The monitoring of the ozone layer has increased significantly since the 1980s, when the Antarctic ozone hole was first discovered by the British Antarctic Survey. The ozone layer is constantly monitored by satellites and ground-based instruments capable of retrieving the amount, the vertical distribution of ozone and the concentration of ozone depleting substances such as Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the stratosphere.

In April 1995, with the start of operations of the GOME instrument, an optical sensor on board the ERS-2 satellite, the European Space Agency opened a new chapter in ozone monitoring. Compared to the previous generation of ozone monitoring instruments, GOME offered higher spectral resolution and coverage of a broader wavelength range. This enabled GOME to measure several other trace gases beside ozone. The launch of TROPOMI in 2017, on board the Sentinel-5p satellite, represents a great step forward both for technology and retrieval algorithms regarding trace gases retrievals, allowing for a 24 years time-series of ozone observations considering GOME and OMI heritages. Data from TROPOMI can be considered the most accurate spaceborne observations with an unprecedented spatial resolution.

‍

Featured Educator

• Dr Diego Loyola, Senior Scientist, DLR

‍