Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region In Summer (POLARIS) Data Released

The Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) has released data for the Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region in Summer (POLARIS) campaign. POLARIS was a joint effort of NASA and NOAA that occurred in 1997 with the goal to expand on photochemical and transport processes that cause the summer polar decreases in the stratospheric ozone. The overarching goal of POLARIS is to gain a better understanding of the changes of stratospheric ozone levels from very high concentrations in the spring to very low concentrations in the autumn. The NASA ER-2 aircraft was the primary platform, along with balloons, satellites, and ground sites. Flights occurred and were based in Fairbanks, Alaska with some flights being conducted from California and Hawai'i. Observations were used to constrain stratospheric computer models to evaluate ozone changes due to chemistry and transport. More information on POLARIS can be found in Newman et al. (1999). Nine collections ranging from in-situ to model data are available via Earthdata Search the ASDC's Direct Data Download..