OZONE OBSERVATIONS WITH A DOBSON SPECTROPHOTOMETER
1. Introduction
It is impossible to write a manual such as this one without attesting to the impressive contribution made by G.M.B. Dobson in the field of ozone spectrophotometry. Much of the information contained in this manual has been obtained, with the kind permission of Pergamon Press, Inc. (London, New York, Paris), from a pair of handbooks prepared by Dobson (1957a, 1957b). These handbooks have served as primary sources of information for operators of Dobson spectrophotometers since the International Geophysical Year (1957-1959).
In recent years, a considerable amount of on-the-job experience has been acquired by a number of research workers operating the Dobson instruments throughout the world. Improved instrument calibration and data reduction methods have evolved; observational procedures have become standardized; original electro-mechanical components in many of the instruments have been replaced with modern electronics; and much has been learned about the care of the instruments. In outlining methods for the operation, calibration, and care of Dobson spectrophotometers, and for reduction of total ozone and ozone vertical distribution (Umkehr) data, this manual contains updated as well as new information. Its purpose is to continue the tradition set by the Dobson handbooks in providing guidance for standardizing Dobson spectrophotometer operating procedures within the global total ozone station network.
Although this manual constitutes a self-contained set of instructions for operators of Dobson instruments, reference is made in it to the two 1957 Dobson handbooks, with which ozone observers should become familiar. Additional valuable information concerning the accuracy of Dobson spectrophotometer observations is contained in a publication by Dobson and Normand (1962). Observers will find useful, also, a series of working papers by Dobson that have been edited by Walshaw for the Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences (Walshaw, 1975).
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Forward to Section 2. Ozone Measurement Principle and Theory