Comparison between ozonesonde measurements and satellite retrievals over Beijing, China

The authors built an electrochemical concentration cell ozonesonde and have been launching it weekly from Beijing on the North China Plain since 2013. This study is the first to use ozonesonde measurements collected over Beijing during 2013–2019 to evaluate vertical ozone profiles derived from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard the Aqua satellite and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) onboard the Aura satellite. The total column ozone calculated from the ozonesonde measurements is also compared with retrievals from AIRS and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) onboard the Aura platform. Overall, the ozonesonde measurements and satellite retrievals show similar variability in the ozone profiles (with a relative difference mostly < 10%), albeit with a relatively large discrepancy arising at certain levels. The total column ozone derived from the three instruments shows reasonable agreement and similar annual variation. The annual average total column ozone is 351.8 ± 18.4 DU, 348.8 ± 19.5 DU, and 336.9 ± 14.2 DU for the ozonesonde, AIRS, and OMI, respectively. Further comparative analysis of ozonesonde data collected in the future from multiple sites in China will improve the understanding of their consistency with satellite retrievals over different regions in China.