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Changes in stratospheric ozone have to be assessed continuously to evaluate the effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol. In the southern hemisphere, few ground-based observational datasets exist, making measurements at the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) station at Lauder, New Zealand invaluable. Investigating these datasets in detail is essential to derive realistic ozone trends. We compared lidar data and microwave radiometer data with collocated Aura Microwave Limb sounder (MLS) satellite data and ERA5 reanalysis data. The detailed comparison makes it possible to assess inhomogeneities in the data. We find good agreement between the datasets but also some possible biases, especially in the ERA5 data. The data uncertainties and the inhomogeneities were then considered when deriving trends. Using two regression models from the Long-term Ozone Trends and Uncertainties in the Stratosphere (LOTUS) project and from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), we estimated resulting ozone trends. Further, we assessed how trends are affected by data uncertainties and inhomogeneities. We find positive ozone trends throughout the stratosphere between 0% and 5% per decade and show that considering data uncertainties and inhomogeneities in the regression affects the resulting trends.

In this study, we compare the diurnal variation in stratospheric ozone of the MACC (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate) reanalysis, ECMWF Reanalysis Interim (ERA-Interim), and the free-running WACCM (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model). The diurnal variation of stratospheric ozone results from photochemical and dynamical processes depending on altitude, latitude, and season. MACC reanalysis and WACCM use similar chemistry modules and calculate a similar diurnal cycle in ozone when it is caused by a photochemical variation. The results of the two model systems are confirmed by observations of the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) experiment and three selected sites of the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) at Mauna Loa, Hawaii (tropics), Bern, Switzerland (midlatitudes), and Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (high latitudes). On the other hand, the ozone product of ERA-Interim shows considerably less diurnal variation due to photochemical variations. The global maxima of diurnal variation occur at high latitudes in summer, e.g., near the Arctic NDACC site at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. The local OZORAM radiometer observes this effect in good agreement with MACC reanalysis and WACCM. The sensed diurnal variation at Ny-Ålesund is up to 8% (0.4 ppmv) due to photochemical variations in summer and negligible during the dynamically dominated winter. However, when dynamics play a major role for the diurnal ozone variation as in the lower stratosphere (100–20 hPa), the reanalysis models ERA-Interim and MACC which assimilate data from radiosondes and satellites outperform the free-running WACCM. Such a domain is the Antarctic polar winter where a surprising novel feature of diurnal variation is indicated by MACC reanalysis and ERA-Interim at the edge of the polar vortex. This effect accounts for up to 8% (0.4 ppmv) in both model systems. In summary, MACC reanalysis provides a global description of the diurnal variation of stratospheric ozone caused by dynamics and photochemical variations. This is of high interest for ozone trend analysis and other research which is based on merged satellite data or measurements at different local time.

Multi-instrument comparison analyses are essential to assess the long-term stability of data records by estimating the drift and bias of instruments. The ozone profile dataset from the SOMORA microwave radiometer (MWR) in Payerne, Switzerland, was compared with profiles from the GROMOS MWR in Bern, Switzerland, satellite instruments (MLS, MIPAS, HALOE, SCHIAMACHY, GOMOS), and profiles simulated by the SOCOL v3.0 chemistry-climate model (CCM). The Payerne MWR dataset has been homogenized to ensure a stable measurement contribution to the ozone profiles and to take into account the effects of three major instrument upgrades. At pressure levels smaller than 0.59 hPa (above ~ 50 km), the homogenization corrections to be applied to the Payerne MWR ozone profiles are dependent on local solar time (LST). Due to the lack of reference measurements with a comparable measurement contribution at a high time resolution, a comprehensive homogenization of the sub-daily ozone profiles was possible only for pressure levels larger than 0.59 hPa. The long-term stability and mean biases of the time series were estimated as a function of the measurement time (day- and nighttime). The homogenized Payerne MWR ozone dataset agrees within ± 5 % with the MLS dataset over the 30 to 65 km altitude range and within ± 10 % of HARMOZ datasets over the 30 to 65 km altitude range. In the upper stratosphere, there is a large nighttime difference between Payerne MWR and other datasets, which is likely a result of the mesospheric signal aliasing with lower levels in the stratosphere due to a lower vertical resolution at that altitude. Hence, the induced bias at 55 km is considered an instrumental artefact and is not further analyzed and discussed. In the upper stratosphere (5–1 hPa, 35–48 km), the Payerne MWR trends are significantly positive at 2 to 3 %/decade. This is in accordance with the northern hemisphere (NH) trends reported by other ground-based instruments in the SPARC LOTUS project. The reason for variability in the reported long-term ground-based and satellite ozone profile trends has multiple possibilities. To determine what part of the variability comes from measurement timing, MWR trends were estimated for each hour of the day with a multiple linear regression model to quantify trends as a function of LST. In the mid- and upper stratosphere, differences as a function of LST are reported for both the MWR and simulated trends for the 2000–2016 period. However, these differences are not significant at the 95 % confidence level. In the lower mesosphere (1–0.1 hPa, 48–65 km), the 2010–2018 day- and nighttime trends have been considered. Here again, the variation of the trend with LST is not significant at the 95 % confidence level. Based on these results we conclude that trend differences between instruments cannot to be attributed to a systematic temporal sampling.

We use ground-based spectroscopic remote sensing measurements of the stratospheric trace gases O3, HCl, ClO, BrO, HNO3, NO2, OClO, ClONO2, N2O and HF, along with radiosonde profiles of temperature ...

We present 20 years (1996–2015) of austral springtime measurements of chlorine monoxide (ClO) over Antarctica from the Chlorine Oxide Experiment (ChlOE1) ground-based millimeter wave spectrometer at Scott Base, Antarctica, as well 12 years (2004–2015) of ClO measurements from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). From August onwards we observe a strong increase in lower stratospheric ClO, with a peak column amount usually occurring in early September. From mid-September onwards we observe a strong decrease in ClO. In order to study interannual differences, we focus on a 3-week period from 28 August to 17 September for each year and compare the average column ClO anomalies. These column ClO anomalies are shown to be highly correlated with the average ozone mass deficit for September and October of each year. We also show that anomalies in column ClO are strongly anti-correlated with 30 hPa temperature anomalies, both on a daily and an interannual timescale. Making use of this anti-correlation we calculate the linear dependence of the interannual variations in column ClO on interannual variations in temperature. By making use of this relationship, we can better estimate the underlying trend in the total chlorine (Cly = HCl + ClONO2 + HOCl + 2 × Cl2 + 2 × Cl2O2 + ClO + Cl). The resultant trends in Cly, which determine the long-term trend in ClO, are estimated to be −0.5 ± 0.2, −1.4 ± 0.9, and −0.6 ± 0.4 % year−1, for zonal MLS, Scott Base MLS (both 2004–2015), and ChlOE (1996–2015) respectively. These trends are within 1σ of trends in stratospheric Cly previously found at other latitudes. The decrease in ClO is consistent with the trend expected from regulations enacted under the Montreal Protocol.

International audience; Upper stratospheric ozone anomalies from the satellite-borne Solar Backscatter Ultra-Violet (SBUV), Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II), Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS), and Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography (SCIAMACHY) instruments agree within 5% or better with ground-based data from lidars and microwave radiometers at five stations of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC), from 45°S to 48°N. From 1979 until the late 1990s, all available data show a clear decline of ozone near 40 km, by 10%–15%. This decline has not continued in the last 10 years. At some sites, ozone at 40 km appears to have increased since 2000, consistent with the beginning decline of stratospheric chlorine. The phaseout of chlorofluorocarbons after the International Montreal Protocol in 1987 has been successful, and is now showing positive effects on ozone in the upper stratosphere. Temperature anomalies near 40 km altitude from European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast reanalyses (ERA-40), from National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) operational analyses, and from HALOE and lidar measurements show good consistency at the five stations, within about 3 K. Since about 1985, upper stratospheric temperatures have been fluctuating around a constant level at all five NDACC stations. This non-decline of upper stratospheric temperatures is a significant change from the more or less linear cooling of the upper stratosphere up until the mid-1990s, reported in previous trend assessments. It is also at odds with the almost linear 1 K per decade cooling simulated over the entire 1979–2010 period by chemistry–climate models (CCMs). The same CCM simulations, however, track the historical ozone anomalies quite well, including the change of ozone tendency in the late 1990s.

This paper presents extensive validation analyses of ozone observations from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) satellite instruments: the ACE Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) and the Measurement of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation (ACE-MAESTRO) instrument. The ACE satellite instruments operate in the mid-infrared and ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectral regions using the solar occultation technique. In order to continue the long-standing record of solar occultation measurements from space, a detailed quality assessment is required to evaluate the ACE data and validate their use for scientific purposes. Here we compare the latest ozone data products from ACE-FTS and ACE-MAESTRO with coincident observations from satellite-borne, airborne, balloon-borne and ground-based instruments, by analysing volume mixing ratio profiles and partial column densities. The ACE-FTS version 2.2 Ozone Update product reports more ozone than most correlative measurements from the upper troposphere to the lower mesosphere. At altitude levels from 16 to 44 km, the mean differences range generally between 0 and +10% with a slight but systematic positive bias (typically +5%). At higher altitudes (45-60 km), the ACE-FTS ozone amounts are significantly larger than those of the comparison instruments by up to ~40% (typically +20%). For the ACE-MAESTRO version 1.2 ozone data product, agreement within ±10% (generally better than ±5%) is found between 18 and 40 km for the sunrise and sunset measurements. At higher altitudes (45-55 km), systematic biases of opposite sign are found between the ACE-MAESTRO sunrise and sunset observations. While ozone amounts derived from the ACE-MAESTRO sunrise occultation data are often smaller than the coincident observations (by as much as -10%), the sunset occultation profiles for ACE-MAESTRO show results that are qualitatively similar to ACE-FTS and indicate a large positive bias (+10 to +30%) in this altitude range. In contrast, there is no significant difference in bias found for the ACE-FTS sunrise and sunset measurements. These systematic effects in the ozone profiles retrieved from the measurements of ACE-FTS and ACE-MAESTRO are being investigated. This work shows that the ACE instruments provide reliable, high quality measurements from the tropopause to the upper stratosphere and can be used with confidence in this vertical domain

Stratospheric O3 profiles obtained by the satellite limb sounders Aura/MLS, ENVISAT/MIPAS, ENVISAT/GOMOS, SAGE-II, SAGE-III, UARS/HALOE are compared to coincident O3 profiles of the ground-based microwave radiometer SOMORA in Switzerland. Data from the various measurement techniques are within 10% at altitudes below 45 km. At altitudes 45–60 km, the relative O3 differences are within a range of 50%. Larger deviations at upper altitudes are attributed to larger relative measurement errors caused by lower O3 concentrations. The spatiotemporal characteristics of the O3 differences (satellite – ground station) are investigated by analyzing about 2300 coincident profile pairs of Aura/MLS (retrieval version 1.5) and SOMORA. The probability density function of the O3 differences is represented by a Gaussian normal distribution. The dependence of the O3 differences on the horizontal distance between the sounding volumes of Aura/MLS and SOMORA is derived. While the mean bias (Aura/MLS – SOMORA) is constant with increasing horizontal distance (up to 800 km), the standard deviation of the O3 differences increases from around 8 to 11% in the mid-stratosphere. Geographical maps yield azimuthal dependences and horizontal gradients of the O3 difference field around the SOMORA ground station. Coherent oscillations of O3 are present in the time series of Aura/MLS and SOMORA (e.g., due to traveling planetary waves). Ground- and space-based measurements often complement one another. We discuss the double differencing technique which allows both the cross-validation of two satellites by means of a ground station and the cross-validation of distant ground stations by means of one satellite. Temporal atmospheric noise in the geographical ozone map over Payerne is significantly reduced by combination of the data from SOMORA and Aura/MLS. These analyses illustrate the synergy of ground-based and space-based measurements.

The Microwave Ozone Profiling Instrument (MOPI1) has provided ozone (O3) profiles for the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) at Lauder, New Zealand (45.0° S, 169.7° E), since 1992. We present the entire 22-year data set and compare with satellite O3 observations. We study in detail two particularly interesting variations in O3. The first is a large positive O3 anomaly that occurs in the mid-stratosphere (~ 10–30 hPa) in June 2001, which is caused by an anticyclonic circulation that persists for several weeks over Lauder. This O3 anomaly is associated with the most equatorward June average tracer equivalent latitude (TrEL) over the 36-year period (1979–2014) for which the Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis is available. A second, longer-lived feature, is a positive O3 anomaly in the mid-stratosphere (~ 10 hPa) from mid-2009 until mid-2013. Coincident measurements from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) show that these high O3 mixing ratios are well correlated with high nitrous oxide (N2O) mixing ratios. This correlation suggests that the high O3 over this 4-year period is driven by unusual dynamics. The beginning of the high O3 and high N2O period at Lauder (and throughout this latitude band) occurs nearly simultaneously with a sharp decrease in O3 and N2O at the equator, and the period ends nearly simultaneously with a sharp increase in O3 and N2O at the equator.

We discuss the quality of the two available SCIAMACHY limb ozone profile products. They were retrieved with the University of Bremen IFE's algorithm version 1.61 (hereafter IFE), and the official ESA offline algorithm (hereafter OL) versions 2.4 and 2.5. The ozone profiles were compared to a suite of correlative measurements from ground-based lidar and microwave, sondes, SAGE II and SAGE III (Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment). To correct for the expected Envisat pointing errors, which have not been corrected implicitly in either of the algorithms, we applied a constant altitude shift of -1.5 km to the SCIAMACHY ozone profiles. The IFE ozone profile data between 16 and 40 km are biased low by 3-6%. The average difference profiles have a typical standard deviation of 10% between 20 and 35 km. We show that more than 20% of the SCIAMACHY official ESA offline (OL) ozone profiles version 2.4 and 2.5 have unrealistic ozone values, most of these are north of 15° S. The remaining OL profiles compare well to correlative instruments above 24 km. Between 20 and 24 km, they underestimate ozone by 15±5%.

Levels of parental relatedness can affect offspring survival and susceptibility to disease. We investigated parental relatedness of live and dead Halichoerus grypus pups between and within island populations and between possible causes of mortality. Nine microsatellites were used to calculate internal relatedness (IR) and standardized mean d 2 . We find that pups with higher than average levels of IR have significantly lower survival and that this varied between island populations and that certain loci contributed to the effect more than others. Although, there were no significant differences between causes of mortality, peritonitis, infection and stillborn had the highest levels of IR. These results provide evidence that parental relatedness is an important determinant of pre-weaning pup survival in the grey seal and that this may vary with cause of mortality given a larger sample size.

In this study we compare the diurnal variation in stratospheric ozone derived from free-running simulations of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) and from reanalysis data of the atmospheric service MACC (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate) which both use a similar stratospheric chemistry module. We find good agreement between WACCM and the MACC reanalysis for the diurnal ozone variation in the high-latitude summer stratosphere based on photochemistry. In addition, we consult the ozone data product of the ERA-Interim reanalysis. The ERA-Interim reanalysis ozone system with its long-term ozone parametrization can not capture these diurnal variations in the upper stratosphere that are due to photochemistry. The good dynamics representations, however, reflects well dynamically induced ozone variations in the lower stratosphere. For the high-latitude winter stratosphere we describe a novel feature of diurnal variation in ozone where changes of up to 46.6% (3.3 ppmv) occur in monthly mean data. For this effect good agreement between the ERA-Interim reanalysis and the MACC reanalysis suggest quite similar diurnal advection processes of ozone. The free-running WACCM model seriously underestimates the role of diurnal advection processes at the polar vortex at the two tested resolutions. The intercomparison of the MACC reanalysis and the ERA-Interim reanalysis demonstrates how global reanalyses can benefit from a chemical representation held by a chemical transport model. The MACC reanalysis provides an unprecedented description of the dynamics and photochemistry of the diurnal variation of stratospheric ozone which is of high interest for ozone trend analysis and research on atmospheric tides. We confirm the diurnal variation in ozone at 5 hPa by observations of the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) experiment and selected sites of the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). The latter give valuable insight even to diurnal variation of ozone in the polar winter stratosphere.

Abnormalities observed in intermediary metabolism may be related to the pathogenesis of obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Glycerol and lactate production was estimated in the sc adipose tissue of two anatomical regions of 10 lean (LW), 10 obese (OW), and 10 matched diabetic (DW) black urban women. This was done with the sc microdialysis technique and combined with adipose tissue blood flow (ATBF) rates calculated from (133)Xe clearance. Biochemical measurements were made in the postabsorptive and postprandial state. Bioimpedance and computed tomography scans were used to define body composition. DW present with more visceral fat (DW, 138 +/- 5.0; OW, 66.6 +/- 5.0 cm; P abdominal). Lactate release (LR) was low in DW [abdominal, 0 h: DW, 3.5 +/- 0.4; OW, 7.8 +/- 1.0 micromol/kg.min (P < 0.001); femoral, 0 h: DW, 3.1 +/- 0.3; OW, 9.0 +/- 0.9 micromol/kg.min (P < 0.001)]. LR was appropriately low for body fat mass in LW, with a brisk increase between 0 and 1.5 h. A negative correlation exists between GR (abdominal area) and insulin levels in the postabsorptive state (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, 1) the fasting lipolytic rate is associated with insulin levels; 2) OW and DW have more adipose tissue insulin resistance than LW; 3) OW and DW have a brisker lipolysis in the femoral area; and 4) in DW, higher visceral mass is associated with elevated free testosterone and FFA concentrations. Obesity in the black population is therefore characterized by a marked degree of adipose tissue lipolysis. This degree of resistance together with increasing body fat mass may predispose the obese women to developing type 2 diabetes. Once this disease is established, the onset of adipose tissue vascular insulin resistance will sustain ongoing insulin resistance, even in the presence of relative insulinopenia.

A ground-based millimeter wave radiometer for the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) was installed at Lauder, New Zealand (45°S, 169.7°E) in November 1992. It has been monitoring the middle atmospheric ozone with nearly continuous operation since then. Owing to special complications in the observing conditions at this southern midlatitude site, three refinements to the data analysis and calibration techniques were proposed: (1) the use of a radiative model of local tropospheric climate adopted to the low surface elevation of the observing site, (2) the correction of observing angle measurements due to the settling of the foundation of the site, and (3) the improved method of radiometric temperature determination of calibration sources. All data from 1992 to 1998 were reprocessed with these modifications implemented. The retrieved ozone profiles are compared to sonde, two lidars, and satellite (Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE II)) overpass measurements. The agreement is very good, with mean differences from 56 to 1 mbar of generally 2–3% for the comparisons with sonde, HALOE, and SAGE II, and generally

Eighteen years of NO2 measurements using zenith-scattered sunlight are analyzed for seasonal, cyclic, and episodic variability and secular trends. The analysis shows a marked increase in stratospheric NO2 over the period, corresponding to a trend of 5% per decade, and the influences of both the El Chichon and Pinatubo eruptions are clearly evident. Smaller effects of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation and quasi-biennial oscillation are apparent, but correlation with the solar cycle is poor after correction for autocorrelation. All of these effects are similar for sunrise and sunset NO2.

A large number of ozone profiles measured by using various methods (lidar, ozonesondes, microwave radiometer, and Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II) over Lauder, New Zealand, between late 1994 and early 1998 are intercompared. These profiles are also used to validate a collocated Dobson spectrophotometer. Between March 1996 (August 1996 for sonde measurements) and January 1998, all instruments were operational and no instrument changes took place. The ozone number densities averaged over this period agreed within 5% in the 20- to 35-kin range. Between 12 and 20 kin, lidar and sonde results deviated by less than 8%, and lidar and SAGE II results deviated by less than 15%. The ozone column densities measured by the Dobson spectrophotometer agreed within 3% with the integrated ozone profiles. The various methods are discussed, and modifications are proposed. They comprise a decrease of the reported sonde altitudes of about 125 m (+50 m) to correct for the response time of the sonde's chemical solution, the use of more accurate molecular parameter values in the lidar algorithm, and a 2.5% decrease in SAGE II ozone densities. Improved agreement between the average ozone profiles to within 1.5% for lidar and sondes (20-35 kin) and within 2.5% for lidar and SAGE II (20-35 kin) is achieved. The Dobson results are found to be influenced by the annual cycle of the temperature profile through the altitude-averaged ozone absorption cross section, which has been assumed to be constant in the presented data but actually varies with an amplitude of 2% over Lauder.

A record low annual mean value of total ozone was observed at Lauder, New Zealand in 1997, namely 294.5 DU, compared to a 1985–96 mean of 307.9±3.7. Ozone values were low through most of the year, especially in winter and spring. These observations are similar to TOMS results for Southern mid-latitudes, although the long-term comparison is clouded by the change in TOMS instruments. A regression analysis of the Lauder record through 1996 allows a generally accurate prediction of the 1997 values, shows that the QBO dominates the 1996–97 difference, and that the 1997 values are consistent with a linear long-term trend in ozone. The analysis does not completely explain low monthly values in austral spring. Enhancements in biologically active UV radiation were also observed, with monthly mean values increased by as much as 20–40% from recent years. The unusual ozone values were the dominant cause of the UV enhancement.

Interstitial glycerol and lactate production was measured in the sc adipose tissue of two anatomical regions in 10 obese urban black women (BW) and 10 obese urban white women (WW) matched for age, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, diet, and physical activity. This was done with the sc microdialysis technique and combined with adipose tissue blood flow (ATBF) rates calculated from 133Xe clearance. Biochemical measurements were done in the postabsorptive and postprandial state. Bioimpedance and computed tomography scans were used for analyses of body composition. BW responded with lower plasma insulin levels, but higher glucose levels, during the oral glucose tolerance test. BW have higher lactate release from the sc adipose tissue, compared with WW, in the postabsorptive state (abdominal: 7.8 ± 0.9 vs. 2.4 ± 0.3μ mol/kg·min, P < 0.0001; femoral: 9.1 ± 0.9 vs. 2.1 ± 0.3 μmol/kg·min, P < 0.0001) and during the postprandial period (at 1 h, abdominal = 7.3 ± 0.8 vs. 3.0± 0.4 μmol/kg·min, P < 0.0001, femoral ar...

A first analysis of trends in vertical ozone and temperature profiles from ozonesonde flights made at Lauder (45.045°S, 169.684°E) between August 1986 and July 1996, is presented. To calculate the trends and determine the magnitude of the forcing mechanisms underlying the variability in ozone and temperature, a linear least squares regression model was applied to ozone mixing ratios, ozone number densities, and temperatures, interpolated onto 100 pressure levels from the surface (969 hPa/370 m) to 12.1 hPa (∼30.1 km), ∼300 geopotential meters apart. Ozone trends indicate wintertime upper tropospheric decreases of more than -30±24% per decade (2σ), post vortex breakup trends in a narrow altitude region above the tropopause of -20±20% per decade (2σ), and positive trends of up to 30±14% per decade (2σ) in the lower stratosphere during late winter, spring, and early summer. The predominant temperature trend is +1.5% per decade and greater above the ∼50 hPa level during winter. Derived trends were sensitive to inclusion of tropopause height forcing which was found to influence ozone and temperature at a high level of statistical significance. Ozone at Lauder shows significant QBO dependence throughout the lower stratosphere during winter, spring, and early summer, but little or no dependence on the solar cycle. Temperatures, however, show little dependence on QBO but were influenced by the solar cycle. The Mt. Pinatubo eruption had little influence on Lauder ozone but significantly cooled the troposphere. The ENSO cycle in ozone and temperature was weak except at the uppermost analysis levels.

Following a blind intercomparison of ozone profiling instruments in the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change at Lauder, New Zealand, revisions to the analyses were made resulting in a new data set. This paper compares the revised results from two differential absorption lidars (RIVM and GSFC), a microwave radiometer (Millitech/LaRC), and electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) balloon sondes (NIWA). In general, the results are substantially improved compared to the earlier blind intercomparison. The level of agreement was similar both for single profiles and for the campaign average profile and was approximately 5% for the lidars and the sondes over the altitude range from 15 to 42 km (32 km for sondes). The revised microwave data show a bias of 5–10% high in the region from 22 to 42 km. Starting at 42 km, the lidar errors increase significantly, and comparisons of the microwave results were not possible above this altitude.

There is presently renewed interest in diurnal variations of stratospheric and mesospheric ozone for the purpose of supporting homogenization of records of various ozone measurements that are limited by the technique employed to being made at certain times of day. We have made such measurements for 19 years using a passive microwave remote sensing technique at the Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) in Hawaii, which is a primary station in the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). We have recently reprocessed these data with hourly time resolution to study diurnal variations. We inspected differences between pairs of the ozone spectra (e.g., day and night) from which the ozone profiles are derived to determine the extent to which they may be contaminated by diurnally varying systematic instrumental or measurement effects. These are small, and we have reduced them further by selecting data that meet certain criteria that we established. We have calculated differences between profiles measured at different times: morning–night, afternoon–night, and morning–afternoon and have intercompared these with like profiles derived from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (Aura-MLS), the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite Microwave Limb Sounder (UARS-MLS), the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES), and Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet version 2 (SBUV/2) measurements. Differences between averages of coincident profiles are typically < 1.5% of typical nighttime values over most of the covered altitude range with some exceptions. We calculated averages of ozone values for each hour from the Mauna Loa microwave data, and normalized these to the average for the first hour after midnight for comparison with corresponding values calculated with the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry Climate Model (GEOSCCM). We found that the measurements and model output mostly agree to better than 1.5% of the midnight value, with one noteworthy exception: The measured morning–night values are significantly (2–3 %) higher than the modeled ones from 3.2 to 1.8 hPa (~39–43 km), and there is evidence that the measured values are increasing compared to the modeled values before sunrise in this region.

Ozone total columns have been derived from 13 spectral intervals in 5 infrared bands and compared with values deduced from correlative measurements with a Dobson spectrophotometer. The observations were recorded on 10 days in 1994 at the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change station in Lauder, New Zealand. The infrared total columns were derived from spectral fittings of unblended, temperature-insensitive ozone lines in high resolution solar absorption spectra. The line parameters on the 1992 HITRAN compilation were assumed with the O3 H2O relative volume mixing ratio and temperature profiles specified from correlative balloon ozonesonde, microwave O3, and radiosonde measurements. The retrieved IR/Dobson total column ratios ranged from 0.96 to 1.02 with the lower wavenumber bands yielding lower ratios. The results do not support the revised O3 intensity scale currently used to process O3 infrared measurements from 2 instruments on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.

The metastatic potential of a solid tumor is dependent upon its ability to interact with the extracellular matrix. The integrin superfamily is a group of proteins that are fundamental in such interactions and play a major role in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion. Localization of the integrin proteins was performed in normal ovary, primary epithelial ovarian tumors and metastatic tumor cells in ascitic samples. Expression of alpha1, alpha3, alpha6 and beta4 was observed on normal ovarian epithelium with variable expression of alpha5. Loss of alpha1 expression by malignant cells in the primary tumors was noted. beta4, a component of the laminin receptor which was strongly expressed by both normal ovary and solid tumor, was absent from the ascitic tumor cells in the majority of cases. There was an associated loss of alpha6 expression, indicating a deficiency of hemidesmosomes in the ascitic tumor cells. This alteration of integrin expression by metastatic malignant epithelial ovarian tumor cells may therefore represent one important mechanism by which metastatic disease occurs.

[1] The ground-based measurements of upper stratospheric ClO, made with a ground-based millimeter wave instrument at Mauna Kea, Hawaii (19.8°N, 204.5°E) starting in 1992, are compared with UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) MLS ClO measurements (1991–1998) and the Aura MLS ClO measurements (2004–2009). The ground-based measurements are made as part of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). Intercomparisons between the ground-based measurements and the Aura MLS measurements show that both instruments retrieve similar seasonal variations over Mauna Kea. The seasonal variation in ClO is also compared with measurements of variations in stratospheric CH4, which affects the partitioning of total inorganic chlorine. Using the ground-based instruments as a transfer standard, we find that the agreement between UARS and Aura MLS ClO measurements near the peak of the mixing ratio profile is within ∼1%. Combining the uncertainties in the biases calculated from the coincident ground-based and satellite measurements, we find that using the ground-based data as a transfer standard allows us to provide a 2σ limit to the bias between the UARS and Aura measurements of 3%–4% near the peak of the ClO profile. Given agreement between UARS and Aura MLS of ∼1% ± 4%, there is no reason to apply any bias correction in order to use the UARS and Aura MLS ClO measurements as a single data set.

Computations are presented for the relaxation zone behind strong, 1D shock waves in nitrogen. The analysis is performed with the direct simulation Monte Carlo method (DSMC). The DSMC code is vectorized for efficient use on a supercomputer. The code simulates translational, rotational and vibrational energy exchange and dissociative and recombinative chemical reactions. A model is proposed for the treatment of three body-recombination collisions in the DSMC technique which usually simulates binary collision events. The model improves previous models because it can be employed with a large range of chemical-rate data, does not introduce into the flow field troublesome pairs of atoms which may recombine upon further collision (pseudoparticles) and is compatible with the vectorized code. The computational results are compared with existing experimental data. It is shown that the derivation of chemical-rate coefficients must account for the degree of vibrational nonequilibrium in the flow. A nonequilibrium-chemistry model is employed together with equilibrium-rate data to compute the flow in several different nitrogen shock waves.

This paper presents extensive validation analyses of ozone observations from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) satellite instruments: the ACE Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) and the Measurement of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation (ACE-MAESTRO) instrument. The ACE satellite instruments operate in the mid-infrared and ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectral regions using the solar occultation technique. In order to continue the long-standing record of solar occultation measurements from space, a detailed quality assessment is required to evaluate the ACE data and validate their use for scientific purposes. Here we compare the latest ozone data products from ACE-FTS and ACE-MAESTRO with coincident observations from satellite-borne, airborne, balloon-borne and ground-based instruments, by analysing volume mixing ratio profiles and partial column densities. The ACE-FTS version 2.2 Ozone Update product reports more ozone than most correlative measurements from the upper troposphere to the lower mesosphere. At altitude levels from 16 to 44 km, the mean differences range generally between 0 and +10% with a slight but systematic positive bias (typically +5%). At higher altitudes (45–60 km), the ACE-FTS ozone amounts are significantly larger than those of the comparison instruments by up to ~40% (typically +20%). For the ACE-MAESTRO version 1.2 ozone data product, agreement within ±10% (generally better than ±5%) is found between 18 and 40 km for the sunrise and sunset measurements. At higher altitudes (45–55 km), systematic biases of opposite sign are found between the ACE-MAESTRO sunrise and sunset observations. While ozone amounts derived from the ACE-MAESTRO sunrise occultation data are often smaller than the coincident observations (by as much as −10%), the sunset occultation profiles for ACE-MAESTRO show results that are qualitatively similar to ACE-FTS and indicate a large positive bias (+10 to +30%) in this altitude range. In contrast, there is no significant difference in bias found for the ACE-FTS sunrise and sunset measurements. These systematic effects in the ozone profiles retrieved from the measurements of ACE-FTS and ACE-MAESTRO are being investigated. This work shows that the ACE instruments provide reliable, high quality measurements from the tropopause to the upper stratosphere and can be used with confidence in this vertical domain.

[1] Ozone measurements made by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on board the Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura Satellite are compared with measurements made by ground-based microwave radiometers (MWR) in the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) stations at Lauder, New Zealand (45°S, 169°E) and Mauna Loa, Hawaii (20°N, 204°E). The latter instruments measure ozone over the pressure range 56 to 0.03 hPa (about 20 to 72 km), allowing validation of ozone to the upper range of the MLS profiles. In addition, because they operate continuously, separate daytime and nighttime comparisons with MLS can be made to account for the large diurnal variations of ozone in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere. MLS-MWR comparisons show agreement generally within 5% between 24 and 0.04 hPa (about 26 to 70 km) and 5 to 13% elsewhere. To more thoroughly investigate ozone in the stratosphere and mesosphere and establish a consensus between different sets of measurements, comparisons, and analyses with other satellite-borne instruments, including the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE-II), Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS), and Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS), are also made, using the ground-based microwave measurements as a reference. The resulting MLS-consensus difference profiles remove some of the features present in the MLS-MWR comparisons and indicate that the overall agreement between MLS and the correlative data, between 56 and 0.04 hPa, is mostly within 5% at both sites.

[1] Since 1996, quality assurance experiments of electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes of two different model types (SPC-6A and ENSCI-Z) have been conducted in the environmental simulation facility at the Research Centre Juelich within the framework of the Juelich Ozone Sonde Intercomparison Experiment (JOSIE). The experiments have shown that the performance characteristics of the two ECC-sonde types can be significantly different, even when operated under the same conditions. Particularly above 20 km the ENSCI-Z sonde tends to measure 5-10% more ozone than the SPC-6A sonde. Below 20 km the differences are 5% or less, but appear to show some differences with year of manufacture. There is a significant difference in the ozone readings when sondes of the same type are operated with different cathode sensing solutions. Testing the most commonly used sensing solutions showed that for each ECC-manufacturer type the use of 1.0% KI and full buffer gives 5% larger ozone values compared with the use of 0.5% KI and half buffer, and as much as 10% larger values compared with 2.0% KI and no buffer. For ozone sounding stations performing long term measurements this means that changing the sensing solution type or ECC-sonde type can easily introduce a change of +/- 5% or more in their records, affecting determination of ozone trends. Standardization of operating procedures for ECC-sondes yields a precision better than +/-(3-5)% and an accuracy of about +/-(5-10)% up to 30 km altitude.

The long-term evolution of upper stratospheric ozone has been recorded by lidars and microwave radiometers within the ground-based Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC), and by the space-borne Solar Backscatter Ultra-Violet instruments (SBUV), Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE), and Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE). Climatological mean differences between these instruments are typically smaller than 5% between 25 and 50 km. Ozone anomaly time series from all instruments, averaged from 35 to 45 km altitude, track each other very well and typically agree within 3 to 5%. SBUV seems to have a slight positive drift against the other instruments. The corresponding 1979 to 1999 period from a transient simulation by the fully coupled MAECHAM4-CHEM chemistry climate model reproduces many features of the observed anomalies. However, in the upper stratosphere the model shows too low ozone values and too negative ozone trends, probably due to an underestimation of methane and a consequent overestimation of ClO. The combination of all observational data sets provides a very consistent picture, with a long-term stability of 2% or better. Upper stratospheric ozone shows three main features: (1) a decline by 10 to 15% since 1980, due to chemical destruction by chlorine; (2) two to three year fluctuations by 5 to 10%, due to the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO); (3) an 11-year oscillation by about 5%, due to the 11-year solar cycle. The 1979 to 1997 ozone trends are larger at the southern mid-latitude station Lauder (45 S), reaching 8%/decade, compared to only about 6%/decade at Table Mountain (35 N), Haute Provence/Bordeaux (approximately equal to 45 N), and Hohenpeissenberg/Bern(approximately equal to 47 N). At Lauder, Hawaii (20 N), Table Mountain, and Haute Provence, ozone residuals after subtraction of QBO- and solar cycle effects have levelled off in recent years, or are even increasing. Assuming a turning point in January 1997, the change of trend is largest at southern mid-latitude Lauder, +11%/decade, compared to +7%/decade at northern mid-latitudes. This points to a beginning recovery of upper stratospheric ozone. However, chlorine levels are still very high and ozone will remain vulnerable. At this point the most northerly mid-latitude station, Hohenpeissenberg/Bern differs from the other stations, and shows much less clear evidence for a beginning recovery, with a change of trend in 1997 by only +3%/decade. In fact, record low upper stratospheric ozone values were observed at Hohenpeissenberg/Bern, and to a lesser degree at Table Mountain and Haute Provence, in the winters 2003/2004 and 2004/2005.

[1] In March 2002 the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the polar-orbiting environmental satellite Envisat. One of its nine instruments is the Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS) instrument, which is a medium-resolution stellar occultation spectrometer measuring vertical profiles of ozone. In the first year after launch a large group of scientists performed additional measurements and validation activities to assess the quality of Envisat observations. In this paper, we present validation results of GOMOS ozone profiles from comparisons to microwave radiometer, balloon ozonesonde, and lidar measurements worldwide. Thirty-one instruments/launch sites at twenty-five stations ranging from the Arctic to the Antarctic joined in this activity. We identified 6747 collocated observations that were performed within an 800-km radius and a maximum 20-hour time difference of a satellite observation, for the period between 1 July 2002 and 1 April 2003. The GOMOS data analyzed here have been generated with a prototype processor that corresponds to version 4.02 of the operational GOMOS processor. The GOMOS data initially contained many obviously unrealistic values, most of which were successfully removed by imposing data quality criteria. Analyzing the effect of these criteria indicated, among other things, that for some specific stars, only less than 10% of their occultations yield an acceptable profile. The total number of useful collocated observations was reduced to 2502 because of GOMOS data unavailability, the imposed data quality criteria, and lack of altitude overlap. These collocated profiles were compared, and the results were analyzed for possible dependencies on several geophysical (e.g., latitude) and GOMOS observational (e.g., star characteristics) parameters. We find that GOMOS data quality is strongly dependent on the illumination of the limb through which the star is observed. Data measured under bright limb conditions, and to a certain extent also in twilight limb, should be used with caution, as their usability is doubtful. In dark limb the GOMOS data agree very well with the correlative data, and between 14- and 64-km altitude their differences only show a small (2.5–7.5%) insignificant negative bias with a standard deviation of 11–16% (19–63 km). This conclusion was demonstrated to be independent of the star temperature and magnitude and the latitudinal region of the GOMOS observation, with the exception of a slightly larger bias in the polar regions at altitudes between 35 and 45 km.

Levels of parental relatedness can affect offspring survival and susceptibility to disease. We investigated parental relatedness of live and dead Halichoerus grypus pups between and within island populations and between possible causes of mortality. Nine microsatellites were used to calculate internal relatedness (IR) and standardized mean d2. We find that pups with higher than average levels of IR have significantly lower survival and that this varied between island populations and that certain loci contributed to the effect more than others. Although, there were no significant differences between causes of mortality, peritonitis, infection and stillborn had the highest levels of IR. These results provide evidence that parental relatedness is an important determinant of pre-weaning pup survival in the grey seal and that this may vary with cause of mortality given a larger sample size.

[1] Intercomparisons between SAGE-II data versions 5.93, 5.96, and 6.1 with microwave ozone and ozonesonde measurements made at the NDSC primary station at Lauder, New Zealand, and with microwave measurements made at the NDSC complementary station at Table Mountain, California, are reported on here. The focus is on SAGE-II measurement performance during the period when stratospheric aerosol levels were substantially elevated following the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption. SAGE-II ozone retrievals are potentially affected by aerosol levels and size distributions because extinction due to aerosol must be estimated and subtracted from the measured total extinction in the 600 nm ozone channel to determine the ozone amount; the microwave and ozonesonde comparison measurements are aerosol insensitive. Around 10–25 hPa, the newer algorithm versions retain a tendency toward extinction-dependent bias previously reported for version 5.9; this dependence may be larger than previously indicated at moderately high aerosol levels. In the 30–40 hPa range, the extinction dependence of version 6.1 (and, usually, version 5.96) data is a few times less than that of version 5.93. Between about 30 and 80 hPa most points at moderately elevated aerosol extinctions are less affected than in version 5.93, and these are fewer and/or less affected in version 6.1 than in version 5.96. When aerosols are at background levels, the precisions of version 5.93 and 5.96 measurements are at least somewhat better, around 30 hPa, than the errors provided with the data. The errors provided with version 6.1 data are substantially smaller than in previous versions, and small enough that the experimental sensitivity was insufficient to draw conclusions regarding the actual precision in comparison to the error values.

[1] Ground-based measurements of O3 and NO2 columns at Kiruna (68°N) and Arrival Heights (78°S) were used to validate stratospheric profile measurements of the same species by the satellite-based Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS) flown between November 1996 and June 1997. In addition, measurements of HNO3, CH4, and N2O made at Arrival Heights are compared with measurements of these species by ILAS. Even though there were no temporal coincidences in the latter comparison, the ground-based data provide a climatological context for the ILAS measurements. ILAS profiles measured within 10° of longitude and 2° of latitude of each site were used. For the species with large tropospheric components (CH4 and N2O), ILAS profiles were integrated upward from 12 km and were compared with ground-based retrievals of partial columns above 12 km. For O3, which is primarily stratospheric but has an appreciable tropospheric component, tropospheric columns (typically to 8–10 km altitude) calculated from ozonesonde climatologies were added to the integrated ILAS profiles to allow comparison with ground-based total column ozone measurements. Tropospheric columns of HNO3 and NO2 were assumed to be sufficiently small so that ILAS profiles integrated above 8 km could be compared directly with ground-based total column measurements.

[1] Altitude profiles of ozone (O3) over Lauder (45°S, 170°E) performed using a lidar, ozonesondes, and the satellite-borne Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE II) instrument are presented. These data form one of the few long-term sets of O3 profiles at a Southern Hemisphere location. In the 5 years of data presented, the dominant variation is the annual cycle, the phase and amplitude of which differ below and above 27.5 km. Superposed are irregular episodic variations, caused by various processes. The first process studied is stratosphere-troposphere exchange, characterized by dry and O3-rich air residing in the troposphere, which was found in 21% of the measurements. The second relates to the positioning of the higher polar vortex over Lauder, often in combination with the exchange of air between midlatitude and subtropical stratospheric regions. We present examples of this which were observed over Lauder during the 1997 winter. This winter was selected for further study because of the record-low O3 amounts measured. The third process is mixing of O3-depleted vortex air with midlatitude air after the vortex breakup. We present one example, which shows that a filament originating from the depleted Antarctic vortex significantly lowers O3 amounts over Lauder around 27 November 1997. There is thus a connection between Antarctic O3 depletion and later decrease of O3 amounts at a Southern Hemisphere midlatitude location, namely Lauder.

The objective of this study was to determine whether those women who developed cervical cancer following treatment for preinvasive disease had common features in their history which could identify those at increased risk of progression and therefore be used to modify management protocols. A retrospective case note review from clinical and histopathologic records was undertaken at a teaching hospital in Wessex, Southern England. The review included 33 women diagnosed with cervical carcinoma between 1985 and 1996 who had previously undergone treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or cervical glandular intraepithelial neoplasia (CGIN). The diagnosis prior to treatment was CIN 3 in 19 cases, CGIN 3 in 2 cases, CIN 2 in 9 cases (97% high grade CIN/CGIN) and CIN 1 in 1 case. At primary treatment, among those treated by knife cone biopsy or Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone (LLETZ), and for whom the margins of the treatment specimen were reported, 14 out of 15 had incomplete margins. Local ablation (in which completeness of excision could not be histologically assessed) was performed in 12 cases. In 58% (19/33) of cases, the patient was 40 years or older at the time of initial treatment. Fifteen women had one or more negative smears after treatment, of which only 6 had transformation zone sampling. The interval between treatment of CIN/CGIN and diagnosis of invasion ranged from 8 to 216 months. (mean 40.4 months), with 67% of cases of invasive cancer occurring within 5 years of treatment for CIN/CGIN and 94% within 10 years. Screen detection was achieved in 91% (30/33) of cases with 53% diagnosed while stage 1A. In conclusion, most treatment screen detection of invasive disease at an early (and often microinvasive) stage was achieved for most patients, although a third of patients were diagnosed more than 5 years after initial treatment. The data suggest the need to follow up longer than 5 years when there are risk factors such as incomplete excision of high grade CIN/CGIN and in women over 40 years of age at the time of initial diagnosis.

The interpretation of glandular abnormalities detected by cervical smear provides a diagnostic dilemma. This study aims to compare the accuracy of cytological diagnosis with underlying pathology so that guidelines for the investigation and management of abnormal glandular smears may be formulated. A retrospective review of 150 women with glandular abnormalities reported on cervical smear collected over 12 months from 1996 in a University hospital was performed. Smears were graded by the initial report into 3 groups, dependent on the severity of abnormality. Investigation, treatment and subsequent 3-year follow-up were recorded. The accuracy of prediction for a significant neoplastic or preneoplastic glandular pathology only was 0% with mild, 9% (3/35) with moderate, and 24% (9/38) with severe abnormalities. When squamous lesions were included, the chance of finding any dysplastic squamous or glandular abnormality was 16% (12/77), 51% (18/35) and 82% (31/38), respectively, following a smear showing a suspected glandular abnormality only. Our results highlight the poor specificity of predicting glandular neoplasia or preneoplasia from cervical smears, with a final diagnosis of high grade CIN in 35% (17/49) of patients with dyskaryotic glandular cytological changes only and 83% (20/24) where concomitant squamous dyskaryosis was reported. The reporting of reactive or minor changes in endocervical cells was of no diagnostic value. Management protocols for moderate and severe glandular abnormalities should include visualisation and biopsy of the uterine cavity to exclude endometrial neoplasia.

La relation entre le poids du fœtus et du placenta durant la gestation des phoques gris a ete etudiee suivant le sexe du jeune. Les hormones presentees dans le placenta ont ete examinees en relation avec le sexe du fœtus

Interstitial glycerol and lactate production was measured in the s.c. adipose tissue of two anatomical regions in 10 obese urban black women (BW) and 10 obese urban white women (WW) matched for age, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, diet, and physical activity. This was done with the s.c. microdialysis technique and combined with adipose tissue blood flow (ATBF) rates calculated from 133Xe clearance. Biochemical measurements were done in the postabsorptive and postprandial state. Bioimpedance and computed tomography scans were used for analyses of body composition. BW responded with lower plasma insulin levels, but higher glucose levels, during the oral glucose tolerance test. BW have higher lactate release from the s.c. adipose tissue, compared with WW, in the postabsorptive state (abdominal: 7.8 +/- 0.9 vs. 2.4 +/- 0.3 micromol/kg x min, P0.0001; femoral: 9.1 +/- 0.9 vs. 2.1 +/- 0.3 micromol/kg x min, P0.0001) and during the postprandial period (at 1 h, abdominal = 7.3 +/- 0.8 vs. 3.0 +/- 0.4 micromol/kg x min, P0.0001, femoral area = 8.1 +/- 1.0 vs. 2.7 +/- 0.4 micromol/kg x min, P0.0001; at 2 h, abdominal = 5.7 +/- 0.4 vs. 3.1 +/- 0.3 micromol/kg x min, P0.001). The BW also released more glycerol from the sc adipose tissue in the postabsorptive state (abdominal = 1.15 +/- 0.17 vs. 0.65 +/- 0.03 micromol/ kg x min, P0.009; femoral = 1.55 +/- 0.19 vs. 0.72 +/- 0.05 micromol/kg x min, P0.001) and during the postprandial period (at 1 h, abdominal = 1.05 +/- 0.15 vs. 0.11 +/- 0.02 micromol/kg x min, P0.001, femoral = 1.05 +/- 0.12 vs. 0.21 +/- 0.03 micromol/kg x min, P0.001; at 2 h, abdominal = 0.31 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.04 +/- 0.01 micromol/kg x min, P0.001, femoral = 0.28 +/- 0.07 vs. 0.05 +/- 0.01 micromol/kg x min, P0.003). Postprandially, the BW had higher ATBF rates in the abdominal and femoral areas. WW have more visceral fat (150 +/- 2.0 vs. 110 +/- 5.0 cm2, P0.05). In conclusion, the insulinopenic BW have a brisker lipolysis and ATBF and release more glycerol and lactate from their sc adipose tissue, both in the postabsorptive state and after an oral glucose tolerance test. These variations in adipose tissue metabolism may contribute to differences observed in the disease profiles of these two groups of women.