Utilization of 100 mb midlatitude height fields as an indicator of sampling effects on total ozone variations

Midlatitude 100-mb height fields are employed to determine the effects of ground based sampling locations on measurements of variations in the total ozone content of the atmosphere. The precision of the zonal average heights computed by the technique of Angell and Korshover (1978) from data over ozone sampling areas at 50 deg N is compared to the zonal average computed from the entire data set. Linear regressions of ozone contents determined by an analysis of backscatter UV satellite data with respect to 100 mb heights are utilized to transform zonal differences in height to ozone levels. The zonal average total ozone sampling error is found to be on the order of 2% for midlatitudes of the Northern hemisphere, indicating that the general shape of ozone trends determined by ground-based observations appears to be real and the increase of ozone from the mid-1960's to the early 1970's may be greater than previously suggested.