MétéoSuisse - GAW-CH ozone

The GAW-CH Ozone Monitoring Program at Payerne and Arosa

The discovery of the Antartica ozone hole in the eighties has triggered a worldwide concern about human behaviour consequences on the equilibrium of Earth climate.

Stratospheric ozone has the essential role to block the harmful Ultra-Violet (UV) part of the sun radiation spectrum. A significant decrease of the so-called ozone layer would produce adverse effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, on population's health, on biochemical cycles as well as deterioration of different materials to cite a few of the known consequences of a UV radiation increase. Another major effect would be a decrease of the atmospheric temperature at the altitude of the ozone layer. Such a change of equilibrium of the energy (temperature) distribution in the atmosphere would induce a modification of the present Earth climate and weather.

Presently, the regular ozone measurements are performed under the MeteoSwiss responsibility for securing their lasting quality in response to the international aggreements endorsed by Switzerland.

Collaborations

At the national level, the main collaborations are with the IAC-ETH and the IAP-UNIBE. At the international level and for ozone monitoring, MeteoSwiss stations belong to worldwide ozone networks: NDACC, GAW/WMO, SHADOZ

sponsoring of the Nairobi (Kenya) ozone sounding station.

MeteoSwiss participates to international projects:

European project CCI
Instruments intercomparisons campaigns JOSIE and BESOS
WMO Dobson intercomparison campaigns.

Publications

Stübi, R., G. Levrat, B. Hoegger, P. Viatte, J. Staehelin, and F. J. Schmidlin (2008), In-flight comparison of Brewer-Mast and electrochemical concentration cell ozonesondes, J. Geophys. Res., 113, D13302, doi:10.1029/2007JD009091.
Scarnato, B., J. Staehelin, R. Stübi, and H. Schill (2010), Long-term total ozone observations at Arosa (Switzerland) with Dobson and Brewer instruments (1988-2007), J. Geophys. Res., 115, D13306, doi:10.1029/2009JD011908.
Maillard Barras, E., D. Ruffieux , K. Hocke (2009), Stratospheric ozone profiles over Switzerland measured by SOMORA, ozonesonde and MLS/AURA satellite, International Journal of Remote Sensing , Vol. 30, Nos. 15-16, August 2009, 4033-4041.

Ozone layer measurements

Ozone profile by radiosounding in Payerne

The ozone sonde is launched with aerological balloons reaching an altitude of ca. 35 km. In situ ozone measurements are recorded during the balloon ascent.

Total ozone in Arosa

Total ozone is measured by Dobson and Brewer spectrophotometers. The Arosa serie is the longest total ozone serie worldwide.

Ozone profile by SOMORA in Payerne

The radiometer SOMORA gives ea half hour a "picture" of the ozone layer state above Payerne for an altitude range of 20 to 65 km.

Ozone profile by Umkehr in Arosa

Ozone vertical profiles are measured twice a day by a Dobson spectrophotometer since 1956.