An Observational Study on the Vertical Distribution and Synoptic Variation of Ozone in the Arctic

Arctic ozone is important to the Arctic climate and environment system. Studying the ozone distribu-tion and variation is helpful for understanding the Arctic climate and environment and their impact on theglobal system, and for numerically forecasting climate and environment change. The Chinese Arctic Re-search Expedition 1999 made an ozone observation program possible over the Chukchi Sea in the ArcticOcean. Ozone soundings on board the Chinese icebreaker "Xuelong" (at 75°N, 160°W, 18-24 August 1999)made high-resolution vertical atmospheric structure and ozone distribution data available for studyingozone variation on a synoptic scale. Analysis of the observational data, the TOMS total ozone, and NCEPcirculation, shows that the atmospheric ozone amount experienced a high-low-high variation withlow-high-low tropopause altitude. The study shows a close relationship between the total ozone and theozone below 13 km, while the variation in the maximum concentration at about 20 km does not show any relationship to the column ozone. A weak-strong-weak southwesterly pattern in the 500 hPa synoptic systemmay be responsible for a low ozone advection during this ozone variation.