Bayesian Approach to Retrieving a Vertical Ozone Profile from Radiometric Measurement Data

Abstract

We propose a technique for retrieving a vertical profile of the atmospheric ozone number density from ground-based radiometry data. The technique is based on the Bayesian approach to solving inverse problems and permits one, by allowing for measurement noise and using certain a priori information on the retrieved profile, to construct the probability distribution of the ozone number density in the entire altitude range being monitored. Using the proposed technique, we compare the retrieval results obtained for various (both well-known and suggested for the first time in this paper) methods of approximation and regularization of retrieved profiles. Model examples demonstrate that the proposed technique is capable of retrieving ozone-profile disturbances which accompany the formation of ozone holes.