GROUND-BASED MICROWAVE OBSERVATIONS OF OZONE IN THE UPPER-STRATOSPHERE AND MESOSPHERE

A 9-month-long series of measurements of ozone in the upper stratosphe re and mesosphere is reported. The measurements are presented as month ly averages of profiles in blocks of roughly 20 min local time and as night-to-day ratios. An error analysis predicts accuracies of 5-26% fo r the monthly profiles and 2.5-9% for the ratios. The data are compare d to historical data from SME and limb infrared monitor of the stratos phere (LIMS), and it is shown how to remove the effect of different ve rtical resolution from the comparisons. The microwave data typically a gree to better than 10% with SME and nighttime LIMS ozone at all altit udes below the 0.1-mbar surface. Comparison of the microwave night-to- day ratio with the corresponding ratio from LIMS suggests that nonloca l thermodynamic equilibrium effects in the LIMS daytime data exceed 10 % at all pressures less than or equal to 1 mbar.