Comparison of cryogenic limb array etalon spectrometer (CLAES) ozone observations with correlative measurements

Ozone measurements made by the Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) aboard the NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) are compared to nearly coincident correlative measurements taken in 1992 and 1993 and to mean ozone distributions observed by other satellite instruments during past missions. This paper describes the CLAES measurement characteristics, uncertainties, predicted, and observed precisions and compares the observations with independent measurements both qualitatively and statistically. Satellite‐ and ground‐based remote sensing as well as balloon‐borne in situ measurements are represented in the correlative data set. The CLAES data are shown to be within ±20% of all correlative measurements between 0.5 and 30 mbar. Differences at lower altitudes may be related to effects of the Pinatubo aerosol on certain of the correlative measurements and the CLAES retrieval. Comparisons with historical data from the LIMS, SAGE II, and SBUV instruments indicate good agreement with the spatial and seasonal ozone distributions seen by CLAES.