Results from the Indo-USSR ozonesonde intercomparison experiment

A total of seventeen vertical profiles of ozone were obtained during an Indo-USSR collaborative experiment on ozonesonde intercomparison conducted at Thumba during March 1983. The vertical distribution of ozone was measured using rocket-borne, balloon-borne as well as ground-based instruments. Four different rocket ozonesondes from India and USSR and the balloon ozonesonde were used to makein situ observations of ozone concentrations in addition to the Dobson spectrophotometric observations of total ozone and Umkehr. The rocket and the balloon launchings were effected in three salvos and measurements were made at different times of the day as well as during night. The results of all these measurements are used to obtain a mean ozone vertical distribution over Thumba foT the spring equinoxial period. The mean profile shows the maximum ozone concentration at 27 km with a value of (3.86±0-52)×10¹² molecules per cc. Comparison of this mean profile with available satellite data for the equatorial regions shows that, in general, the Thumba values are lower by 10–15% at altitudes below 40 km and larger at altitudes above 50 km compared to the satellite results. The data also show evidence for a day-to-day variability and a possible day-to-night variability in the ozone vertical distribution with the night-time values higher than the daytime values at all altitudes above 35 km and the difference is found to increase with the increasing altitude.