Ozone climatological profiles for satellite retrieval algorithms

A new altitude‐dependent ozone climatology has been produced for use with the version 8 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet retrieval algorithms. The climatology consists of monthly average ozone profiles for 10° latitude zones covering altitudes from 0 to 60 km (in Z * pressure altitude coordinates). The climatology was formed by combining data from Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II; 1988–2001) or Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS; 1991–1999) with data from balloon sondes (1988–2002). Ozone below 10 km is based on balloon sondes, whereas ozone at 19 km and above is based on SAGE II measurements. When SAGE data are not available (at high latitudes), MLS data are used. The ozone climatology in the southern hemisphere and tropics has been greatly improved in recent years by the addition of a large number of balloon sonde measurements made under the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes program. The new climatology better represents the seasonal behavior of ozone in the troposphere, including the known hemispheric asymmetry, and in the upper stratosphere. A modification of this climatology was used for the TOMS version 8 retrieval that includes total ozone dependence, which is important in the lower stratosphere. Comparisons of TOMS ozone with ground stations show improved accuracy over previous TOMS retrievals due in part to the new climatology.