UVSAT Group
UVSAT is part of the "Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere" section, led by Prof. Hartmut Bösch. Our research encompasses
- satellite remote sensing
- retrieval of atmospheric trace gases (e.g. ozone) / inversion theory
- atmospheric chemistry and dynamics
- ozone-climate interaction
- solar physics
Our primary focus is on ozone measurements in the UV/Vis spectral range obtained from satellite instruments. We investigate advanced retrieval methods for various data products, including ozone columns, vertical ozone profiles, and tropospheric ozone. Our scientific objectives include trend analyses related to the recovery of the ozone layer and air pollution, examining the interaction between ozone and climate, and studying ozone depletion in polar regions (i.e., the "ozone hole"). Additionally, we study solar variability from UV to near-infrared wavelengths using satellite data.
Our work is predominantly based on data collected from satellite instruments, such as GOME (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment, 1995-2011), SCIAMACHY (SCanning ImAging spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY, 2002-2012), GOME-2 (operational since 2007), OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument, operational since 2004), OMPS (Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite, operational since 2012), and TROPOMI (operational since 2018).
Head of the group is Mark Weber, Ph.D.
Antarctic ozone hole in October as observed by the satellite instruments GOME, SCIAMACHY, GOME-2, and TROPOMI. The total ozone columns were retrieved with our scientific algorithm using the weighting function differential optical absorption technique (WFDOAS). In 2015 and 2018, the area of the Antarctic ozone hole ranked among the largest recorded. Conversely, in 2019, the ozone hole was one of the smallest observed. During the period (2020-2022) the ozone hole areas were larger than the long-term mean of the last decade, likely due to the Australian wildfires (2020) and the volcanic eruptions from La Soufriere (2021) and Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha'apai (2022) injecting large amounts of water vapor and/or aerosols into the stratosphere (above 10-15 km altitude). If you hover your mouse over the image, you see ozone anomalies with respect to the long-term mean from 1995-2024. These anomalies more clearly illustrate the variability of ozone over the Antarctic, both inside and outside the ozone hole, influenced by stratospheric meteorological conditions.
Apart from the year-to-year variations in ozone hole area, Antarctic and Arctic ozone is gradually recovering due to the ongoing reduction of man-made ozone-depleting substances (ODS) as mandated by the Montreal Protocol and its Amendements. Models predict that Antarctic ozone levels will, on average, return to those of 1980 by the middle of this century.