Satellite ozone comparisons - Effects of pressure and temperature

The effects of errors in determining temperature, pressure, and density in the background atmosphere on the measurements of ozone by two different satellite sensors, the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) spectrometer aboard the ERB satellite and the solar backscattered UV (SBUV) spectrometer aboard Nimbus 7, were determined. The manner in which the differences in these background atmosphere measurements propagate is demonstrated by making direct comparisons of stratospheric ozone profiles by the SBUV and the SAGE II spectrometers. It is shown that, in regions with strong vertical ozone gradients (particularly at 70 mbar in the tropics), modest differences in vertical positioning could result in differences of 5 to 10 percent in ozone concentrations.