A comparison of Microtops II and satellite ozone measurements in the period 2001–2011

Abstract: Daily average total ozone Microtops measurements obtained during several campaigns conducted from 2001 to 2011 at latitudes from 31 to 68°N and in different seasons are compared with satellite observations. The Microtops ozone is derived using different wavelength combinations (Channel I, 305.5/312.5nm; Channel II, 312.5/320nm; and Channel III, 305.5/312.5/320nm). Satellite data from TOMS, OMI, GOME, and GOME-2 are used in the comparison. The three Microtops channels show a high correlation with the satellite retrievals. Channel I shows the best results and produces a mean bias deviation (MBD) less than 2.14% with respect to TOMS, OMI and GOME. The MBD increases to 3% in the comparison against GOME-2, due to the small number of available data. In addition, the total ozone content provided by Channel I displays the more stable behavior during the ten-year period. The Channel III total ozone shows MBD values smaller than those observed for Channel I. However the Channels II and III present a larger variability and show a larger spread of the data. Consequently, Channel I appears as the best option for long term measurements with Microtops. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]