Long-Term Ozone Changes Over the Northern Hemisphere Mid-Latitudes for the 1979–2012 Period

Abstract The solar backscattered ultraviolet (SBUV/SBUV-2) merged ozone datasets, version 8.6, including column ozone and ozone profiles for the 1979–2012 period are examined for the 35°N–60°N zonal belt in the northern hemisphere mid-latitudes and four sub-regions: central Europe, continental Europe, North America, and East Asia. The residual long-term patterns for total ozone and ozone profiles are extracted by smoothing the time series of differences between the original and the modelled ozone time series. Modelled ozone is obtained using the standard trend model accounting for ozone variability due to changes in stratospheric halogens and various dynamical factors commonly used in previous ozone trend analyses. Since about 2005 spring and summer total ozone in the troposphere and lower stratosphere has decreased in some regions (central and continental Europe, North America, and the 35°N–60°N zonal belt) compared with modelled ozone. The negative departure from modelled ozone in 2010 is approximately 2–3% of the overall 1979–2012 monthly mean level. It seems that this decrease is a result of yet unknown dynamical processes rather than to chemical destruction because the differences have a longitudinal structure, and total ozone in the upper stratosphere still follows changes in stratospheric halogen loading.