Validation of MIPAS IMK/IAA V5R_O3_224 ozone profiles

We present the results of an extensive validation program of the most recent version of ozone vertical profiles retrieved with the IMK/IAA MIPAS research level 2 processor from version 5 spectral Level 1 data. The time period covered corresponds to the reduced spectral resolution period of the MIPAS instrument, i.e. January 2005-April 2012. The comparison with satellite instruments includes all post-2005 satellite limb and occultation sensors having measured the vertical profiles of tropospheric and stratospheric ozone: ACE-FTS, GOMOS, HALOE, HIRDLS, MLS, OSIRIS, POAM, SAGE II, SCIAMACHY, SMILES, and SMR. In addition, balloon-borne MkIV solar occultation measurements and groundbased Umkehr measurements have been included, as well as two nadir sensors: IASI and SBUV. For each reference dataset, bias determination and precision assessment are performed. Better agreement with reference instruments than for the previous data version, V5R_O3_220 (Laeng et al., 2013), is found: the known high bias around the ozone vmr peak is significantly reduced and the vertical resolution at 35 km has been improved. The agreement with limb and solar occultation reference instruments that have a known small bias vs. ozone sondes is within 7% in the lower and middle stratosphere and 5% in the upper troposphere. Around the ozone vmr peak, the agreement with most of satellite reference instruments is within 5%; this bias is as low as 3% for ACE-FTS, MLS, OSIRIS, POAM and SBU