Long-term measurements of surface ozone in the German Democratic Republic

The ozone concentration near the earth's surface has been measured at some stations in the GDR for more than 30 yr using the wet chemical method. Even at rural stations the ozone data show a significant linear increase by about 1–3% yr^–1. The ozone increase being stronger in summer than in winter is assumed to be due to photochemical ozone production from increasing anthropogenic emissions of trace gases that are transported over long distances. A weaker ozone increase by only about 0.2% per year was observed in the free troposphere (5.5 km) from balloon-soundings at Lindenberg within the period 1975–1984. If the ozone trends continue, the ozone concentration near the surface and its seasonal amplitude will have doubled around the turn of the century as compared to the mid-fifties.