The ground-based MW radiometer OZORAM on Spitsbergen – description and status of stratospheric and mesospheric O₃-measurements

Abstract

This manuscript introduces the OZORAM ground-based millimeter wave radiometer. The instrument is deployed to the high Arctic (79° N, 12° E) for measurements of O3 in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere. The publication describes the status of OZORAM in the end of 2010. OZORAM is able to provide profile information between 30 and 70 km altitude in time intervals of 1 h. To establish applications of the data and to investigate instrumental biases, the results from September 2008 till summer 2010 are compared to O3 profiles derived from measurements of two instruments onboard polar orbiting satellites, MLS onboard EOS-AURA and SABER onboard TIMED. The agreement is within 10% in the middle and upper stratosphere and 30% in the lower mesosphere. The deviation shows systematic and oscillating features which are, however, constant during the period of comparison. The data set is therefore suitable for studies of mesospheric and stratospheric response to changes in dynamics or due to solar influences on climate.