On 22 May 1985 the first balloon-borne ozonesonde was successfully launched by the staff of Georg-Forster-Station (70°46' S, 11°41' E). The following weekly ozone soundings mark the beginning of the continuous investigation of Germany to study the vertical ozone distribution in the southern hemisphere. In 1985 these ozone soundings have been the only record showing the change of vertical ozone distribution in the southern polar stratosphere in September and October. The regular ozone soundings from 1985 until 1992 are a valuable reference data set since the chemical ozone loss became a significant feature in the southern polar stratosphere. The balloon-borne soundings were performed at the upper air sounding facility of the neighbouring station Novolazarevskaya, just 2 km apart from Georg-Forster-Station. Till 1992, ozone soundings were taken without interruption. Afterwards, the ozone sounding program was moved to Neumayer-Station (70°39' S, 8°15' W) 750 km further west.

Attached to Russian radio sondes (type RKS-5) the ozone sondes (type OSE) were carried by balloons to heights up to 35 km. During the flight the measured ozone concentrations as well as the standard meteorological measurements were transmitted to the ground. All 426 soundings at the mean pressure levels and significant heights from these flights between 1985 and 1992 are archived in this dataset.The ozone measurements were achieved by a small electrically driven gas sampling pump which forces ambient air through a sensing solution of an electrochemical cell which generated an electrical current proportional to the mass flow rate of ozone. According to this principle (Brewer sonde), the sondes were developed and produced at the Akademiewerkstätten in East Berlin.

Supplement to: König-Langlo, Gert; Gernandt, Hartwig (2009): Compilation of ozonesonde profiles from the Antarctic Georg-Forster-Station from 1985 to 1992. Earth System Science Data, 1(1), 1-5