Ozone loss rates in the Arctic stratosphere in the winter 1991/92: Model calculations compared with match results

Abstract

We present box model calculations of ozone loss rates corresponding to the results of the Match experiment 1991/92. The Match technique infers chemical ozone depletion from an analysis of pairs of balloon soundings that measure ozone in the same airparcel at different points of a calculated trajectory. It allows a quantitative comparison with model results because the exposure of the observed air‐masses to sunlight is well known. The model significantly underestimates the loss rates inferred for January to mid‐February. Extensive sensitivity studies show that the discrepancy between model and Match results cannot be explained by the known uncertainties in the model parameters.