Climatology of ozone in the troposphere and lower stratosphere over the European Arctic

Abstract

A brief climatology of ozone using more than 8 years of ozonesonde data in the troposphere and lower stratosphere at two northern high latitude stations, Sodankyla and Ny-Ålesund, is presented. The climatology of ozone clearly shows a significant seasonal cycle with the ozone maxima changing with height. The monthly variability of ozone as well as its seasonal maximum is found near the tropopause. Variation in tropopause height is due mainly to the passage of tropospheric weather systems and is responsible for the large monthly variability of ozone near the tropopause. In the lower stratosphere, interannual variations are at a maximum in winter and spring, and are the result of variations in wave driven stratospheric circulation, which peaks in winter. The present climatology forms a basis for 3-D chemistry transport models to test its ability at high latitudes.