NO<Subscript>2</Subscript> content variations near St. Petersburg as inferred from ground-based and satellite measurements of scattered solar radiation

An automatic spectral complex developed at the Institute of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, is described. This complex is used for regular ground-based spectroscopic measurements of the total NO₂ content in the vertical column of the atmosphere during the twilight and daylight hours of the day near St. Petersburg (Petrodvorets). In 2004–2006, a number of ground-based twilight measurements of the total NO₂ content were obtained near St. Petersburg, and variations in the NO₂ content in the troposphere were estimated from the results of daytime ground-based measurements. An example of the spatial annual mean distribution of the NO₂ content (central and northern Europe, northwestern Russia) based on the data of satellite measurements over the period 2003–2005 is presented. This example demonstrates the main sources of anthropogenic pollution. An increase in the mean annual contents of tropospheric NO₂ near Moscow and St. Petersburg is preliminarily estimated for the entire period of satellite observations with the GOME instrument at about 30–40% over ten years.     

Catastrophic heat of 2010 in Moscow from data of ground-based meteorological measurements

The results of meteorological ground-based observations in Moscow (mainly at Moscow State University (MSU)) in summer 2010 are discussed. It is shown that the anomalous heat of 2010 has no analogs in the history of meteorological observations in the Russian capital in either the record-breaking values themselves or in their duration. Both the secular records of the monthly mean air temperatures in July and August over the past 230 years and the absolute temperature maximum over the past 130 years were exceeded. For the first time in the history of regular meteorological measurements, the maximal air temperature in Moscow exceeded +38°C, the diurnal mean temperature exceeded +30°C, the monthly mean temperature exceeded +26°C, the soil surface temperature exceeded +60°C, and the deficit of water vapor saturation exceeded 50 hPa. On the whole, the tropical air, which dominated in Moscow, was to a larger degree anomalously hot than anomalously dry. The least relative humidity during the catastrophic heat (16%) only approached the historical minimum (15%). For the first time in the history of measurements for July, the amount of precipitation in July 2010 was only 7.4 mm. In total, these conditions were responsible for the appearance of mass ignition centers in the Moscow region and, as a consequence, of dense smog. The record-breaking ground temperatures over the past 45 years associated with the catastrophic heat were observed at a depth of 320 cm up to the end of 2010.     

The comparison of IR and MW ground-based measurements of total precipitable water

Water vapor is one of the basic climate gases playing a key role in various processes at different altitudes of the Earth’s atmosphere. An intercomparison and validation of different total precipitable water (TPW) measurement methods are important for determining the true accuracy of these methods, the shared use of data from multiple sources, the creation of data archives of different measurements, etc. In this paper, the TPW values obtained from measurements of solar IR spectral radiation (~8–9 μm absorption band) and thermal MW radiation of the atmosphere (1.35 cm absorption line) for 138 days of observation are compared. Measurements have been carried out from March 2013 to June 2014 at Peterhof station of the St. Petersburg State University in (59.88° N, 29.82° E). It is shown that MW measurements usually give higher TPW values than IR measurements. The bias between the two methods varies from 1 to 8% for small and large TPW values, respectively. With increasing TPW values, the bias reduces and for TPW > 1 cm it is ~1%. Standard deviation (SD) between the two methods reaches 7% for TPW < 0.4 cm and 3–5% for TPW > 1 cm. These data show the high quality of both remote sensing methods. Moreover, the IR measurements have a higher accuracy than MW measurements for small TPW values.     

Determination of the total ozone content from data of satellite IR Fourier-spectrometer

Examples of retrieval of the total ozone content (TOC) from the spectra of outgoing thermal radiation measured by the IRFS-2 device on the Meteor-M no. 2 meteorological satellite are presented. The technique, developed by the authors and based on an artificial neural network (ANN) approach with the use of TOC measurements by the satellite OMI device, is applied. A comparison of the results with the data of independent TOC measurements has shown their agreement within 2–5% for global ensemble and within 3–6% for separate latitudes and seasons. The errors estimated for IRFS-2 TOC measurements are close to the errors in measurements by a similar IASI device from the MetOp (EUMETSAT) satellite.     

Seasonal features of quasi-biennial variations of NO<Subscript>2</Subscript> stratospheric content derived from ground-based measurements

Seasonal and latitudinal distributions of amplitudes of quasi-biennial variations in total NO₂ content (NO₂ TC), total ozone content (TOC), and stratospheric temperature are obtained. NO₂ TC data from ground-based spectrometric measurements within the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC), TOC data from satellite measurements, and stratospheric temperature data from ERA-Interim reanalysis are used for the analysis. The differences in the NO₂ TC diurnal cycles are identified between the westerly and easterly phases of the quasi-biennial oscillations (QBO) of equatorial stratospheric wind. The QBO effects in the NO₂ TC, TOC, and stratospheric temperature in the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) hemispheres are most significant in the winter–spring periods, with essential differences between the NH and SH. The NO₂ TC in the Antarctic is less for the westerly phase of the QBO than that for the easterly phase, and the NO₂ TC quasi-biennial variations in the SH mid-latitudes are opposite of the variations in the Antarctic. In the NH, the winter values of the NO₂ TC are generally less during the westerly QBO phase than during the easterly phase, whereas in spring, on the contrary, the values for the westerly QBO phase exceed those for the easterly phase. Along with NO₂, the features of the quasi-biennial variations of TOC and stratospheric temperature are discussed. Possible mechanisms of the quasi-biennial variations of the analyzed parameters are considered for the different latitudinal zones.     

Comparison of the satellite and ground-based measurements of the hydrogen fluoride content in the atmosphere

Satellite and ground-based measurements of the hydrogen fluoride (HF) total content (TC) are analyzed and compared. The HF profiles measured with an FTS device on the ACE satellite are used to calculate the TC and compare it with the ground-based measurements near St. Petersburg in 2009–2011. A comparison indicated that the seasonal variations in HF TC based on two independent measurements are in good qualitative agreement. Rare (nine) cases of direct comparison between two measurement types coordinated with respect to time (during the day) and site (no farther than 500 km) gave the following characteristics: the average difference is 8% and satellite data predominate over ground data; the standard deviation of a difference is 7%. In two cases of close measurement pairs (closer than 200 km), a comparison gave differences of 1 and 7%. The statistical characteristics of differences between two measurement types are in good agreement with the independent comparison of the ACE-FTS HF TC measurements with the NDACC network data.     

Total content of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere over Russian regions according to satellite data

Carbon monoxide (CO) total columns over European Russia (ER) and western Siberia (WS) have been analyzed using MOPITT (V5, TIR/NIR, L3) IR-radiometer data obtained in 2000–2014. High CO contents are revealed over large urban and industrial agglomerations and over regions of oil-and-gas production. A stable local CO maximum is observed over the Moscow agglomeration. Statistical characteristics of CO total columns observed in the atmosphere over ER and WS in 2000–2014 are presented. An analysis of long-term changes in CO content reveals nonlinear changes in the CO total column over northern Eurasia in 2000–2014. Results of a comparative analysis of annual variations in atmospheric CO contents over ER and WS are given. Based on Fourier analysis, empirical models of annual variations in total CO contents over ER and WS are proposed. Relations between regional CO contents and fire characteristics and between spatial CO distributions and features of large-scale atmospheric dynamics under conditions of weather and climate anomalies in the summers of 2010 in ER and 2012 in WS are analyzed. Data on total CO contents measured with a MOPITT satellite radiometer and a ground-based spectrometer operating at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station of the Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics are compared.     

The structure of suspended matter in Lake Baikal according to the data of measurements of light scattering functions

By using light scattering functions measured in Lake Baikal, we compute the characteristics of suspended matter, such as the mass concentration and the number of particles of the mineral and biological fractions, their mean radius, and the parameter of dispersion of mineral particles. The data on the vertical distributions of the characteristics of suspended matter are obtained for various regions of the lake in the summer period. We compare the characteristics of suspended matter in the zones of upwelling and downwelling of waters in Lake Baikal and in the Indian Ocean, which reveals its identical specific composition in these waters.     

Retrieval of spatial field of atmospheric aerosol concentration according to data from local measurements: A modification of the method of back trajectory statistics

The well-known method of the back trajectory statistics (BTS) is used to develop a new approach to estimating atmospheric pollution fields according to local measurements. On the basis of instrumental measurements at one or a few monitoring points and information on atmospheric dynamics (in this work, back trajectories of the motion of air particles), the BTS method makes it possible to estimate the spatial structure of fields of a measured quantity. Results from solving a simplified demonstration of estimating the spatial distribution of the volume concentration of a fine aerosol fraction are presented; these results were obtained on the basis of an analysis of photometric measurements in the period of 2004–2010 at six AERO-NET monitoring sites on the territory of Russia: Zvenigorod, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Tomsk, Yakutsk, and Ussuriisk.     

Consequences of powerful volcanic eruptions according to dendrochronological data

For the first time we identify the peculiarities of the effect of the most powerful (VEI > 5) volcanic eruptions on the regional climate of the Murmansk region on the basis of Kola Peninsula dendrochronological data for a period of more than 560 years. The analysis was based on the tree-ring chronology covering the period from 1445 to 2005. This chronology was derived from Pinus sylvestris samples collected near the northern tree line at Loparskaya station (68°37′ N; 33°14′ E). The data were processed using modern techniques adopted in dendrochronology (cross dating and standardization). We reveal a significant decrease in the radial tree-ring growth over 8 years (on average) after the eruptions; then its value is restored to the normal level. This finding will help evaluate the response of the regional climate system to external climate forcings in this economically important region for Russia.     

Seasonal and interannual variations of the field of sea-surface temperature in the southwest Atlantic according to the data of satellite and contact measurements

We study the seasonal and interannual variations of the field of sea-surface temperature (SST) in the Southwest Atlantic on the basis of the analysis of three data arrays, namely, the Levitus-Boyer-1994 hydrological array, the WOD-98 actual database, and the data of satellite measurements of SST. We perform the comparative analysis of the amplitude-phase characteristics of the annual course of the SST field and discuss the distinctive features of its seasonal and interannual variations. It is shown that the results obtained by using different data arrays are in good agreement. The values of the coefficient of linear correlation are equal to 0.7–0.9. It is discovered that the maximum seasonal variations of SST are observed in the zone of confluence of the Falkland and Brasil Currents in the vicinities of the South Subtropical and Antarctic Polar fronts. The minimum seasonal variations are recorded in the Antarctic region and in the Weddell Sea. The satellite data demonstrate that the level of interannual variability is high in the zones of climatic fronts. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 62–76, September–October, 2006.     

Features of wind waves at the southeastern coast of Sakhalin according to bottom-pressure measurements

The results of wind-wave measurements with bottom-pressure sensors are discussed. These measurements were performed at the southeastern coast of the Island of Sakhalin in 2006–2009. The problems of converting data obtained with these sensors into water-level displacent in the context of the linear theory are noted. Twenty records with a duration of 2 weeks to 3 months were obtained. These records contain from 150000 to 1200000 waves for three different observation points located at the southeastern coast of Sakhalin in the regions of the village of Vzmor’ye, Lake Izmenchivoye, and the Cape of Ostryi. The estimates obtained for wave-height distributions were approximated by the Weibull distribution. They were compared to the theoretical Rayleigh, Forristall, Weibull, and Glukhovskii distributions. As one would expect, in the region of small wave heights, all distributions prove to be close to one another, and, for large wave heights, the Weibull distribution is preferred.     

Damping of gravity-capillary waves in the presence of oil slicks according to data from laboratory and numerical experiments

Laboratory study results on the damping of gravity-capillary waves (GCWs) on water covered with oil slicks are presented. The nonmonotonic behavior (the presence of a local maximum) of the dependence of the damp coefficient on the slick thickness has been ascertained. The dispersion relation for GCWs in the presence of a viscoelastic slick of arbitrary thickness has been numerically calculated; this confirmed the presence of a damp coefficient maximum as a function of slick thickness. The parameters of oil slicks (interfacial elasticity and viscosity) have been estimated in a wide range of their thickness from a comparison of the calculation results with the data from laboratory measurements of wave parameters on water covered with an oil slick.     

Monitoring the carbon dioxide mixing ratio in the troposphere and the methane total column over Siberia according to the data of the AIRS and IASI IR sounders

The development of the AIRS (EOS/Aqua) and IASI (MetOp) satellite hyperspectral IR sounders opens new opportunities for determining the average tropospheric carbon dioxide concentration (X_CO2 X_{CO_2 } ) and total methane content (Q_CH4 Q_{CH_4 } ) in the atmosphere from large distances, which is important in climatic studies and since the ground network for CO₂ and CH₄ observations is scarce. The improved scheme for X_CO2 X_{CO_2 } retrieval from the AIRS data, which was used to construct the X_CO2 X_{CO_2 } spatial distribution based on the AIRS data for July 2003 and 2010 covering Siberia, is presented. A similar methodology was also used to retrieve instantaneous X_CO2 X_{CO_2 } values from the cloud-cleared IASI data for July 7, 2008 and the YAK-AEROSIB experimental region. A comparison of the satellite data with quasi-synchronous aircraft observations gives an error of about 2.2 million⁻¹. The iterative physical algorithm was developed in order to retrieve Q_CH4 Q_{CH_4 } . The efficiency of the proposed algorithm was estimated during the experiments with actual IASI data covering the Siberian region during several days in July 2008. The Q_CH4 Q_{CH_4 } estimates were validated by comparing them with the spatially superimposed and quasi-synchronous Q_CH4 Q_{CH_4 } , estimates based on the AIRS data. The standard deviations of both types of estimates are not more than 3%.     

Comparative analysis of the methods used for the determination of the optical parameters of waters in the black sea according to the data of satellite measurements

We demonstrate the possibility of determination of the spectral characteristics of absorption and backward scattering of light in the Black Sea according to the data of a SeaWiFS satellite device. We use specially selected data of observations obtained under favorable atmospheric conditions. It is shown that the results of calculations performed by using different methods are almost identical and weakly depend on the model parameters of the spectral course of the coefficients of absorption of light by yellow substance and its scattering by suspended particles.     

Kinematic structure and mesoscale variability of the rim current near the coast of Crimea (according to the data of instrumental measurements in September 2008)

By using the results of processing of the instrumental data with high space resolution obtained in September 2008, we analyze the structure of the Rim Current in the upper 100-m layer near the coast of Crimea. We determine the statistical characteristics of the mesoscale fluctuations of currents according to the data of 1165 vertical probes. It is shown that the kinetic energy of intense mesoscale perturbations observed in the vicinity of the Rim Current is of the same order of magnitude as the kinetic energy of the mean current.     

Observations of the sea surface temperature variability using daily and nightly IR measurements from the NOAA satellite

We considered the procedure of digital processing of IR data on the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea obtained at the automated data reception station (ADRS) operated by the Marine Hydrophysical Institute, UkSSR Academy of Sciences during the daily and nightly communication session with the NOAA satellite in the APT regime. Two methods were used: a histogram method (for the daily one-channel measurements) and a spectral-angular one (for the nightly dual-channel measurements). As a result, 117 and 99 digital charts of the sea surface radiation temperatures, respectively, were obtained for these basins, as well as 10-day and monthly combinations of the nightly and partially daily digital images. The compositions derived by these two techniques have been compared with the data set for July, which was statistically most complete.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.