Stratospheric ozone layer observations over Tsukuba, Japan by NIES ozone DIAL

The paper presents results from differential absorption lidar (DIAL) observations of the vertical profiles of ozone, aerosols, and temperature at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) in Tsukuba (36 N, 140 E), Japan. Currently, the lidar system uses 308/355 nm (DIAL) for lower stratospheric ozone measurements. The 355 nm is also used for aerosols measurements. The lidar system is a part of international Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). The version 2 algorithm [1] was used for accurate determination of ozone, aerosols, and temperature profiles. Methods for correcting systematic errors have been applied to the algorithm. Aerosol corrections have been applied to the temperature and ozone calculations. The mean vertical ozone profiles of the NIES ozone lidar were compared with those of SAGE II; they agreed well within a 5% relative difference in the 20- to 40-km altitude range and within 10% up to 45 km. The long-term variations of ozone obtained by the NIES ozone lidar also showed good agreement with those by the ozone sondes and SAGE II at 20 km, 25 km, 30 km, and 35 km. The temperatures retrieved from the NIES ozone lidar and those given by the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) agreed within 7 (K) in the 35- to 50-km range.