The spatial/temporal variability of the vertical distribution of tropospheric ozone in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) over a period of 1 year (1996) is studied with a coupled chemistry-general circulation model. The model is used at two different horizontal resolutions (T30: 3.75¿¿3.75¿ and T63: 1.875¿¿1.875¿) and is nudged towards European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts analyses for 1996, using a four-dimensional assimilation technique (newtonian relaxation), to enable direct comparisons of observations and model results. Overall, the model reproduces satisfactorily the magnitude and seasonal variability of the vertical ozone distribution observed at six selected locations. Discrepancies occur, however, at remote locations in the subtropical Atlantic and tropical Pacific where ozone concentrations throughout the free troposphere are overestimated by the fourth version of the European Center Hamburg Model (ECHAM4)-T30. A considerable improvement is evident at T63, which can be attributed, at least partially, to less efficient transport of ozone precursors from the polluted continents at higher resolution. In the upper troposphere/tropopause region, short-term ozone variations are better reproduced at higher resolution. The origin of tropospheric ozone is examined by decomposing its seasonal variation in the model into ozone from the stratosphere and ozone produced within the troposphere. Differences in the NH annual tropospheric ozone budget for 1996, between T30 and T63 mean amounts are relatively small. The tropospheric ozone budget is dominated by photochemical production and destruction (2716 and 2684 Tg, respectively), while the net ozone flux from the stratosphere is estimated to be 436 Tg, and dry deposition is estimated to be 487 Tg. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union