Measurement of gaseous HNO3 over the Atlantic Ocean

A latitudinal profile (30° W, from 30° N to 30° S) of mixing ratios of nitric acid and particulate nitrate was determined on the Atlantic Ocean during the Polarstern cruise ANT VII/1 from Bremerhaven, Germany, to Rio Grande, Brazil. The detection of HNO₃ was performed simultaneously by laser-photolysis fragment-fluorescence (LPFF) and by nylon filter packs. The detection limit was about 30 pptv for a signal accumulation time of 1 h for LPFF and about 5 pptv for the filters at a collection time of 4 h. In general, the mixing ratios of HNO₃ in the Northern Hemisphere were found to be significantly higher than those in the Southern Hemisphere. The Atlantic background concentrations frequently varied between 80 pptv and the detection limit. Larger deviations from this trend were found for the more northern latitudes and for episodes like crossings of exhaust plumes from ships or from continental pollutions sources.     

Surface NO and NO2 mixing ratios measured between 30° N and 30° S in the Atlantic region

Surface NO and NO₂ mixing ratios were measured aboard the research vessel Polarstern during the mission ANT VII/1 from 24 September to 5 October 1988. The measurements were taken along the meridian at 30° W in the Atlantic region covering latitudes between 30° N and 30° S. The average mixing ratios were about 12 pptv NO/30 pptv NO₂ in the Northern Hemisphere and about 7 pptv NO/22 pptv NO₂ in the Southern. Elevated mixing ratios of 20 pptv NO/70 pptv NO₂ were found at 12° N (probably due to air masses originating from the surface of West Africa) and in the region of the ITCZ between 8° N and 5° N. Because of probable contamination by the ship, the measured mixing ratios mostly represent upper limits.     

Hydrogen peroxide measurements in the marine atmosphere

Hydrogen peroxide, one of the key compounds in multiphase atmospheric chemistry, was measured on an Atlantic cruise (ANT VII/1) of the German research vessel Polarstern from 15 September to 9 October 1988, in rain and ambient air by a chemiluminescence technique. For gas phase H₂O₂ cryogenic sampling was employed. The presented results show an increase of gas-phase mixing ratios of about 45 pptv per degree latitude between 50° N and 0°, and a maximum of 3.5 ppbv around the equator. Generally higher mixing ratios were observed in the Southern Hemisphere, with a clear diurnal variation. The H₂O₂ mixing ratio is correlated to the UV radiation intensity and to the temperature difference between air and ocean surface water.     

The distribution of light nonmethane hydrocarbons over the mid-Atlantic: Results of the Polarstern cruise ANT VII/1

During the cruise ANT VII/1 (September/October 1988) of the German research vessel Polarstern the latitudinal distributions of several nonmethane hydrocarbons were measured over the Atlantic between 45°N and 30°S by in-situ gas chromatography.On the average, the highest mixing ratios of ethane, propane, i- and n-butane, ethene and acetylene were observed in the Northern Hemisphere around 40° N and just north of the intertropical convergence zone, respectively. South of the equator, a bulge in the mixing ratios of ethane and acetylene was observed indicating aged biomass burning emissions. This observation coincided with enhanced tropospheric ozone found in this region at this season. On the average ethane and acetylene mixing ratios were around 500 and 100 ppt, respectively, whereas the levels of the other NMHC were in the range of some ppt up to 100 ppt.compared with the results of the cruise ANT V/5 (March/April, 1987), the ethane mixing ratios in September/October proved to be a factor of 3 lower in the Northern Hemisphere and a factor of 2 higher in the Southern Hemisphere, probably due to seasonal effects. Possible causes are the higher OH radical concentrations in summer, which result in a faster removal of ethane or stronger emission from biomass burning which also peaks in the dry season.The relative pattern of the hydrocarbons just north of the ITCZ was very similar for both measurement series. In this region, the NMHC were advected by long-range transport from the continent, whereas generally the ocean itself acts as a major NMHC source. This is supported by the results of a balance calculation between oceanic emissions and atmospheric removal rates.     

Atmospheric measurements during Polarstern cruise ANT VII/1, 54° N to 32° S: An overview

A comprehensive set of trace gas concentrations and meteorological parameters were measured simultaneously during a cruise of the research vessel Polarstern from Bremerhaven (54° N, 8° E) to Rio Grande (32° S, 52° W) during the period from 15 September to 9 October 1988. This paper describes the general features of the cruise and summarizes the measurements made, the techniques employed, and the placement of the instruments on board the ship. The synoptic data base is used to characterize the nature and possible origins of the air masses encountered during the cruise and to draw some general conclusions from the measurements.     

Measurements of peroxyacetylnitrate in the marine boundary layer over the Atlantic

The atmospheric concentration of peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN) was measured during a cruise of the R.S. Polarstern from Bremerhaven (Germany) to Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) in September/ October 1988. The measurements were made in-situ by a combination of electron capture gaschromatography with a cryogenic preconcentration step. The theoretical lower limit of detection (3) was 0.4 ppt. The mixing ratios of PAN varied by more than three orders of magnitude from 2000 ppt in the English Channel to less than 0.4 ppt south of the Azores (38° N). South of 35° N, PAN levels were below the detection limit, except at 30–31° S off the eastern coast of South America. Here, PAN mixing ratios of 10 to 100 ppt were detected in continentally influenced air masses. Detectable levels of PAN were mostly observed in air masses of continental or high northern origin. Changes in the wind directions were usually associated with substantial changes in the PAN mixing ratios.     

Origins of atmospheric particulate matter over the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean

During the ANT VII/1 cruise of the RV Polarstern from Bremerhaven (Germany) to Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), atmospheric particulate matter was collected by bulk filtration with a time step of 36 hours. Elemental analyses were performed in order to determine atmospheric aerosol concentrations of Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, and Zn over the North Sea, the Channel, and the North and South Atlantic. The slight and continuous moving in latitude, associated with the large variability in concentration levels and chemical composition, allow us to point out the relative influence of the major sources of particulate matter: desert soil-dust in the tropical North Atlantic, anthropogenic emissions in the North Sea and the Channel, and biomass burning and continental biogenic activity in the tropical South Atlantic.     

Latitudinal variation of measured NO2 photolysis frequencies over the Atlantic Ocean between 50° N and 30° S

Using a filter radiometer, the meridional profile of the NO₂ photolysis frequency, J(NO₂), was measured between 50° N and 30° S during the cruise ANTVII/1 September/October 1988 of the research vessel Polarstern on the Atlantic Ocean. Simultaneously, global broadband irradiance and acrosol were monitored. Clean marine background air with low aerosol loads (b _sp=(1–2)×10^-5 m^-1) was encountered at the latitudes 25° N–30° N and 18° S–27° S, respectively. Under these conditions and an almost cloudless sky J(NO₂) reached 7.3×10^-3 s^-1 (2 sr) for a zenith angle of 30°. Between 30° N and 30° S, the latitudinal variation of the J(NO₂) noontime maxima was less than ± 10%, while the mean value at noon was 7.8×10^-3 s^-1. For the set of all data between 50° N and 30° S, a nearly linear correlation of J(NO₂) vs. global broadland irradiance was found. The slope of (8.24±0.03)×10^-5 s^-1/mW cm^-2 agrees within 10% with observations in Jülich (51° N, 6.2° E).     

An upper limit on the HCl near-surface mixing ratio over the Atlantic measured using TDLAS

A study of the gas phase mixing ratio of hydrochloric acid was made during the 1988 Polarstern expedition using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). The measurements were made 22 m above sea level at 28° N, 30° W. The signal-to-noise ratio was unity for <50 pptv HCl, but because of wall effects in the sampling system, only an upper limit for the HCl mixing ratio of <250 pptv can be stated.     

Aerosol modulation of atmospheric and surface solar heating over the tropical Indian Ocean

The major finding of this study is that aerosols over the tropical Indian Ocean enhance clear sky atmospheric solar heating significantly and decrease the surface solar heating by even a larger amount. The results presented here are based on aerosol chemical, microphysical, and optical and radiometric data collected at the island of Kaashidhoo (4.97°N, 73.47°E) during February and March of 1998, as part of the first field phase of the Indian Ocean experiment (INDOEX). The aerosol optical properties were integrated with a multiple scattering Monte Carlo radiative transfer model which was validated at the surface with broadband flux measurements and at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) with the clouds and earth's radiant energy system (CERES) radiation budget measurements. We consider both externally and internally mixed aerosol models with very little difference between the two models in the estimated forcing. For the February–March period, the aerosols increase the monthly mean clear sky atmospheric solar heating by about 12 W/m²(about 15% of the total atmospheric solar heating) and decrease the sea surface clear sky solar heating by about 16 W/m² with a daily range from 5 to 23 W/m². The net aerosol forcing at the top of the atmosphere is about −4 W/m² with a daily range from −2 to −6 W/m². Although the soot contributes only about 10% to the aerosol optical thickness, it contributes more than 50% to the aerosol induced atmospheric solar heating. The fundamental conclusion of this study is that anthropogenic aerosols over the tropical Indian Ocean are altering the clear sky radiation budget of the atmosphere and surface in a major manner.     

Light hydrocarbons in the surface water of the mid-Atlantic

During a cruise of RV Polarstern over the Atlantic in September/October 1988, C₂–C₄ hydrocarbons were measured in surface sea water. The ship passed through three different ocean regions divided by divergences at 8° N and 3° S. Hydrocarbon concentrations differed considerably in these regions. The highest values were obtained for ethene with mean concentrations of 246 pMol/l between 35° N and 8° N, 165 pMol/l between 8° N and 3° S, and 63 pMol/l between 3° S and 30° S. Low values were found for i- and n-butane and acetylene between 32 pMol/l and 1 pMol/l. The alkene concentrations were in general higher than the concentrations of their saturated homologs. Concentrations decreased with increasing carbon numbers. The various alkenes were well correlated with one another as were the various alkanes. Oceanic emission rates of the light hydrocarbons were calculated from their sea water concentrations using an ocean atmosphere exchange model. The averaged fluxes ranged from about 10⁸ molec cm^-2 s^-1 for the alkenes and ethane to less than 10⁷ molec cm^-2 s^-1 for the C₄ alkanes. Acetylene emissions were below 3×10⁶ molec cm^-2 s^-1. Based upon these rates budget estimates of NMHC in the ocean surface layer were made with a simple model considering production and destruction processes in the water. The emissions to the atmosphere appear to be the dominant loss process between 35° N and 8° N, whereas destruction in the water seems to be dominant in the latitude ranges 8° N-3° S and 3° S-30° S.     

Parameterisation of surface radiation flux at an Antarctic site

During the Antarctic summer 1994/95 the values of downward and upward flux densities of both solar and terrestrial radiation were recorded at 1200 m for a period of 1 month on the Reeves Nevè Glacier (lat 74°39′S, long 161°35′E), near the Italian base of Terra Nova Bay. The relations proposed by Swinbank [Swinbank, W.C., 1963. Long-wave radiation from clear skies. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc. 89, 339–348], Idso and Jackson [Idso, S.B., Jackson, R.D., 1969. Thermal radiation from the atmosphere. J. Geophys. Res. 74, 5397–5403] and Deacon [Deacon, E.L., 1970. The derivation of Swinbank's long-wave radiation formula. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc. 96, 313–319] associating the long-wave atmospheric radiation flux only to the air temperature at screen level were tested in extreme Antarctic climatological condition. A relation between the long-wave radiation flux and both screen air temperature and cloud cover fraction in accordance to the height of the cloud base was defined using the Kasten and Czeplak relationship that relates the solar radiation flux and the cloud cover index. The study of the incoming short-wave radiation flux from the clear sky and that reflected by the surrounding snow cover allowed for highlighting the role of surface geometry on the albedo measurements.     

Temporal and spatial variability of SSTs in the tropical Atlantic and Indian Oceans

Summary The objective of this study is to describe spatial and temporal patterns of sea-surface temperature (SST) variability in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The analysis domain extends from 40°S to 25°N and 50°W to 80°E, hence the tropical and most of the South Atlantic and central and western Indian Oceans. The investigation, covering the years 1948 to 1979, utilizes the COADS marine data set. Empirical orthogonal functions and spectral analysis are used to analyze SST fields.A major finding of this investigation is that SSTs vary coherently throughout most of the analysis domain. The greatest coherence is evident from 10°N to 30°S in the Atlantic and from 20°N to 35°S in the western Indian Ocean. Spectral analysis of regional time series shows that throughout this region the time scale of 5–6 years is the dominant one in the fluctuations; this is also the case for the Southern Oscillation and for equatorial rainfall. SST variations are roughly in-phase within each ocean and the two oceans are roughly in-phase with each other, i.e., the lags which exist are much smaller than the dominant time scale of the fluctuations. The SST anomalies appear to propagate eastward from NE Brazil; the eastern Atlantic lags the western by two to six months and the Indian Ocean lags the western Atlantic by four to eight months.With 15 Figures     

The relation of meridional pressure gradients to North Atlantic deep water volume transport in an ocean general circulation model

We use a coarse resolution ocean general circulation model to study the relation between meridional pressure and density gradients in the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic and the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. In several experiments, we artificially modify the meridional density gradients by applying different magnitudes of the Gent–McWilliams isopycnal eddy diffusion coefficients in the Southern Ocean and in the North Atlantic and investigate the response of the simulated Atlantic meridional overturning to such changes. The simulations are carried out close to the limit of no diapycnal mixing, with a very small explicit vertical diffusivity and a tracer advection scheme with very low implicit diffusivities. Our results reveal that changes in eddy diffusivities in the North Atlantic affect the maximum of the Atlantic meridional overturning, but not the outflow of North Atlantic Deep Water into the Southern Ocean. In contrast, changes in eddy diffusivities in the Southern Ocean affect both the South Atlantic outflow of North Atlantic Deep Water and the maximum of the Atlantic meridional overturning. Results from these experiments are used to investigate the relation between meridional pressure gradients and the components of the Atlantic meridional overturning. Pressure gradients and overturning are found to be linearly related. We show that, in our simulations, zonally averaged deep pressure gradients are very weak between 20°S and about 30°N and that between 30°N and 60°N the zonally averaged pressure grows approximately linearly with latitude. This pressure difference balances a westward geostrophic flow at 30–40°N that feeds the southbound deep Atlantic western boundary current. We extend our analysis to a large variety of experiments in which surface freshwater forcing, vertical mixing and winds are modified. In all experiments, the pycnocline depth, assumed to be the relevant vertical scale for the northward volume transport in the Atlantic, is found to be approximately constant, at least within the coarse vertical resolution of the model. The model behaviour hence cannot directly be related to conceptual models in which changes in the pycnocline depth determine the strength of Atlantic meridional flow, and seems conceptually closer to Stommel’s box model. In all our simulations, the Atlantic overturning seems to be mainly driven by Southern Ocean westerlies. However, the actual strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning is not determined solely by the Southern Ocean wind stress but as well by the density/pressure gradients created between the deep water formation regions in the North Atlantic and the inflow/outflow region in the South Atlantic.     

The global heat balance: heat transports in the atmosphere and ocean

The heat budget has been computed locally over the entire globe for each month of 1988 using compatible top-of-the-atmosphere radiation from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment combined with European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts atmospheric data. The effective heat sources and sinks (diabatic heating) and effective moisture sources and sinks for the atmosphere are computed and combined to produce overall estimates of the atmospheric energy divergence and the net flux through the Earth's surface. On an annual mean basis, this is directly related to the divergence of the ocean heat transport, and new computations of the ocean heat transport are made for the ocean basins. Results are presented for January and July, and the annual mean for 1988, along with a comprehensive discussion of errors. While the current results are believed to be the best available at present, there are substantial shortcomings remaining in the estimates of the atmospheric heat and moisture budgets. The issues, which are also present in all previous studies, arise from the diurnal cycle, problems with atmospheric divergence, vertical resolution, spurious mass imbalances, initialized versus uninitialized atmospheric analyses, and postprocessing to produce the atmospheric archive on pressure surfaces. Over land, additional problems arise from the complex surface topography, so that computed surface fluxes are more reliable over the oceans. The use of zonal means to compute ocean transports is shown to produce misleading results because a considerable part of the implied ocean transports is through the land. The need to compute the heat budget locally is demonstrated and results indicate lower ocean transports than in previous residual calculations which are therefore more compatible with direct ocean estimates. A Poisson equation is solved with appropriate boundary conditions of zero normal heat flux through the continental boundaries to obtain the ocean heat transport. Because of the poor observational data base, adjustments to the surface fluxes are necessary over the southern oceans. Error bars are estimated based on the large-scale spurious residuals over land of 30 W m^–2 over 1000 km scales (10¹² m²). In the Atlantic Ocean, a northward transport emerges at all latitudes with peak values of 1.1±0.2 PW (1 standard error) at 20 to 30°N. Comparable values are achieved in the Pacific at 20°N, so that the total is 2.1±0.3 PW. The peak southward transport is at 15 to 20°S of 1.9±0.3 PW made up of strong components from both the Pacific and Indian Oceans and with a heat flux from the Pacific into the Indian Ocean in the Indonesian throughflow. The pattern of poleward heat fluxes is suggestive of a strong role for Ekman transports in the tropical regions.     

太阳紫外辐射在大气中衰减的探讨

在对北京紫外辐射观测资料分析的基础上,提出了参与光化学反应的物质对太阳紫外辐射能量的吸收作用.计算表明北京地区1990年云天比晴天紫外辐射减少约为21W m-2,此值与CeSS等人的观测结果比较接近.这表明了大气中参与光化学反应的物质对光化辐射能量的吸收基本上等于云对太阳短波辐射的"异常吸收"之值.所以,在辐射传输模式、大气化学模式、气候模式中,应该考虑参与光化学反应的物质对光化辐射能量的吸收作用.     

Tropospheric ozone and oxides of nitrogen over the north-western Pacific in summer

In summer, atmospheric ozone was measured from an aircraft platform simultaneously with nitric oxide (NO), oxides of nitrogen (NO _y ), and water vapor over the Pacific Ocean in east Asia from 34° N to 19° N along the longitude of 138±3°E. NO _y was measured with the aid of a ferrous sulfate converter. The altitude covered was from 0.5 to 5 km. A good correlation in the smoothed meridional distributions between ozone and NO _y was seen. In particular, north of 25° N, ozone and NO _y mixing ratios were considerably higher than those observed in tropical marine air south of 25° N. NO _y and O₃ reached a minimum of 50 pptv and 4 ppbv respectively in the boundary layer at a latitude of 20° N. The NO concentration between 2 and 5 km at the same latitude was 30 pptv. The profiles of ozone and water vapor mixing ratios were highly anti-correlated between 25° N and 20° N. In contrast, it was much poorer at the latitude of 33° N, suggesting a net photochemical production of ozone there.     

Relation between the concentrations of DMS in surface seawater and air in the temperate North Pacific region

The concentrations of DMS were simultaneously measured in both water and air at the sea surface on board a vessel during a trans-Pacific cruise around 40° N in August 1988. Those in the surface seawater varied widely with a mean of 162 ng S/1 and a standard deviation of 134 ng S/1 (n=37), but the variation was not a mere fluctuation and the high concentration (376 ng S/1) was found in the area between 145° W and 170° W. The atmospheric DMS concentration varied more widely with a mean value of 177 ng S/m³ and a standard deviation of 203 ng S/m³ (n=23). The diurnal variation of DMS was not significant in the air near the sea surface. However, the concentrations in the surface water was fairly well correlated with those in the surface air. The correlation coefficient (r ²=0.86) was larger than that between the atmospheric concentration and outflux of DMS (r ²=0.64). These findings mean that the turnover time of DMS in the atmosphere is not extremely short. Based on the linear relation between the atmospheric and seawater DMS, the turnover time of the atmospheric DMS has been calculated to be 0.9 days with an uncertainty of around 50%. The oxidation rate agrees fairly well with that expected from the OH radical concentration in the marine atmosphere.     

1—3月北极涛动对北半球热带太平洋和大西洋对流活动的可能影响

利用1979—2008年日分辨率的向外长波辐射资料以及NCEP再分析资料,去除ENSO影响后,分析了1—3月北极涛动对热带太平洋和热带大西洋对流活动及降水的可能影响。结果表明北极涛动偏强(弱)时,热带太平洋和大西洋对流活动显著偏强(弱)。北半球热带大洋冬季平均向外长波辐射与北极涛动指数的相关系数存在两个显著负相关区:一个位于中太平洋区,大致包括13°—20°N、160°E—170°W;另外一个位于热带大西洋,显著区覆盖的范围大体包括5°—20°N、15°—70°W。这些区域的降水量也表现出显著的正相关。向外长波辐射、强对流面积指数、强对流强度指数、平均降水量等指标与北极涛动指数的相关均以冬季同期最高,随时间滞后相关迅速减弱。与此对应的对流层低层大气环流也有显著变化,850hPa风场的变化表现为热带太平洋有异常的气旋性环流,气旋中心区与显著强对流和降水异常区一致。而热带大西洋有显著的经向环流辐合和风切变,与异常对流和降水区吻合。海洋模式的模拟结果表明,与北极涛动有关联的海温分布,很大程度上与大气强迫有关,说明热带1—3月降水和对流活动与海温的关联较弱。北极涛动与热带太平洋、大西洋对流和降水活动之间主要是通过大气环流的变动产生联系的。     

Summer circulation patterns related to the upper tropospheric vortices over the Tropical South Atlantic

Summary Daily 200-hPa relative vorticity data have been used to study the dominant patterns related to the cyclonic vortices over the South Atlantic Ocean in the vicinities of northeast Brazil, during the 1980–1989 period. Reference modes were obtained through empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of the 200-hPa filtered vorticity anomalies over northeast Brazil, considering all the southern hemisphere (SH) summers within the study period. The amplitude time series of the first reference mode, separately for each SH summer, was correlated with the corresponding filtered vorticity anomalies in a larger area extending from 20°N to 40°S and between 120°W and 20°W. The correlation patterns feature a wave-like structure along eastern South America, with three main centers: the first one, over the South Atlantic off the northeast Brazil coast, is associated with the cyclonic vortices; the second one, over eastern Brazil, represents the corresponding anomalously amplified ridges; and the third one, over southern Brazil/Uruguay, is related to the equatorward incursions of midlatitude upper level troughs. This wave-like pattern is consistent with the vortex formation mechanism suggested in previous works. Another wave-like pattern southwest-northeast oriented is evident over the tropical southeastern Pacific, for some years. The internannual variability of these patterns is discussed in this paper.With 9 Figures