CONSISTENCY BETWEEN VARIATIONS OF OZONE AND TEMPERATURE IN THE STRATOSPHERE

We compare time series of monthly mean total ozone values, provided by the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Radiometer (SBUV), with temperature s derived from the operational stratospheric analyses produced by the National Centers fbr Environmental Prediction, Climate Prediction Cent er (NCEP/CPC). Results generally substantiate the expectancy of positi ve correlations between variations of ozone and temperature in the low er stratosphere, and negative correlations between the two in the uppe r stratosphere. It is found that the correlations did not behave in th e expected manner during the periods immediately after the eruptions o f El Chichon (April 1982) and Mt. Pinatubo (June 1991). Possible probl ems are also pointed out for other time periods, when the anticipated correlations are not indicated. In some of the cases, the evaluations lead to recommendations for continued investigation, in order to deter mine whether some values might be erroneous and should be removed to i mprove consistency within the datasets. In a few cases it is found tha t real variations can be mistakenly identified as errors.