Sensitivity of stratospheric ozone lidar measurements to a change in ozone absorption cross-sections

The effect of a change in ozone absorption cross-section data is evaluated for stratospheric ozone lidar measurements, which are regularly performed for the monitoring of the ozone layer. The change is analysed for the measurements based on both the elastic and Raman scattering of the laser light by the atmosphere. The latter technique is essentially used for measurements performed in the presence of volcanic aerosol layers in the stratosphere. The discrepancy in ozone number densities is evaluated for various ozone cross-section data sets, using an atmospheric model for the evaluation of ozone cross-section temperature dependence. Results show that the difference in both elastic and Raman DIAL retrievals is below 1.5% in absolute values from 10 to 30 km. Above 30 km, the difference, estimated for the elastic DIAL retrieval only, is maximum around 45 km, with largest differences reaching 1.8% in the tropics.

► The effect of change in ozone cross-section on lidar ozone measurement is evaluated. ► The changes in retrieved ozone number density are below 2% in absolute value. ► The effect on ozone number density trends due to temperature trends is negligible.