2 YEARS OF REGULAR OZONE SOUNDINGS IN THE EUROPEAN ARCTIC, SODANKYLA

Data have been studied from 2 years (1989 and 1990) of weekly ozone soundings performed in Sodankyla (67.4-degrees-N, 26.6-degrees-E), northern Finland. Prior to 1989, no routine ozone sounding program had been carried out in northern Europe. General behavior of ozone, temperature, and potential temperature at various levels of the stratosphere and the troposphere is reported. The seasonal means, minima, maxima, and standard deviations have been calculated within 1000-m layers from the surface to 35 km. Fairly high concentrations of ozone are found in the lower troposphere during spring and summer. The variation of stratospheric ozone in winter and spring may be explained by dynamical factors, although more chemical measurements are needed to explain the late winter-early spring episodes.