In the framework of EUMETSAT’s Satellite Application Facility on Ozone and Atmospheric Chemistry monitoring (O3M-SAF), the Koninklijk Meteorologisch Instituut (KMI) in Belgium and the Meteorological Observatory Hohenpeissenberg of the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) have developed ozone profile validation facilities, aiming to the operational validation of the GOME-2 data on board METOP-A which was launched in Oct. 2006. The facilities are based on detailed comparisons of satellite ozone profiles with quality approved ground based measurements from lidars, balloon sondes and microwave radiometers. Results are height resolved differences between satellite and reference instruments and analyses of dependencies of differences from various meteorological and geophysical parameters.
During the operational phase of O3M-SAF the validation results will be updated every six months.