Absorption Cross-Section of Ozone as Function of Temperature

Abstract

Observations of ozone concentrations in the earth's upper atmosphere are made by using surface-based Dobson spectrophotometers or instruments carried by balloons and orbiting satellites. Analysis of data from these observations requires knowledge of the absorption cross-sections of ozone for the wavelength at which the measurements are made, and for the temperature of the medium in which the ozone is observed. Discrepencies that have been reported among results from these different experiments have called into question the accuracy of the previously reported1 cross-section values.