Validation of ACE-FTS ozone and ozone related species

The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment - Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) instrument, on the Canadian SCISAT satellite, observes the Earth's limb in solar occultation. Atmospheric absorption measurements in the infrared (750-4400 cm-1) are used to derive volume mixing ratio (VMR) profiles of over 30 trace gas species, including O3 and many O3-related species, ranging from the upper troposphere to the lower thermosphere. ACE-FTS was launched in 2003, and measurements began in February 2004 and are currently ongoing. In this study, we validate the most recent version (v3.5) of the ACE-FTS O3 data using correlative satellite and ozonesonde data sets. In the lower to mid stratosphere, ACE-FTS ozone is in excellent agreement with correlative World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Center (WOUDC) ozonesonde data, typically within ±2-4%, depending on the coincidence criteria. When comparing with satellite-based limb sounders, ACE-FTS tends to exhibit a ~5% positive bias in the stratosphere and a ~12% positive bias in the stratopause region. We also compare ACE-FTS VMR profiles of CFC-11, CFC-12, and ClONO2 with collocated data from the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) instrument on the Envisat satellite, and we compare VMR profiles of O3-related species with collocated data from other satellite limb sounders.