Intercomparison of ozone measurements over Antarctica

Measurements of the abundances of ozone over Antarctica in August and September 1987 obtained during the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment are intercompared. These measurements of ozone concentrations and total column abundance were obtained by three satellite instruments, two IR and one UV column-measuring instruments aboard the DC-8, one in situ DC-8, and two in situ ER-2 instruments, an upward looking lidar aboard the DC-8, and ozone sondes from four sites in Antarctica. This paper presents a summary of the ozone data, using the data and accuracies given by the individual investigators in the individual papers in this issue, without any attempt to critically review or evaluate the data. In general, very good agreement (within about 10-20 percent, limited by natural variability) among the various techniques was found, with no systematic biases detected. These observations confirm the low ozone amounts reported in the Antarctic stratosphere.