AN ASSESSMENT OF ECC OZONESONDES OPERATED USING 1-PERCENT AND 0.5-PERCENT KI CATHODE SOLUTIONS AT LAUDER, NEW-ZEALAND

The effects of reducing the concentration of the potassium iodide (KI) cathode electrolyte from 1% to 0.5% in electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes flown at Lauder, New Zealand (45 degrees S, 170 degrees E) have been investigated. Four studies were made to assess t hese effects: 1% and 0.5% E;I ozonesonde performance was compared dire ctly in three dual flights, one year of 1% KI and one year of 0.5% KI ozonesonde profiles were compared with near-simultaneous lidar profile s, integrated ozonesonde profiles were compared with Dobson spectropho tometer measurements over the same period, and ascent and descent prof iles were compared for both KI concentrations. Ozonesondes flown with a 1% KI solution showed positive differences of 3% to 8% in the ozone profile and similar to 5% in the ozone column compared with the 0.5% K I ozonesondes, which also showed better agreement in profiles and ozon e column compared with the lidar and Dobson spectrophotometer measurem ents respectively.