A Study of Ozone Laminae Using Diabatic Trajectories, Contour Advection and Photochemical Trajectory Model Simulations.

In this paper, we show that the rate of ozone loss in both polar and mid-latitudes, derived from ozonesonde and satellite data, has almost the same vertical distribution (although opposite sense) to that of ozone laminae abundance. Ozone laminae appear in the lower stratosphere soon after the polar vortex is established in autumn, increase in number throughout the winter and reach a maximum abundance in late winter or spring. We indicate a possible coupling between mid-winter, sudden stratospheric warmings (when the vortex is weakened or disrupted) and the abundance of ozone laminae using a 23-year record of ozonesonde data from the World Ozone Data Center in Canada combined with monthly-mean January polar temperatures at 30 hPa.Results are presented from an experiment conducted during the winter of 1994/95, in phase II of the Second European Stratospheric And Mid-latitude Experiment (SESAME), in which 93 ozone-enhanced laminae of polar origin observed by ozonesondes at different time and locations are linked by diabatic trajectories, enabling them to be probed twice or more. It is shown that, in general, ozone concentrations inside laminae fall progressively with time, mixing irreversibly with mid-latitude air on time-scales of a few weeks. A particular set of laminae which advected across Europe during mid February 1995 are examined in detail. These laminae were observed almost simultaneously at seven ozonesonde stations, providing information on their spatial scales. The development of these laminae has been modelled using the Contour Advection algorithm of Norton (1994), adding support to the concept that many laminae are extrusions of vortex air. Finally, a photochemical trajectory model is used to show that, if the air in the laminae is chemically activated, it will impact on mid-latitude ozone concentrations. An estimate is made of the potential number of ozone molecules lost each winter via this mechanism.     

Chemical Ozone Loss in the Arctic Winter 1994/95 as Determined by the Match Technique

The chemically induced ozone loss inside the Arctic vortex during the winter 1994/95 has been quantified by coordinated launches of over 1000 ozonesondes from 35 stations within the Match 94/95 campaign. Trajectory calculations, which allow diabatic heating or cooling, were used to trigger the balloon launches so that the ozone concentrations in a large number of air parcels are each measured twice a few days apart. The difference in ozone concentration is calculated for each pair and is interpreted as a change caused by chemistry. The data analysis has been carried out for January to March between 370 K and 600 K potential temperature. Ozone loss along these trajectories occurred exclusively during sunlit periods, and the periods of ozone loss coincided with, but slightly lagged, periods where stratospheric temperatures were low enough for polar stratospheric clouds to exist. Two clearly separated periods of ozone loss show up. Ozone loss rates first peaked in late January with a maximum value of 53 ppbv per day (1.6 % per day) at 475 K and faster losses higher up. Then, in mid-March ozone loss rates at 475 K reached 34 ppbv per day (1.3 % per day), faster losses were observed lower down and no ozone loss was found above 480 K during that period. The ozone loss in hypothetical air parcels with average diabetic descent rates has been integrated to give an accumulated loss through the winter. The most severe depletion of 2.0 ppmv (60 %) took place in air that was at 515 K on 1 January and at 450 K on 20 March. Vertical integration over the levels from 370 K to 600 K gives a column loss rate, which reached a maximum value of 2.7 Dobson Units per day in mid-March. The accumulated column loss between 1 January and 31 March was found to be 127 DU (36 %).     

Continuous Ozone Depletion over Antarctica After 2000 and Its Relationship with the Polar Vortex

Observations have shown highly variable ozone depletion over the Antarctic in the 2000s, which could affect the long-term ozone trend in this region as well as the global ozone recovery. By using the total column ozone data （1979-2011）, interannual variation of the springtime Antarctic ozone tow is investigated, together with its relationship with the polar vortex evolution in the lower stratosphere. The results show that springtime Antarctic ozone depletion has continued in the 2000s, seemingly contradicting the consensus view of a global ozone recovery expected at the beginning of the 21st century. The spring Antarctic polar vortex in the lower stratosphere is much stronger in the 2000s than before, with a larger area, delayed breakup time, and greater longevity during 2000-2011. Fhrther analyses show that the recent continuation of springtime Antarctic ozone depletion could be largely attributed to the abnormal variation of the Antarctic polar vortex.     

The cause of the spring strengthening of the Antarctic polar vortex

The stratospheric polar vortex strengthening from late winter to spring plays a crucial role in polar ozone depletion. The Arctic polar vortex reaches its peak intensity in mid-winter, whereas the Antarctic vortex usually strengthens in early spring. As a result, the strong ozone depletion is observed every year over the Antarctic, while over the Arctic short-term ozone loss occasionally occurs in late winter or early spring. However, the cause of such a difference in the life cycles of the Arctic and Antarctic polar vortices is still not completely clear. Based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis data, we show a high agreement between the seasonal variations of temperature in the subtropical lower stratosphere and zonal wind in the subpolar and polar lower stratosphere in the Southern Hemisphere. Thus, the spring strengthening of the Antarctic polar vortex can occur due to the seasonal temperature increase in the subtropical lower stratosphere in this period.     

Depletion of Column Ozone in the Arctic During the Winters of 1993-94 and 1994-95

The total ozone reduction in the Arctic during the winters of 1993/94 and 1994/95 has been evaluated using the ground-based total ozone measurements of five SAOZ spectrometers distributed in the Arctic and from number density profiles of a balloon-borne version of the instrument. The ozone change resulting from transport has been removed using a 3D Chemistry Transport Model (CTM) run without chemistry. A cumulative total ozone depletion at the end of winter in March of 18% ± 4% in 1994 and of 32% ± 4% in 1995 was observed within the polar vortex, and of 15% ± 4% in both years outside the vortex. This evaluation is not sensitive to the vertical transport in the model. The periods, locations and altitudes at which ozone loss occurred were tightly connected to temperatures lower than NAT condensation temperature. The maximum loss was observed at 50 hPa in 1994 and lower, 60-80 hPa, in 1995. Half of the depletion in 1994 and three quarters in 1995 occurred during the early winter, showing that a late final warming is not a prerequisite for large ozone destruction in the northern hemisphere. The timing, the geographical location and the altitude of the ozone losses are well captured by the 3D CTM photochemical model using current chemistry, but its amplitude at low sun during the early winter, is underestimated. The model simulations also capture the early season reductions observed outside the vortex. This suggests that the losses occurred in situ in the early winter, when low temperatures are frequent, and not later in March, when ozone is most reduced inside the vortex, which would be the case if leakage from the vortex was the cause of the depletion.     

Three-Year Observations of Ozone Columns over Polar Vortex Edge Area above West Antarctica

Ozone vertical column densities (VCDs) were retrieved by Zenith Scattered Light-Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (ZSL-DOAS) from January 2017 to February 2020 over Fildes Peninsula, West Antarctica (62.22°S, 58.96°W). Each year, ozone VCDs started to decline around July with a comparable gradient around 1.4 Dobson Units (DU) per day, then dropped to their lowest levels in September and October, when ozone holes appeared (less than 220 DU). Daily mean values of retrieved ozone VCDs were compared with Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment 2 (GOME-2) satellite observations and the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis dataset, with correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.86, 0.94, and 0.90, respectively. To better understand the causes of ozone depletion, the retrieved ozone VCDs, temperature, and potential vorticity (PV) at certain altitudes were analyzed. The profiles of ozone and PV were positively correlated during their fluctuations, which indicates that the polar vortex has a strong influence on stratospheric ozone depletion during Antarctic spring. Located at the edge of polar vortex, the observed data will provide a basis for further analysis and prediction of the inter-annual variations of stratospheric ozone in the future.     

A Technique for Estimating Polar Ozone Loss: Results for the Northern 1991/92 Winter Using EASOE Data

In this paper we describe a technique for estimating chemical ozone loss in the Arctic vortex. Observed ozone and temperature profiles are combined with the model potential vorticity field to produce time series of vortex averaged ozone mixing ratios on chosen isentropic surfaces. Model-derived radiative heating rates and observed vertical gradients of ozone are then used to estimate the change in ozone that would occur due to diabatic descent. Discrepancies with the observed ozone are interpreted as being of chemical origin, assuming that there is negligible horizontal transport or mixing of air into the vortex. The technique is illustrated using ozone sonde measurements collected during the 1991/92 European Arctic Stratospheric Ozone Experiment (EASOE), meteorological analyses from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and radiative heating rates extracted from the Global Atmospheric Modelling Programme (UGAMP) 3D General Circulation Model. Our results show that there was photochemical ozone destruction inside the Arctic vortex in early 1992 with a loss between 475 K and 550 K (around 20 km) of 0.32±0.15 ppmv in the first 20 days of January, equivalent to a rate of 0.51±0.24%/day (at the 95% confidence level).     

Simulation of the influence of ion-produced NOx and HOx radicals on the antarctic ozone depletion with a one-dimensional model

A one-dimensional time-dependent photochemical model is used to simulate the influence of ion-produced NOx, and HOx radicals on the Antarctic ozone depletion in polar night and polar spring at a latitude of 73 degrees south.Vertical transport and nitrogen-oxygen (NOx), hydrogen-oxygen (HOx) production by ionic reactions have been introduced into the model.NOx and HOx produced by precipitating ions are transported into the lower stratosphere by vertical motion and have some effects in the development of the Antarctic ozone depletion.From winter through spring the calculated ozone column decreases to 269.4 DU. However, this value is significantly higher than the total ozone observed at several Antarctic ozone stations.     

Ground-Based UV Measurements of BrO and OClO over Ny-Ålesund during Winter 1996 and 1997 and Andøya during Winter 1998/99

Presented here are measurements of BrO and OClO performed by ground-based UV-visible zenith-sky viewing spectrometers developed by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU). Measurements were taken at Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen (79° N, 11° E), in winter and spring1996 and 1997 and at Andøya (69.3° N, 16° E) from summer 1998 until summer 1999. AM and PM differential slant column densities (DSCDs) at 90°SZA of BrO and OClO reached their maxima during polar vortex conditions in the winter months and were anti-correlated to temperature andNO₂. Comparison of BrO with a 3-D chemical transport model showed good agreement for seasonal trends and non-vortex conditions. BrO AM/PM ratios were underestimated by the model for vortex conditions, indicating the need for better quantification of BrO source and sink reaction rates. The detection of OClO above 200 K at the 475 K isentropic level indicates the possible activation of chlorine on sulphate particles. Several episodes of boundary layer ozone depletion due to marine-derived BrO were evident in our zenith-skyspectra during April 1997 in Ny-Ålesund.     

2019-2020冬季北半球超强极涡事件

2019-2020冬季北极平流层极涡异常并且持续的偏强,偏冷.利用NCEP再数据和OMI臭氧数据,本文分析了此次强极涡事件中平流层极涡的动力场演变及其对地面暖冬天气和臭氧低值的影响.此次强极涡的形成是由于上传行星波不活跃.持续的强极涡使得2020年春季的最后增温出现时间偏晚.平流层正NAM指数向下传播到地面,与地面AO指数和NAO指数相一致,欧亚大陆和北美地面气温均比气候态偏暖,在欧亚大陆的一些地区,2020年1月和2月的气温甚至偏高了 10K.2020年2月以来北极臭氧出现了2004年以来的最低值,2020年3-4月60°-90°N的平均臭氧柱总量比气候态偏低了 80DU.     

Intercomparison of Stratospheric Chemistry Models under Polar Vortex Conditions

Several stratospheric chemistry modules from box, 2-D or 3-D models, have been intercompared. The intercomparison was focused on the ozone loss and associated reactive species under the conditions found in the cold, wintertime Arctic and Antarctic vortices. Comparisons of both gas phase and heterogeneous chemistry modules show excellent agreement between the models under constrained conditions for photolysis and the microphysics of polar stratospheric clouds. While the mean integral ozone loss ranges from 4–80% for different 30–50 days long air parcel trajectories, the mean scatter of model results around these values is only about ±1.5%. In a case study, where the models employed their standard photolysis and microphysical schemes, the variation around the mean percentage ozone loss increases to about ±7%. This increased scatter of model results is mainly due to the different treatment of the PSC microphysics and heterogeneous chemistry in the models, whereby the most unrealistic assumptions about PSC processes consequently lead to the least representative ozone chemistry. Furthermore, for this case study the model results for the ozone mixing ratios at different altitudes were compared with a measured ozone profile to investigate the extent to which models reproduce the stratospheric ozone losses. It was found that mainly in the height range of strong ozone depletion all models underestimate the ozone loss by about a factor of two. This finding corroborates earlier studies and implies a general deficiency in our understanding of the stratospheric ozone loss chemistry rather than a specific problem related to a particular model simulation.     

Aspects of stratospheric long-term changes induced by ozone depletion

The effect of the stratospheric ozone depletion on the thermal and dynamical structure of the middle atmosphere is assessed using two 5-member ensembles of transient GCM simulations; one including linear trends in ozone, the other not, for the 1980–1999 period. Simulated temperatures and observations are in good agreement in terms of mean values, autocorrelations and cross correlations. Annual-mean and seasonal temperature trends have been calculated using the same statistical analysis. Simulations show that ozone trends are responsible for reduced wave activity in the Arctic lower stratosphere in February and March, confirming both the role of dynamics in controlling March temperatures and a recently proposed mechanism whereby Arctic ozone depletion causes the reduction in wave activity entering the lower stratosphere. Changes in wave activity are consistent with an intensification of the polar vortex at the time of ozone depletion and with a weakened Brewer–Dobson circulation: A decrease of the dynamical warming/cooling associated with the descending/ascending branch of the wintertime mean residual circulation at high/low latitudes has been obtained through the analysis of temperature observations (1980–1999). Ozone is responsible of about one third of the decrease of this dynamical cooling at high latitudes. An increase in the residual mean circulation is seen in the observations for the 1965–1980 period.     

涡动在南北半球平流层极涡崩溃过程中作用的比较

比较了南北半球春季平流层极涡的崩溃过程以及涡动在此崩溃过程中的作用。极涡的崩溃时间以平流层极夜急流核区最后一次西风转换为东风的时间来确定。结果表明南北半球平流层极涡的崩溃过程有着共同的特点,涡动和非绝热加热过程都对极涡的崩溃起着重要的作用,在极涡崩溃前平流层行星尺度波动活动明显,极涡崩溃以后,这种波动活动便迅速减弱。其中从对流层上传的行星波决定着极涡的具体崩溃时间。两个半球的差别主要表现在南半球极涡崩溃过程一般始于平流层高层,然后逐渐下传,而北半球这种下传不是很明显。其次,北半球平流层极涡崩溃偏晚年,极涡的减弱有两次过程,第一次为快速变化过程,第二次变化比较缓慢,而南半球平流层极涡崩溃无论早晚年只有一次减弱过程。长期的变化趋势分析表明南北半球平流层极涡的崩溃时间逐渐推迟,特别是20世纪90年代中后期以来,这种推迟更加明显。进一步的研究还发现,伴随着平流层极涡的崩溃过程平流层和对流层存在强烈的动力耦合,南北半球极涡迅速减弱前,各自半球的环状模指数也由负指数增加为正指数,表明低层环流对于平流层极涡的崩溃起到重要的作用;同时极涡不同强度所对应的低层环状模指数也不同,这可能与不同强度平流层极涡对于上传的行星波的反射有关。     

High-resolution simulation and analysis of the mature structure of a polar low over the sea of Japan on 21 January 1997

This paper presents a high-resolution simulation of a remarkable polar low observed over the Sea of Japan on 21 January 1997 by using a 5-km mesh non-hydrostatic model MRI-NHM (Meteorological Research Institute Non-Hydrostatic Model). A 24-hour simulation starting from 0000 UTC 21 January 1997 successfully reproduced the observed features of the polar low such as the wrapping of western part of an initial E W orientation vortex, the spiral-shaped bands, the cloud-free “eye“, and the warm core structure at its mature stage. The “eye“ of the simulated polar low was relatively dry, and was associated with a strong downdraft. A thermodynamic budget analysis indicates that the “warm core“ in the “eye“ region was mainly caused by the adiabatic warming associated with the downdraft. The relationship among the condensational diabatic heating, the vertical velocity, the convergence of the moisture flux, and the circulation averaged within a 50 km~50 km square area around the polar low center shows that they form a positive feedback loop, and this loop is not inconsistent with the CISK (Conditional Instability of the Second Kind) mechanism during the developing stage of the polar low.     

MIPAS-Transall Observations of the Variability of CLONO2 during the Arctic Winter of 1994/95

In the winter of 1994/95 the German Transall research aircraft performed 5 campaigns in the European Arctic with 22 flights altogether. An extensive dataset of HNO3, ClONO2 and O3 column amounts was obtained by MIPAS-FT (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding - Flugzeug Transall) onboard the aircraft. In this paper we present the variability of the ClONO2 reservoir gas in the course of the winter. We include groundbased FTIR measurements of HF, HCl and ClONO2 to discuss the airborne observations with regard to the partitioning of inorganic chlorine.From mid-December until the end of January, MIPAS measured a stable ClONO2 collar with constantly low column amounts inside the polar vortex and maxima at the edge. This observation reflected widespread conversion of ClONO2 to reactive chlorine inside the vortex for at least six weeks. In good accordance, the ground stations measured low in-vortex HCl and ClONO2 column amounts and conversion of HCl into ClONO2 in the region of the ClONO2 maxima. In the first week of February the ClONO2 amounts started to increase in the edge region as well as inside the vortex. Between March 21 and 27, just one week after the last cold period, MIPAS observed exclusively high ClONO2 column amounts inside the vortex, indicating fast deactivation of active chlorine. In the same period the ground stations measured an excess of ClONO2 over HCl. Further, the high ClONO2 implies that the polar vortex was renoxified in March. Lower ClONO2 values, observed inside the vortex on the flights of April 5 and 8, and an increased HCl/ClONO2 ratio, measured from ground, marked the starting redistribution within the chlorine reservoir species to the photochemically more stable HCl.In February, March and April, MIPAS observed mixing of ClONO2-rich air masses with midlatitude air at the vortex edge. A very clear event happened on March 27. On this flight a distinct ClONO2 minimum was measured at the vortex edge, which was closely correlated with a filament of midlatitude air observed by OLEX (Ozone Lidar EXperiment) onboard the Transall.     

Polar night vortex breakdown and large-scale stirring in the southern stratosphere

The present paper examines the vortex breakdown and large-scale stirring during the final warming of the Southern Hemisphere stratosphere during the spring of 2005. A unique set of in situ observations collected by 27 superpressure balloons (SPBs) is used. The balloons, which were launched from McMurdo, Antarctica, by the Stratéole/VORCORE project, drifted for several weeks on two different isopycnic levels in the lower stratosphere. We describe balloon trajectories and compare them with simulations obtained on the basis of the velocity field from the GEOS-5 and NCEP/NCAR reanalyses performed with and without VORCORE data. To gain insight on the mechanisms responsible for the horizontal transport of air inside and outside the well-isolated vortex we examine the balloon trajectories in the framework of the Lagrangian properties of the stratospheric flow. Coherent structures of the flow are visualized by computing finite-time Lyapunov exponents (FTLE). A combination of isentropic analysis and FTLE distributions reveals that air is stripped away from the vortex’s interior as stable manifolds eventually cross the vortex’s edge. It is shown that two SPBs escaped from the vortex within high potential vorticity tongues that developed in association with wave breaking at locations along the vortex’s edge where forward and backward FTLE maxima approximately intersect. The trajectories of three SPBs flying as a group at the same isopycnic level are examined and their behavior is interpreted in reference to the FTLE field. These results support the concept of stable and unstable manifolds governing transport of air masses across the periphery of the stratospheric polar vortex.     

Partitioning Between Chlorine Reservoir Species Deduced from Observations in the Arctic Winter Stratosphere

Simultaneous observations of several chlorine source gases, as well asHCl and ClO, have been performed in the Arctic stratosphere on 1 and 9February 1994, using balloon-borne instrumentation as a contribution toSESAME (Second European Stratospheric Arctic and Mid latitude Experiment).The observed mixing ratios of HCl and N₂O show a clearanticorrelation. No severe loss of HCl was observed inside the vortex duringour measurement. These measurements showed that during this period at 20 kmand above, HCl was either in excess, or at least as abundant, asClONO₂ and comprised between 50 and 70% of theavailable chlorine, Cl_y. On 1 February, measurements were madeinside the polar vortex. The air mass sampled on this day showed a clearsignature of diabatic descent, and also enhanced levels of ClO with amaximum of 230 pptv at 22.5 km. A 10 day backward trajectory analysis showedthat these air masses had passed a large region of low temperatures a fewhours prior to the measurement. Temperatures along the back trajectory atthe 475 K and 550 K levels (20.1 and 23.7 km respectively) were cold enoughfor heterogeneous chlorine activation to occur, in agreement with theobserved elevated ClO mixing ratios.     

Ozone variations in the Northern polar region

Summary All total ozone observations ever made in the Northern polar region, including some from the 1930's, have been corrected and the basic climatology presented. The long-term ozone changes were considered in relation to the stratospheric temperatures. For each deviation from the monthly normal of the 100 hPa temperature by 1°C, there was found to be a corresponding 5–6 m atm-cm change in the monthly ozone deviation. A distinction between the ozone regimes over the Scandinavian, Canadian and East Siberian sectors of the polar region was noted. The strong appearance of the QBO (Quasi Biennial Oscillation) in the interannual ozone fluctuations was obvious. It is demonstrated that for the past three decades the total ozone experienced a few periods with positive and a few periods with negative deviations. In view of this, trends in ozone must obviously be based on greater than 10 years of data. During 1964–86, the weighted trend over the polar stations was (–0.9±0.4)% per decade. There have been, however, three periods (1958–64, 1968–76 and 1979–86), coinciding with the declining phase of the 11 year sunspot cycle, during which the ozone at all polar stations has been declining by about 0.5% per year (or less if the QBO component is filtered out). Some of the differences with Antarctic ozone are mentioned and the dominant role of the stratospheric circulation for the ozone variations is discussed. In general the Arctic ozone observations show no evidence of a major ozone decline similar to that over Antarctica.With 9 Figures     

Interaction of atmospheric chemistry and climate and its impact on stratospheric ozone

The interactively coupled chemistry-climate model ECHAM4.L39(DLR)/CHEM is employed in sensitivity calculations to investigate feedback mechanisms of dynamic, chemical, and radiative processes. Two multi-year model simulations are carried out, which represent recent atmospheric conditions. It is shown that the model is able to reproduce observed features and trends with respect to dynamics and chemistry of the troposphere and lower stratosphere. In polar regions it is demonstrated that an increased persistence of the winter vortices is mainly due to enhanced greenhouse gas mixing ratios and to reduced ozone concentration in the lower stratosphere. An additional sensitivity simulation is investigated, concerning a possible future development of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and climate. The model results in the Southern Hemisphere indicate that the adopted further increase of greenhouse gas mixing ratios leads to an intensified radiative cooling in the lower stratosphere. Therefore, Antarctic ozone depletion slightly increases due to a larger PSC activity, although stratospheric chlorine is reduced. Interestingly, the behavior in the Northern Hemisphere is different. During winter, an enhanced activity of planetary waves yields a more disturbed stratospheric vortex. This "dynamical heating" compensates the additional radiative cooling due to enhanced greenhouse gas concentrations in the polar region. In connection with reduced stratospheric chlorine loading, the ozone layer clearly recovers.     

东北夏季气温变化与北半球温度及极涡的关系

利用1961-2002年中国东北地区80个气象站夏季6-8月逐日气温、美国NCAR/NCEP再分析资料和国家气候中心环流因子资料,采用相关分析、SVD分解等方法,对中国东北夏季气温变化与中高纬主要环流系统的关系进行探讨.结果发现:中国东北位于东西伯利亚变温区南缘,其夏季气温年际变化规律和东西伯利亚一致;北极极涡边缘的形态变化影响东北夏季气温,不同的边缘形态对应东北不同的温度分布特征,主要是极涡边缘70 °N左右的150～180 °E和60～90 °W两个关键区,其高度场的变化决定着东北夏季气温的变化.