Absorption coefficients of ozone for the backscatter UV experiment

Abstract

Band-averaged absorption coefficients for the wavelength channels of the backscatter ultraviolet (BUV) experiment are computed using the laboratory ozone absorption measurements of several experimenters. For the major ozone-determining channels on the BUV (3125 and 3175 Å) the various coefficients ranged from ±11 to ±4%, respectively, about the range midpoint. These percentage uncertainties in the band absorption coefficients lead to similar percentage uncertainties in the absolute value of derived total ozone because of the reciprocal relationship between the two. Derived total-ozone ratios of the BUV A:B pairs, the Dobson AD:CD double pairs, and the BUV B:Dobson AD are estimated for the different sets of coefficients based on the ratios experimentally observed in the BUV and Dobson data. The Inn and Tanaka measurements lead to the most consistent results. Band-averaged coefficients for the BUV-profiling wavelengths are also computed.