Match Glossary
alert message Message from the coordination team to an ozonesonde station telling that it is probable that a match can be achieved by an ozonesonde launch at the station the coming day. These messages have to be confirmed in the morning of the following day. Alert messages (or shortly "alerts") are usually sent by emails or faxes.
availability window Time periods at a particular station when ozonesonde launches are possible. These time periods are usually defined by the working hours of the station staff. These can vary from one weekday to another and look in the coordination files like e.g.:
Ozonsonde launches at station 1 are only possible from Monday to Friday between 8 am to 10 pm. At station 2 these launches are only possible at distinct times, 5:20 am, 11:20 am, 5:20 pm, and 11:20 pm each day. At station 3 launches can be performed to any time.
confirmation message Message from the coordination team to an ozonesonde station telling that a former alert message of the day before has been confirmed. A launch window and the optimal time of launch for a predicted match within the coming 24 hours is given. Confirmation messages (or shortly "confirmations") are usually sent by emails or faxes.
coordination team Team in Potsdam/Germany that gathers ozonesonde data and initiates trajectory calculations in order to forecast possible matches. The team communicates with the station staff mainly by sending out alert and confirmation messages and receiving ozonesonde data by emails or via the NILU data base or by receiving Match notices by emails or faxes.
first sonde Ozonesonde contributing to a match as the first measurement. Every launched ozonesonde has the potential to act as a first sonde during the campaign.
launch window Time period specified in confirmation messages. An ozonesonde launch within such a launch window is anticipated to archieve an useful match.
Match Name of a campaign and technique developed to measure stratospheric ozone loss. First implemented by using ozonesondes. However, satellite and airborne measurements have been used in the past, too. Please note, Match, is not an acronym and should be written with a big "M" and little "atch", in order to distinguish it from several different projects with the acronym MATCH.
Match notice Message with short ozonesonde launch details of the station staff to the coordinating team by email or fax in case ozonesonde data files cannot be transmitted within a reasonable time. The Match notices by emails would be very much appreciated to be sent in a standardised format:
In front of the Match notice and after the second line with equal signs additional text can be placed.
Explanation of the subjects:
Station:
station name :)
e.g. Belgrano or Eureka
Launch date (date of sonde launch):
YY = Year e.g. 02 for year 2002
MM = Month e.g. 07 for July
DD = Day e.g. 26
e.g. 020726
Launch time (time of sonde launch):
HH = hour e.g. 07
MM = minute e.g. 15
e.g. 07:15
Please note, that all times and dates should be given in UT!
Last ozone data (m, hPa, K):
Height of the last measured ozone data. Usual equal to the burst height of the balloon, but if for any reason the ozone measurement has stopped earlier, we need of course that lower point, to avoid non-useful coordination. Data can be given in height (m), pressure (hPa) or potential temperature (K). However, the corresponding units have to be added, of course!
Ascent rate (m/s, m/min):
Mean ascent rate of the balloon in meter per second (m/s) or meter per minute (m/min). Again, only the corresponding units have to be added of course!
match Two ozone measurements in the same air parcel separated in time and usually in space. These measurements are linked by a trajectory. When the ozone measurements are performed by ozonesondes both sondes are distinguished by calling them "first sonde" and "second sonde".
match radius Quality quantity to describe for a match actually the grade of mismatch. Usually the way of an air parcel once probed before does not hit exactly the location of the second measurement. The distance of the second ozone measurement to the location of the first air parcel during the time of the second ozone measurement is called the match radius. A match with a low match radius is more useful than a match with a high match radius.
Nadir data base Data base at NILU which among other data hosts the data of major European stratospheric ozone campaigns.
non-confirmation message Message from the coordination team to an ozonesonde station telling that an alert message of the day before has not been confirmed. Non-confirmation messages are usually sent by emails or faxes. Sometimes the phrases "confirmation" and "confirmation message" are used as generic terms for confirmation messages and non-confirmation messages.
ozonesonde Lightweight sensor measuring height profile of ozone. At each ozonesonde a radiosonde is attached in order to supply further meteorological data. Ozonesondes are lifted with the help of balloons filled with Helium or Hydrogen. They are usually launched routinely once/week (Wednesday) at many stations on the globe. The frequency is usually higher at stations participating in Match campaigns and the time of the launches is irregular. Ozonesondes can reach heights of 30 km and more. Data are transmitted in real time to the station by means of radiowaves.
ozonesonde station Station that is able to launch ozonesondes.
quality control team Team in Sodankylä/Finland that gathers ozonesonde data and checks the quality with respect to the most common ozonesonde failures.
QUOBI Acronym for an EU project "Quantitative Understanding of Ozone losses by Bipolar Investigations"
radiosonde Lightweight meteorological device measuring height profile of pressure, temperature, humidity and above some stations wind speed and wind direction. It is lifted with the help of a balloon filled with Helium or Hydrogen. Radiosondes are launched routinely in frequencies of once/day to four times/day at many stations on the globe. They can reach heights of 30 km and more. Data are transmitted in real time to the station by means of radiowaves.
second sonde Ozonesonde contributing to a match as the second measurement. Usually the timing of the launch of such an ozonesonde has to be coordinated, although some few matches can happen by chance.
station staff Staff at station which among other things prepares and launches ozonesondes. Without the special dedication of the station staff Match campaigns would be impossible.
trajectory The pathway of an air parcel in space and time. Here we use meteorological wind fields to calculate the pathways. The phrase trajectories is used as a synonym for these calculated pathways.