Satellite Ozone Focus Working Group
Working Group leads: Jessica Neu, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, USA (Jessica.L.Neu @ jpl.nasa.gov )
Paul Palmer, University of Edinburgh, UK (pip @ ed.ac.uk )
TOAR-II Steering Committee liaison: Helen Worden, NCAR, Boulder, USA (hmw @ ucar.edu )
Established: April 29, 2020
The Satellite Ozone Working Group (SOWG) will coordinate TOAR-related studies of satellite retrievals of tropospheric ozone. Its primary goal is to understand the wide variety of trends and variations in tropospheric ozone reported by satellite sensors in TOAR-I (Gaudel et al., 2018). While TOAR-I made general statements regarding differences in satellite vertical sensitivity and sampling, there was little attempt to reconcile differences between a) satellite-based estimates from sensors that view different parts of the atmosphere and b) satellite-based ozone measurements and those from ground-based instruments. TOAR-II is an opportunity to address these important issues and place satellite data on an equal footing with in situ data in terms of quantifying changes in tropospheric ozone with well-defined uncertainties. To do so, the SOWG will use output from one or more global chemistry transport models as an intermediary or “transfer standard” between different satellite sensors (taking into account their vertical sensitivity and sampling patterns) and between the satellite sensors and ground-based and aircraft in situ data. We also plan to provide the satellite groups with a common methodology for validating trends using the long-term ozonesonde record. The scope of the working group will not be limited to these activities, and other analyses of satellite ozone records will be welcome under the umbrella of the SOWG.
Satellite Ozone Working Group application
Gaudel, A., et al. (2018), Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report: Present-day distribution and trends of tropospheric ozone relevant to climate and global atmospheric chemistry model evaluation, Elem Sci Anth, 6(1), p.39. DOI: 10.1525/elementa.291.