Gridded Level 3 tropical tropospheric ozone column densities derived from the Metop/GOME-2-instruments.
In the stratosphere – where the majority of the total O3 amount is located - O3 plays an vital role for the UV protection. In the troposphere O3 is generated by chemical processes caused by natural and anthropogenic emission of NO2 and volatile organic components (VOCs) (e.g. HCHO). Direct exposure to O3 is harmfull for humans and our environment.
The total O3 column is retrieved from GOME solar back-scattered measurements in the UV wavelength region 325-335nm [using the DOAS method]. The tropical tropospheric ozone is retrieved by applying the convective cloud differential method (Valks et al., 2014 http://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/7/2513/2014/amt-7-2513-2014.html). This method estimates the stratospheric ozone column amount as the column above high reaching convective clouds in the tropics. The tropospheric column is determined by subtracting the stratospheric ozone column from the retrieved total column.
The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) instrument continues the long-term monitoring of atmospheric trace gas constituents started with GOME / ERS-2 and SCIAMACHY / Envisat. Three instruments operate on board EUMETSAT's Meteorological Operational satellites MetOp-A, -B, and -C, launched in 2006, 2012, and 2018, respectively. GOME-2 measures a range of atmospheric trace constituents, with the emphasis on global ozone distribution. Furthermore, cloud properties and intensities of ultraviolet radiation are retrieved. These data are crucial for monitoring the atmospheric composition and the detection of pollutants.
DLR generates operational GOME-2 / MetOp products in the framework of EUMETSAT's Satellite Application Facility on Atmospheric Composition Monitoring (AC-SAF).