Ozone tropospheric and stratospheric trends (1995-2011) at six ground-based FTIR stations (28°N to 79°N)

Five ground-based stations in Western Europe, from 79°N to 28°N, all part of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC), have joined their efforts to homogenize and optimize the retrievals of ozone profiles from FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) solar absorption spectra. Using the optimal estimation method, distinct vertical information can be obtained in four layers: ground—10 km, 10—18 km, 18—27 km, and 27—42 km, in addition to total column amounts. Vigouroux et al. (2008) applied a bootstrap resampling method to the ozone data to determine the trends of the total columns and of the partial columns in the above four layers, over the period 1995-2004. The updated trends for the period 1995-2009 have been published in the WMO 2010 report. Here, we present the updated trends, obtained using the bootstrap resampling method, for the 1995-mid-2011 period, for the five European stations and also for the station Thule, Greenland (77°N), which has joined this effort. The trends have also been estimated using a multiple regression model including the Quasi Biennial Oscillation (QBO) and the solar flux as explanatory variables. The trends obtained by the two methods will be compared and discussed. One of the major results is the significant positive trend observed in the upper stratosphere at the station Jungfraujoch (47°N), which provides a sign of ozone recovery at mid-latitudes. Significant positive trends are also observed in the upper stratosphere at the high latitude stations.