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On the representativeness of mean ozone distributions
Author(s) -
Pittock A. B.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49709640705
Subject(s) - ozone , environmental science , representativeness heuristic , stratosphere , atmospheric sciences , skewness , climatology , meteorology , statistics , mathematics , geography , geology
Abstract On the basis of total ozone, Umkehr data and ozone soundings with Mast‐Brewer sondes at Aspendale, it is shown that the systematic effect of selectivity in the days on which Umkehr observations are made may be as large as 10 to 35 per cent of the annual mean content of layers 2 and 3. This selectivity effect varies with time, and is reasonably explained in terms of a correlation between ozone content in the lower stratosphere and cloudiness. Caution with regard to the use of Umkehr‐derived mean ozone distributions in climatological studies is therefore urged, and the need for further research is pointed out. The statistical limitations of mean distributions derived from ozone‐sonde flights are also discussed, with particular reference to quasi‐periodic influences.