Evaluation of the MERRA-2 Assimilated Ozone Product Gordon Labow Krzysztof Wargan Stacey Frith Steven Pawson Gary Partyka September, 8, 2016
Based on the GEOS-5 assimilation system What is MERRA-2? MODERN-ERA RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS FOR RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS Based on the GEOS-5 assimilation system Input: Ozone profiles & total column (SBUV, MLS/OMI), winds, temperature, pressure (from radiosondes, aircraft, satellite radiances, GPS) Ozone Output: -72 vertical layers (about 1km in stratosphere) -576 x 360 gridded data (0.625 x 0.5 degree) -Ozone profile (every 3 hours) -Total Ozone (every hour) -1980 to present -Global daily maps (pole to pole) 1980-2004 2004-present
Some issues with the SBUV input: Nadir only (80N to 80S) Drifting orbits No data in Polar night SBUV JULY 1st, 2003 MLS resolves many of these issues MLS JULY 1st, 2013 OMI + MLS
Delauney Interpolation Longitude 10/25/1988 Column Ozone at 40 North 1 TOMS Ozone Total Ozone (DU) SBUV measurement Delauney Interpolation Longitude
Longitude 10/25/1988 Column Ozone TOMS Total Ozone (DU) MERRA-2 (every 2 hours) Longitude
Longitude 10/25/1988 Column Ozone at 40 South TOMS Total Ozone (DU) MERRA-2 (every 2 hours) Longitude
MERRA-2 TOMS minus MERRA-2 N7-TOMS EP-TOMS OMI
TOMS – MERRA2
MERRA-2 compared to SAGE II 208-0.2 hPa column (11 - 60km) MERRA= Red MERRA-2 = Green
Comparisons to Ozonesondes 2003 (SBUV) 2003 2005 (MLS) 2005 Statistical comparisons of MERRA-2 ozone against global ozonesondes available in 2003 (a-b) and 2005 (d-e). All data are interpolated to the tropopause-based vertical coordinate. Ozone sondes (black) and MERRA-2 (green). Standard deviation of ozonesonde measurements (red).
UARS MLS (1991-97) MIPAS (2002-12)
A case study: (a) Color background: MERRA-2 ozone between 30°N and 90°N at 10 hPa on 21 December 1993 at 6Z. UARS MLS observations made between 1:30Z and 10:30Z are shown as filled circles color-coded by the retrieved mixing ratios. The highest latitude observed by SBUV around the same day (51°N) is marked by black dots. (b) a scatter plot of all UARS MLS observations at 10 hPa.
MERRA-2 biased low Longitude 10/25/1988 Column Ozone at 10 North TOMS Total Ozone (DU) MERRA-2 (every 2 hours) MERRA-2 biased low Longitude
A difficult case: The South Pole MERRA=Red MERRA-2=Green The time series of total ozone at the South Pole derived from individual ozonesondes (black) and collocated reanalysis: MERRA (red) and MERRA-2 (green). (b) reanalysis minus ozonesonde differences divided by sonde total ozone
Comparisons have been made with: Total ozone: TOMS & OMPS (Mid latitudes) Bias= -1.4% Ozone profile: SAGE II V7 (Midlatitudes) Bias 4.3 hPa 1.5 ±4.4% 10.1 hPa 1.4 ± 6.1% 42.7 hPa 1.7 ± 4.4% MIPAS V6 (Global) 4.6 hPa -5.8 ± 6.2% 9.4 hPa -3.9 ± 4.3% 39.8 hPa -6.0 ± 10.3% UARS MLS V5 (Midlatitudes) 4.3 hPa 0.45 ± 5.5% 10.1 hPa -1.8 ± 4.7% 42.7 hPa -3.8 ± 9.4% Ozone sondes (Midlatitudes) 10.0 hPa 0.66 ± 16% 50.0 hPa 0.52 ± 21% 500 hPa 9.84 ± 32%
What’s MERRA-2 good for? -Great for: high resolution (temporal & spatial) total ozone maps, regional studies, stratospheric vertical ozone distribution, lower stratosphere studies, a-priori profiles for retrievals. Possibly good for: Filling in ozone values in polar night Not recommended for: - Long-term ozone trends - Lower tropospheric ozone studies MERRA-2 data are available at MDISC, managed by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) Data and Information Services Center (DISC).