What was the TOMS³F Campaign?

TOMS³F stands for Total Ozone Measurements by Satellites, Sondes, and Spectrometers at Fairbanks. Ozone studies were done in Fairbanks by scientists from John Hopkins University, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, NASA, NOAA, and Environment Canada. At high latitudes there have been differences in the ozone measurements by the various ozone instruments. Instrument calibrations are done near middle latitudes. At middle latitudes, the angle of the Sun is more directly overhead and the column of ozone the Sun passes through to reach the Earth is a shorter, more direct path. At high latitudes, the Sun is lower in the sky, therefore the ozone path length is longer between the Sun and the Earth as shown in the illustration below. Because the instrument calibrations are done at middle latitudes, the instruments are more agreeable at middle latitudes than at high latitudes. The purpose of the TOMS³F campaign was to discover why these differences occur between the instruments at high latitudes.

Why was the TOMS³F Campaign held in Fairbanks, Alaska?

There are a few reasons why the TOMS³F campaign was held in Fairbanks, Alaska. The most obvious reason is the high latitude location of Fairbanks. The campaign was also held in the spring for good reason. During the spring, the Northern Hemisphere has the highest abundance of ozone in the stratosphere. Over Fairbanks, ozone levels can reach 450 Dobson Units (DU) or higher during the spring. It is thought that high amounts of ozone and long path lengths are causing the instruments ozone measurements to differ. This hypothesis could be tested during the spring in Fairbanks. Another reason Fairbanks was the site of the campaign was because clear skies are typical during the spring.