SHADOZ—A TROPICAL OZONESONDE–RADIOSONDE NETWORK FOR THE ATMOSPHERIC COMMUNITY

Abstract

This article describes the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) network of ozonesonde-radiosonde stations in the southern Tropics and subtropics. SHADOZ was initiated in 1998 by NASA, NOAA, and a team of international meteorological services and space agencies to remedy a paucity of ozone profile data in a region of intense natural variability and anthropogenic change. SHADOZ augments launches at selected sites and provides a public archive of ozonesonde and radiosonde data (see additional information online at http://croc.gsfc.nasa.gov/shadoz). Ozone is important because of its role as an atmospheric UV shield, surface pollutant, oxidant, and greenhouse gas. Ozone profile data are essential for the detection of ozone trends and for verification of satellite ozone retrievals. Instrumentation, data, and a summary of the first scientific findings from SHADOZ are presented. A zonal view shows that troposphere ozone accumulates over the south tropical Atlantic and adjacent continents throughout the year, consistent with large-scale atmospheric motion. At individual stations, week-to-week variations in tropospheric ozone profiles reflect episodic meteorology, for example, convection or advected pollution.