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Measurements of stratospheric ozone at a mid-latitude observing station Valentia, Ireland (51.94° N, 10.25° W), using ground-based and ozonesonde observations from 1994 to 2009

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Abstract

Sixteen years (1994 – 2009) of ozone profiling by ozonesondes at Valentia Meteorological and Geophysical Observatory, Ireland (51.94° N, 10.23° W) along with a co-located MkIV Brewer spectrophotometer for the period 1993–2009 are analyzed. Simple and multiple linear regression methods are used to infer the recent trend, if any, in stratospheric column ozone over the station. The decadal trend from 1994 to 2010 is also calculated from the monthly mean data of Brewer and column ozone data derived from satellite observations. Both of these show a 1.5 % increase per decade during this period with an uncertainty of about ±0.25 %. Monthly mean data for March show a much stronger trend of ~ 4.8 % increase per decade for both ozonesonde and Brewer data. The ozone profile is divided between three vertical slots of 0–15 km, 15–26 km, and 26 km to the top of the atmosphere and a 11-year running average is calculated. Ozone values for the month of March only are observed to increase at each level with a maximum change of +9.2 ± 3.2 % per decade (between years 1994 and 2009) being observed in the vertical region from 15 to 26 km. In the tropospheric region from 0 to 15 km, the trend is positive but with a poor statistical significance. However, for the top level of above 26 km the trend is significantly positive at about 4 % per decade. The March integrated ozonesonde column ozone during this period is found to increase at a rate of ~6.6 % per decade compared with the Brewer and satellite positive trends of ~5 % per decade.

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Acknowledgments

The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) of Ireland is acknowledged for its support (EPA Project: Ozone levels, changes and trends over Ireland – an Integrated Analysis). The Australian Antarctic Division is kindly thanked for logistical support of the Antarctic firn sampling http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2006/publications/drs/pubs/276/atm/a_10_ozone_chlorine_observations_eesc_dl.xls. The authors wish to also thank anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, UK

    Om P. Tripathi

  2. School of Physics & Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland

    S. G. Jennings & C. D. O’Dowd

  3. Met Éireann (The Irish Meteorological Service), Valentia Meteorological and Geophysical Observatory, Caherciveen, Ireland

    K. P. Lambkin

  4. Met Éireann (The Irish Meteorological Service), Glasnevin Hill, Dublin, Ireland

    E. Moran

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  1. Om P. Tripathi
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  3. C. D. O’Dowd
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  4. K. P. Lambkin
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Correspondence to Om P. Tripathi.

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Tripathi, O.P., Jennings, S.G., O’Dowd, C.D. et al. Measurements of stratospheric ozone at a mid-latitude observing station Valentia, Ireland (51.94° N, 10.25° W), using ground-based and ozonesonde observations from 1994 to 2009. J Atmos Chem 70, 297–316 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-013-9274-5

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