., Oman, L. D., and Hu, L.: Multidecadal increases in global tropospheric ozone derived from ozonesonde and surface site observations: can models reproduce ozone trends?, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 14751–14782, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14751-2022, 2022. a
Coldewey-Egbers, M., Loyola, D. G., Lerot, C., and Van Roozendael, M.: Global, regional and seasonal analysis of total ozone trends derived from the 1995–2020 GTO-ECV climate data record, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6861–6878, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6861-2022, 2022. a
Ebojie, F., Burrows, J. P., Gebhardt, C., Ladstätter-Weißenmayer, A., von Savigny, C., Rozanov, A., Weber, M., and Bovensmann, H.: Global tropospheric ozone variations from 2003 to 2011 as seen by SCIAMACHY, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 417–436, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-417-2016, 2016. a
Elshorbany, Y., Ziemke, J. R., Strode, S., Petetin, H., Miyazaki, K., De Smedt, I., Pickering, K., Seguel, R. J., Worden, H., Emmerichs, T., Taraborrelli, D., Cazorla, M., Fadnavis, S., Buchholz, R. R., Gaubert, B., Rojas, N. Y., Nogueira, T., Salameh, T., and Huang, M.: Tropospheric ozone precursors: global and regional distributions, trends, and variability, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12225–12257, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12225-2024, 2024. a
Fishman, J. and Larsen, J. C.: Distribution of total ozone and stratospheric ozone in the tropics: Implications for the distribution of tropospheric ozone, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 92, 6627–6634, 1987. a
Fishman, J., Watson, C. E., Larsen, J. C., and Logan, J. A.: Distribution of tropospheric ozone determined from satellite data, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 95, 3599–3617, 1990. a
Fleming, Z. L., Doherty, R. M., Von Schneidemesser, E., Malley, C. S., Cooper, O. R., Pinto, J. P., Colette, A., Xu, X., Simpson, D., Schultz, M. G., Lefohn, A. S., Hamad, S., Moolla, R., Solberg, S., and Feng, Z.: Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report: Present-day ozone distribution and trends relevant to human health, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 6, 12, https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.273, 2018. a
Froidevaux, L., Kinnison, D. E., Gaubert, B., Schwartz, M. J., Livesey, N. J., Read, W. G., Bardeen, C. G., Ziemke, J. R., and Fuller, R. A.: Tropical upper-tropospheric trends in ozone and carbon monoxide (2005–2020): observational and model results, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 597–624, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-597-2025, 2025. a, b
Garane, K., Koukouli, M.-E., Verhoelst, T., Lerot, C., Heue, K.-P., Fioletov, V., Balis, D., Bais, A., Bazureau, A., Dehn, A., Goutail, F., Granville, J., Griffin, D., Hubert, D., Keppens, A., Lambert, J.-C., Loyola, D., McLinden, C., Pazmino, A., Pommereau, J.-P., Redondas, A., Romahn, F., Valks, P., Van Roozendael, M., Xu, J., Zehner, C., Zerefos, C., and Zimmer, W.: TROPOMI/S5P total ozone column data: global ground-based validation and consistency with other satellite missions, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 5263–5287, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-5263-2019, 2019. a
Gaudel, A., Cooper, O. R., Ancellet, G., Barret, B., Boynard, A., Burrows, J. P., Clerbaux, C., Coheur, P.-F., Cuesta, J., Cuevas, E., Doniki, S., Dufour, G., Ebojie, F., Foret, G., Garcia, O., Granados-Muñoz, M., Hannigan, J., Hase, F., Hassler, B., Huang, G., Hurtmans, D., Jaffe, D., Jones, N., Kalabokas, P., Kerridge, B., Kulawik, S., Latter, B., Leblanc, T., Le Flochmoën, E., Lin, W., Liu, J., Liu, X., Mahieu, E., McClure-Begley, A., Neu, J., Osman, M., Palm, M., Petetin, H., Petropavlovskikh, I., Querel, R., Rahpoe, N., Rozanov, A., Schultz, M., Schwab, J., Siddans, R., Smale, D., Steinbacher, M., Tanimoto, H., Tarasick, D., Thouret, V., Thompson, A., Trickl, T., Weatherhead, E., Wespes, C., Worden, H., Vigouroux, C., Xu, X., Zeng, G., and Ziemke, J.: Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report: Present-day distribution and trends of tropospheric ozone relevant to climate and global atmospheric chemistry model evaluation, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 6, 39, https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.291, 2018. a, b
Gaudel, A., Bourgeois, I., Li, M., Chang, K.-L., Ziemke, J., Sauvage, B., Stauffer, R. M., Thompson, A. M., Kollonige, D. E., Smith, N., Hubert, D., Keppens, A., Cuesta, J., Heue, K.-P., Veefkind, P., Aikin, K., Peischl, J., Thompson, C. R., Ryerson, T. B., Frost, G. J., McDonald, B. C., and Cooper, O. R.: Tropical tropospheric ozone distribution and trends from in situ and satellite data, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9975–10000, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9975-2024, 2024. a, b, c
Gelaro, R., McCarty, W., Suárez, M. J., Todling, R., Molod, A., Takacs, L., Randles, C. A., Darmenov, A., Bosilovich, M. G., Reichle, R., Wargan, K., Coy, L., Cullather, R., Draper, C., Akella, S., Buchard, V., Conaty, A., da Silva, A. M., Gu, W., Kim, G.-K., Koster, R., Lucchesi, R., Merkova, D., Nielsen, J. E., Partyka, G., Pawson, S., Putman, W., Rienecker, M., Schubert, S. D., Sienkiewicz, M., and Zhao, B.: The modern-era retrospective analysis for research and applications, version 2 (MERRA-2), J. Climate, 30, 5419–5454, 2017. a
Heue, K.-P., Loyola, D., Romahn, F., Zimmer, W., Chabrillat, S., Errera, Q., Ziemke, J., and Kramarova, N.: Tropospheric ozone retrieval by a combination of TROPOMI/S5P measurements with BASCOE assimilated data, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5563–5579, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5563-2022, 2022. a, b
Keppens, A., Di Pede, S., Hubert, D., Lambert, J.-C., Veefkind, P., Sneep, M., De Haan, J., ter Linden, M., Leblanc, T., Compernolle, S., Verhoelst, T., Granville, J., Nath, O., Fjæraa, A. M., Boyd, I., Niemeijer, S., Van Malderen, R., Smit, H. G. J., Duflot, V., Godin-Beekmann, S., Johnson, B. J., Steinbrecht, W., Tarasick, D. W., Kollonige, D. E., Stauffer, R. M., Thompson, A. M., Dehn, A., and Zehner, C.: 5 years of Sentinel-5P TROPOMI operational ozone profiling and geophysical validation using ozonesonde and lidar ground-based networks, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3969–3993, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3969-2024, 2024. a
Lu, X., Liu, Y., Su, J., Weng, X., Ansari, T., Zhang, Y., He, G., Zhu, Y., Wang, H., Zeng, G., Li, J., He, C., Li, S., Amnuaylojaroen, T., Butler, T., Fan, Q., Fan, S., Forster, G. L., Gao, M., Hu, J., Kanaya, Y., Latif, M. T., Lu, K., Nédélec, P., Nowack, P., Sauvage, B., Xu, X., Zhang, L., Li, K., Koo, J.-H., and Nagashima, T.: Tropospheric ozone trends and attributions over East and Southeast Asia in 1995–2019: An integrated assessment using statistical methods, machine learning models, and multiple chemical transport models, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3702, 2024. a
Marshak, A., Herman, J., Adam, S., Karin, B., Carn, S., Cede, A., Geogdzhayev, I., Huang, D., Huang, L.-K., Knyazikhin, Y., Kowalewski, M., Krotkov, N., Lyapustin, A., McPeters, R., Meyer, K. G., Torres, O., and Yang, Y.: Earth observations from DSCOVR EPIC instrument, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 99, 1829–1850, 2018. a
Mettig, N., Weber, M., Rozanov, A., Arosio, C., Burrows, J. P., Veefkind, P., Thompson, A. M., Querel, R., Leblanc, T., Godin-Beekmann, S., Kivi, R., and Tully, M. B.: Ozone profile retrieval from nadir TROPOMI measurements in the UV range, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6057–6082, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6057-2021, 2021. a
Miles, G. M., Siddans, R., Kerridge, B. J., Latter, B. G., and Richards, N. A. D.: Tropospheric ozone and ozone profiles retrieved from GOME-2 and their validation, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 385–398, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-385-2015, 2015. a
Mills, G., Pleijel, H., Malley, C. S., Sinha, B., Cooper, O. R., Schultz, M. G., Neufeld, H. S., Simpson, D., Sharps, K., Feng, Z., Gerosa, G., Harmens, H., Kobayashi, K., Saxena, P., Paoletti, E., Sinha, V., and Xu, X.: Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report: Present-day tropospheric ozone distribution and trends relevant to vegetation, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 6, 47, https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.302, 2018. a
Miyazaki, K., Bowman, K., Sekiya, T., Takigawa, M., Neu, J. L., Sudo, K., Osterman, G., and Eskes, H.: Global tropospheric ozone responses to reduced NOx emissions linked to the COVID-19 worldwide lockdowns, Science Advances, 7, eabf7460, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf7460, 2021. a
Monsees, F., Rozanov, A., Burrows, J. P., Weber, M., Rinke, A., Jaiser, R., and von der Gathen, P.: Relations between cyclones and ozone changes in the Arctic using data from satellite instruments and the MOSAiC ship campaign, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9085–9099, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9085-2024, 2024. a
Munro, R., Siddans, R., Reburn, W. J., and Kerridge, B. J.: Direct measurement of tropospheric ozone distributions from space, Nature, 392, 168–171, 1998. a
Orfanoz-Cheuquelaf, A., Arosio, C., Rozanov, A., Weber, M., Ladstätter-Weißenmayer, A., Burrows, J. P., Thompson, A. M., Stauffer, R. M., and Kollonige, D. E.: Tropospheric ozone column dataset from OMPS-LP/OMPS-NM limb–nadir matching, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1791–1809, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1791-2024, 2024. a, b
Pimlott, M. A., Pope, R. J., Kerridge, B. J., Siddans, R., Latter, B. G., Ventress, L. J., Feng, W., and Chipperfield, M. P.: Large reductions in satellite-derived and modelled European lower-tropospheric ozone during and after the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4391–4401, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4391-2025, 2025. a
Pope, R. J., Kerridge, B. J., Siddans, R., Latter, B. G., Chipperfield, M. P., Feng, W., Pimlott, M. A., Dhomse, S. S., Retscher, C., and Rigby, R.: Investigation of spatial and temporal variability in lower tropospheric ozone from RAL Space UV–Vis satellite products, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14933–14947, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14933-2023, 2023. a, b
Pope, R. J., O'Connor, F. M., Dalvi, M., Kerridge, B. J., Siddans, R., Latter, B. G., Barret, B., Le Flochmoen, E., Boynard, A., Chipperfield, M. P., Feng, W., Pimlott, M. A., Dhomse, S. S., Retscher, C., Wespes, C., and Rigby, R.: Investigation of the impact of satellite vertical sensitivity on long-term retrieved lower-tropospheric ozone trends, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9177–9195, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9177-2024, 2024. a, b
Putero, D., Cristofanelli, P., Chang, K.-L., Dufour, G., Beachley, G., Couret, C., Effertz, P., Jaffe, D. A., Kubistin, D., Lynch, J., Petropavlovskikh, I., Puchalski, M., Sharac, T., Sive, B. C., Steinbacher, M., Torres, C., and Cooper, O. R.: Fingerprints of the COVID-19 economic downturn and recovery on ozone anomalies at high-elevation sites in North America and western Europe, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15693–15709, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15693-2023, 2023. a
Rowlinson, M. J., Rap, A., Arnold, S. R., Pope, R. J., Chipperfield, M. P., McNorton, J., Forster, P., Gordon, H., Pringle, K. J., Feng, W., Kerridge, B. J., Latter, B. L., and Siddans, R.: Impact of El Niño–Southern Oscillation on the interannual variability of methane and tropospheric ozone, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8669–8686, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8669-2019, 2019. a
Stauffer, R. M., Thompson, A. M., Kollonige, D. E., Komala, N., Al-Ghazali, H. K., Risdianto, D. Y., Dindang, A., Fairudz bin Jamaluddin, A., Sammathuria, M. K., Zakaria, N. B., Johnson, B. J., and Cullis, P. D.: Dynamical drivers of free-tropospheric ozone increases over equatorial Southeast Asia, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5221–5234, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5221-2024, 2024. a
Steinbrecht, W., Kubistin, D., Plass-Dülmer, C., Davies, J., Tarasick, D. W., von Der Gathen, P., Deckelmann, H., Jepsen, N., Kivi, R., Lyall, N., Palm, M., Notholt, J., Kois, B., Oelsner, P., Allaart, M., Piters, A., Gill, M., Van Malderen, R., Delcloo, A. W., Sussmann, R., Mahieu, E., Servais, C., Romanens, G., Stübi, R., Ancellet, G., Godin-Beekmann, S., Yamanouchi, S., Strong, K., Johnson, B., Cullis, P., Petropavlovskikh, I., Hannigan, J. W., Hernandez, J.-L., Diaz-Rodriguez, A., Nakano, T., Chouza, F., Leblanc, T., Torres, C., Garcia, O., Röhling, A. N., Schneider, M., Blumenstock, T., Tully, M., Paton-Walsh, C., Jones, N., Querel, R., Strahan, S., Stauffer, R. M., Thompson, A. M., Inness, A., Engelen, R., Chang, K.-L., and Cooper, O. R.: COVID-19 crisis reduces free tropospheric ozone across the Northern Hemisphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2020GL091987, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091987, 2021. a
Tarasick, D., Galbally, I. E., Cooper, O. R., Schultz, M. G., Ancellet, G., Leblanc, T., Wallington, T. J., Ziemke, J., Liu, X., Steinbacher, M., Staehelin, J., Vigouroux, C., Hannigan, J. W., García, O., Foret, G., Zanis, P., Weatherhead, E., Petropavlovskikh, I., Worden, H., Osman, M., Liu, J., Chang, K.-L., Gaudel, A., Lin, M., Granados-Muñoz, M., Thompson, A. M., Oltmans, S. J., Cuesta, J., Dufour, G., Thouret, V., Hassler, B., Trickl, T., and Neu, J. L.: Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report: Tropospheric ozone from 1877 to 2016, observed levels, trends and uncertainties, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 7, 39, https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.376, 2019. a
Van Malderen, R. and Smit, H. G. J.: HEGIFTOM webpage, https://hegiftom.meteo.be/ (last access: 21 November 2024), 2020. a
Van Malderen, R., Thompson, A. M., Kollonige, D. E., Stauffer, R. M., Smit, H. G. J., Maillard Barras, E., Vigouroux, C., Petropavlovskikh, I., Leblanc, T., Thouret, V., Wolff, P., Effertz, P., Tarasick, D. W., Poyraz, D., Ancellet, G., De Backer, M.-R., Evan, S., Flood, V., Frey, M. M., Hannigan, J. W., Hernandez, J. L., Iarlori, M., Johnson, B. J., Jones, N., Kivi, R., Mahieu, E., McConville, G., Müller, K., Nagahama, T., Notholt, J., Piters, A., Prats, N., Querel, R., Smale, D., Steinbrecht, W., Strong, K., and Sussmann, R.: Global Ground-based Tropospheric Ozone Measurements: Reference Data and Individual Site Trends (2000–2022) from the TOAR-II/HEGIFTOM Project, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3736, 2025a. a
Van Malderen, R., Vigouroux, C., Petropavlovskikh, I., Leblanc, T., Wolff, P., and Thouret, V.: HEGIFTOM TrOC: HEGIFTOM (partial) tropospheric ozone column time series, RMI [data set], https://hegiftom.meteo.be/datasets/tropospheric-ozone-columns-trocs, last access: 15 July 2025. a
Wang, H., Lu, X., Jacob, D. J., Cooper, O. R., Chang, K.-L., Li, K., Gao, M., Liu, Y., Sheng, B., Wu, K., Wu, T., Zhang, J., Sauvage, B., Nédélec, P., Blot, R., and Fan, S.: Global tropospheric ozone trends, attributions, and radiative impacts in 1995–2017: an integrated analysis using aircraft (IAGOS) observations, ozonesonde, and multi-decadal chemical model simulations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 13753–13782, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13753-2022, 2022. a
Wargan, K., Labow, G., Frith, S., Pawson, S., Livesey, N., and Partyka, G.: Evaluation of the Ozone Fields in NASA's MERRA-2 Reanalysis, J. Climate, 30, 2961–2988, 2017. a
Warneck, P.: Chemistry of the natural atmosphere, Vol. 71, Elsevier, ISBN 0127356320, 1999. a
WMO: Meteorology a three-dimensional science: second session of the commission for aerology, WMO Bulletin IV, 1957. a
Ziemke, J.: OMI-MLS, OMPS-MERRA and EPIC-MERRA TrOC datasets, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center [data set], https://acd-ext.gsfc.nasa.gov/Data_services/cloud_slice/, last access: 15 July 2025. a
Ziemke, J., Chandra, S., and Bhartia, P.: Two new methods for deriving tropospheric column ozone from TOMS measurements: Assimilated UARS MLS/HALOE and convective-cloud differential techniques, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 103, 22115–22127, 1998. a
Ziemke, J., Chandra, S., and Bhartia, P.: “Cloud slicing”: A new technique to derive upper tropospheric ozone from satellite measurements, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 106, 9853–9867, 2001. a
Ziemke, J., Chandra, S., Duncan, B., Froidevaux, L., Bhartia, P., Levelt, P., and Waters, J.: Tropospheric ozone determined from Aura OMI and MLS: Evaluation of measurements and comparison with the Global Modeling Initiative's Chemical Transport Model, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 111, D19303, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD007089, 2006. a, b
Ziemke, J. R., Oman, L. D., Strode, S. A., Douglass, A. R., Olsen, M. A., McPeters, R. D., Bhartia, P. K., Froidevaux, L., Labow, G. J., Witte, J. C., Thompson, A. M., Haffner, D. P., Kramarova, N. A., Frith, S. M., Huang, L.-K., Jaross, G. R., Seftor, C. J., Deland, M. T., and Taylor, S. L.: Trends in global tropospheric ozone inferred from a composite record of TOMS/OMI/MLS/OMPS satellite measurements and the MERRA-2 GMI simulation , Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 3257–3269, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-3257-2019, 2019. a, b
Ziemke, J. R., Kramarova, N. A., Frith, S. M., Huang, L.-K., Haffner, D. P., Wargan, K., Lamsal, L. N., Labow, G. J., McPeters, R. D., and Bhartia, P. K.: NASA Satellite Measurements Show Global-Scale Reductions in Free Tropospheric Ozone in 2020 and Again in 2021 During COVID-19, Geophys. Res. Lett., 49, e2022GL098712, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098712, 2022. a, b, c, d
Short summary
Tropospheric ozone affects air quality and climate, being a pollutant and a greenhouse gas. We analyze satellite data of tropospheric ozone columns obtained by combining two types of observations: one providing stratospheric and the other total ozone. We compare common climatological features and study the influence of the tropopause (troposphere to stratosphere boundary) on the results. We also examine trends over the last 20 years and compare satellite data with ozonesondes to identify drifts.
Tropospheric ozone affects air quality and climate, being a pollutant and a greenhouse gas. We...
