Singular spectrum analysis,harmonic regression and El-Nino effect on total ozone (1979–1993) over India and surrounding regions

The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) is a satellite instrument that records Total Column Ozone (TCO) concentration (in DB) of the atmosphere in the form of different overpass files. We have selected 23 sites over India (15), Pakistan (4), Bangladesh (1) and adjoining China (3) to investigate the TCO scenario over this region. About 114,000 historical records (1979M1–1992M12) from 23 overpass files were processed to generate 23 monthly mean time series (TS) of TCO. Statistical analysis followed by singular spectrum analysis (SSA), harmonic regression (HR) and spatial interpolation have been used to accomplish the investigation. Four dominant signals; quasi-biennial signal (QBI, \(\hbox {T} = 30.12\) months), quasi-annual signal (QAN, \(\hbox {T} = 19.69\) months), annual signal (ANN, \(\hbox {T} = 12\) months) and semi-annual signal (SAN, \(\hbox {T} = 6\) months) were discerned to explain the variability. Direct latitudinal effect on the TCO distribution was observed. The variance was limited between 80.53 and 90.13%; ANN contributes 65.93–93.22% followed by SAN 0.58–5.69%, QAN 0.33–5.48%, and QBI 0.06–5.94%. Peak values of the oscillations are estimated from phasor diagrams: QBI, March to May in the mid-latitude; QAN, April, and May; ANN, February to April; SAN, March to May. Incisive pictures of the average distribution and variability of four sinusoids were investigated from contour plots. Two ozone valley were discerned from Spatial interpolation; one over Deccan Plateau in low and other over Tibetan Plateau in high latitude. 179 outliers from \(23 \times 168\) observations have been identified after harmonic regression. The appearance of the outliers is highly consistent with extreme phases of multivariate ENSO Index and Dipole Mode Index.     

The Risk of Large Volcanic Eruptions and the Impact of this Risk on Future Ozone Depletion

Ozone depletion at mid-latitudes is caused by reactivehalogens from man-made halocarbons. The stratosphericsulphate aerosol which follows large volcaniceruptions enhances (multiplies) this ozone depletion(it has no effect on ozone without halocarbons). Mid-latitude depletion almost doubled for the twoyears after Mt. Pinatubo. Although the MontrealProtocol is expected to reduce atmospheric amounts ofhalocarbons in the 21st century, stratospheric ozonewill be at risk of depletion enhancement by largeeruptions for the next 50 years. Mechanisms ofvolcanoes suggest that large eruptions are random andthat their global rate is constant for severalcenturies. Measurements of large eruptions during thelast 1000 years in ice cores have a remarkable fit toa Poisson distribution, reinforcing the conclusionthat the global incidence is random and at a constantrate for this period. From this rate, the probabilityof one or more eruptions with at least the ozone-lossenhancement of Pinatubo is 58 % in 50 years. Thisprobability is large enough to be of serious concernfor future mid-latitude ozone loss.     

Low level of stratospheric ozone near the Jharia coal field in India

The Indian reserve of coking coal is mainly located in the Jharia coal field in Jharkhand. Although air pollution due to oxides and dioxides of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur is reported to have increased in this area due to large-scale opencast mining and coal fires, no significant study on the possible impact of coal fires on the stratospheric ozone concentration has been reported so far. The possible impact of coal fires, which have been burning for more than 90 years on the current stratospheric ozone concentration has been investigated using satellite based data obtained from Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS MLS), Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder (EOS MLS) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) in this paper. The stratospheric ozone values for the years 1992–2007, in the 28–36 km altitude range near Jharia and places to its north are found to be consistently lower than those of places lying to its south (up to a radius of 1000 km around Jharia) by 4.0–20%. This low stratospheric ozone level around Jharia is being observed and reported for the first time. However, due to lack of systematic ground-based measurements of tropospheric ozone and vertical ozone profiles at Jharia and other far off places in different directions, it is difficult to conclude strongly on the existence of a relationship between pollution from coal fires and stratospheric ozone depletion.     

The role and performance of ground-based networks in tracking the evolution of the ozone layer

In the 1980s, ground-based monitoring of the ozone layer played a key role in the discovery of the Antarctic Ozone Hole as well as in the first documentation of significant winter and spring long-term downward trends in the populated mid-latitude regions. The article summarizes the close-to-hundred-year-long history of ground-based measurements of stratospheric ozone, and more recent observations of constituents that influence its equilibrium. Ozone observations began long before the recognition of the impact of increasing emissions of manmade ozone-depleting substances on ozone and therefore on UV levels, human health, ecosystems and the Earth climate. The historical ozone observations prior to 1980s are used as a reference for the assessments of the state of the ozone layer linked to the enforcement of the Montreal Protocol. In this paper, we describe the worldwide monitoring networks and their ozone observations used to determine long-term trends with an accuracy of a few percent per decade. Since 1989, the ground-based monitoring activities have provided support for the amendments of the Montreal Protocol (MP). They include monitoring of (a) the ozone total column and the vertical distribution at global scale, (b) the ozone-depleting substances (ODS) related to the MP such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and their decomposition products in the stratosphere, and (c) the atmospheric species playing a role in ozone depletion, e.g., nitrogen oxides, water vapor, aerosols, polar stratospheric clouds. We highlight important accomplishments in the atmospheric monitoring performed by the Global Atmosphere Watch program (GAW) run under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and by the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). We also address the complementary roles of ground-based networks and satellite instruments. High-quality ground-based measurements have been used to evaluate ozone variabilities and long-term trends, assess chemistry climate models, and check the long-term stability of satellite data, including more recently the merged satellite time-series developed for the detection of ozone recovery at global scale, which might be further modified by climate change.     

Study of total column atmospheric aerosol optical depth,ozone and precipitable water content over Bay of Bengal during BOBMEX-99

The spatial and temporal variations in aerosols and precursor gases over oceanic regions have special importance in the estimation of radiative forcing parameters and thereby in the refinement of general circulation models. Extensive observations of the columnar aerosol optical depth (AOD), total column ozone (TCO) and precipitable water content (PWC) have been carried out using the on-line, multi-band solar radiometers onboard ORV Sagar Kanya (Cruise # SK 147B) over Bay of Bengal during 11th–28th August 1999. Aerosol optical and physical properties (optical depth and angstrom parameter) have been estimated at six wavelengths covering from UV to NIR (380–1020 nm) while TCO and PWC have been determined using the UV band around 300 nm and NIR band around 940 nm, respectively. Added, concurrent meteorological and satellite observations during this field phase of BOBMEX-99 have been utilized to investigate spectral-temporal variations of AOD, TCO and PWC in marine environment. The results indicate lower AODs (around 0.4 at characteristic wavelength of 500 nm) and size distributions with abundance of coarse-mode particles as compared to those aerosols of typical land origin. An interesting result that is found in the present study is the significant reduction in AOD at all wavelengths from initial to later part of observation period due to cloud-scavenging and rain-washout effects as well as signature of coastal aerosol loading. The clear-sky daytime diurnal variation of TCO shows gradual increase during post-sunrise hours, broad maximum during afternoon hours and gradual decrease during pre-sunset hours, which is considered to be due to photochemical reactions. The diurnal variation curve of PWC showed maximum (~ 4 cm) during morning hours and gradual decrease (~ 3.5 cm) towards evening hours, which are found to be greater as compared to typical values over land. Another interesting feature observed is that although the PWC values are very high, there was no proportionate or appreciable enhancement in AOD—a feature that can be utilized to infer composition of aerosols over the study region.     

Retrospective health impact assessment for ozone pollution in Mexico City from 1991 to 2011

Air pollution is the main environmental issue in Mexico City, where ozone is one of the most damaging pollutants for human health. In this work we present a retrospective health impact assessment (HIA) study split up by age groups for evaluating the benefits of ozone regulatory strategies from 1991 to 2011 in Mexico City. Since people move from one place to another during the day, which may affect their potential exposure to pollutants, we consider time-dependant spatial population distributions during the day. Ozone data is made up of observations taken with hourly frequency from January 1, 1991 to December 31, 2011, at approximately 22 stations of the monitoring network of Mexico City. Interpolated values for unknown locations are also taken into account in the HIA. The Cressman objective analysis method is applied for interpolating the observed ozone concentrations from monitoring stations to grids of convenient resolution. We demonstrate that different age groups present different spatial patterns of exposure, being the working-age people (between 18 and 64 years) the most benefited. We also confirm the hypothesis that, in general, people move to less polluted regions during the day.     

Recent Arctic ozone depletion: Is there an impact of climate change?

After the well-reported record loss of Arctic stratospheric ozone of up to 38% in the winter 2010–2011, further large depletion of 27% occurred in the winter 2015–2016. Record low winter polar vortex temperatures, below the threshold for ice polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) formation, persisted for one month in January 2016. This is the first observation of such an event and resulted in unprecedented dehydration/denitrification of the polar vortex. Although chemistry–climate models (CCMs) generally predict further cooling of the lower stratosphere with the increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs), significant differences are found between model results indicating relatively large uncertainties in the predictions. The link between stratospheric temperature and ozone loss is well understood and the observed relationship is well captured by chemical transport models (CTMs). However, the strong dynamical variability in the Arctic means that large ozone depletion events like those of 2010–2011 and 2015–2016 may still occur until the concentrations of ozone-depleting substances return to their 1960 values. It is thus likely that the stratospheric ozone recovery, currently anticipated for the mid-2030s, might be significantly delayed. Most important in order to predict the future evolution of Arctic ozone and to reduce the uncertainty of the timing for its recovery is to ensure continuation of high-quality ground-based and satellite ozone observations with special focus on monitoring the annual ozone loss during the Arctic winter.     

Effect of some climatic parameters on tropospheric and total ozone column over Alipore (22.52 ∘ N, 88.33 ∘ E), India

The paper presents the nature of variations of tropospheric and total ozone column retrieved from the Convective Cloud Differential (CCD) technique, Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data, National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA), USA, respectively; surface temperature, relative humidity, total rainfall, ozone precursors (non-methane hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide) that are collected from India Meteorological Department (IMD), Alipore, Kolkata; solar insolation obtained from Solar Geophysical Data Book and El-Niño index collected from National Climatic Data Center, US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA. The effect of these climatic parameters and ozone precursors on ozone variations is critically analyzed and explained on the basis of linear regression and correlation. It has been observed that the maximum, minimum and mean temperature, relative humidity, solar insolation, tropospheric, and total ozone column (TOC) showed slight increasing tendencies from October 2004 to December 2011, while total rainfall and El-Niño index showed little decreasing tendencies for the same period. Amongst selected climatic parameters and ozone precursors, the solar insolation and the average temperature had a significant influence on both, the tropospheric ozone and total ozone column formation. The solar insolation had contributed more in tropospheric ozone than in total ozone column; while El-Niño index had played a more significant role in total ozone column build up than in tropospheric ozone. Negative correlation was observed between almost all ozone precursors with the tropospheric and total ozone. The tropospheric ozone and total ozone column were also significantly correlated. The level of significance and contribution of different climatic parameters are determined from correlation technique and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) method. The related chemical kinetics for ozone production processes has been critically described.     

中国大气臭氧探空仪的研制和应用

地球大气中的臭氧一直是全球气候和环境变化研究中的重要内容。大气臭氧探空系统是当前直接获得地球大气臭氧垂直结构资料的直接探测系统，同时也是为卫星臭氧探测和激光雷达臭氧探测等提供对比和定标的有力手段。中国大气臭氧探空仪的研制工作起步较晚且进展缓慢，这在一定程度上妨碍了中国大气臭氧高空探测业务化的进程。首次报道了中国大气臭氧高空探测业务化进展状况，重点报告中国自行研制的大气臭氧探空仪的结构和技术性能指标，讨论了中国大气臭氧探空仪主要技术性能指标与芬兰Vaisala臭氧探空仪的比对结果，并给出该系统在北京、南极等地区应用施放中所得到的部分探测结果。同时对中国大气臭氧高空探测业务化方面的近期任务提出了建议。     

Ozone trends in the vertical structure of Upper Troposphere and Lower stratosphere over the Indian monsoon region

Ozone trends in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere over the Indian region are investigated using three satellite data sets namely Halogen Occultation Experiment (1993–2005), Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (1993–2005) II, and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS, 2005–2011). Estimated ozone trends using multi-variate regression analysis are compared with trends at two Indian ozonesonde stations (Delhi, 28°N, 77°E and Pune, 18°N, 73°E), and a 3-D Chemical Transport Model (CTM, SLIMCAT) for the 1993–2005 time period. Overall, all the observational data sets and model simulations indicate significant increasing trend in the upper troposphere (0–2.5 %/year). In the lower stratosphere, estimated trends are slightly positive up to 30 mb and are negative between 30 and 10 mb. Increasing trends in the upper troposphere is probably due to increasing trends in the tropospheric ozone precursor gases (e.g. CO, NO _x , NMHCs). Here, we argue that these contrasting ozone-trend profiles might be partially responsible for insignificant long-term trends in the tropical total column ozone. On seasonal scale, positive trends are observed during all the seasons in the upper troposphere while structure of trend profile varies in lower stratosphere. Seasonal variations of ozone trends and its linkages with stratospheric intrusions and increasing trends in lightning flashes in the troposphere are also discussed.     

Ozonation of diesel fuel in unsaturated porous media

The objectives of this study were to determine the feasibility of ozonation in unsaturated porous media, and consequently to observe its features and to identify possible limiting factors. Diesel fuel was chosen to represent a complex organic contaminant that is widespread in the environment. In this experiment, the effects of several ozonation features were investigated. Sand was spiked with commercially available diesel fuel (17.024 g diesel/kg dry sand), and packed into a column. Ozone was supplied into the column in a downward direction. When the sand was treated for 7 h at 20 mg ozone/l of air, 40% of the diesel was removed. As the ozone concentration increased from 5 to 20 mg ozone/l, the removal efficiency increased. The removal rate varied significantly depending on the ozone concentration and the treatment duration. At higher ozone concentration, significant quantities of ozone were consumed by the intermediates produced by the ozonation process, and therefore, the removal efficiency and the apparent removal rate of diesel became lowered. The low removal efficiency of diesel results from the high concentrations of normal alkanes. Total hydrocarbon concentration (THC) in the effluent gas was measured using a total hydrocarbon analyzer. The THC decreased with the period of exposure and increasing ozone concentration. Ozonation decreased the gas-extractable fraction and accordingly, the THC decreased. Water-extractable fractions formed by the action of ozone were further oxidized by ozone. Due to the reduction of WEOC (water-extractable organic C) caused by ozone treatment, the potential spread of contamination can be reduced.     

Two decades of polar ozone research via airborne science investigations: Addressing a NASA mandate in atmospheric composition

The comprehensive investigation of polar ozone photochemistry and dynamics has required data obtained from as full a complement of available platforms as possible (ground-based, balloon, aircraft, and satellites). Perhaps the most detailed process studies have been conducted using measurements from aircraft, taking advantage of their targeting capabilities coupled with the potential for enabling measurements at high spatial and temporal resolution. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted the first airborne science investigation of polar ozone in an effort to establish the causes of the recurring seasonal depletion of the Earth's stratospheric ozone layer over Antarctica that was identified in the mid-1980s. Subsequent airborne studies in the polar regions of both hemispheres benefitted from extensive successful collaborations among international scientists and the integration of the aircraft measurements with those obtained using ground-based, balloon-borne, and satellite instruments. This article provides an historical perspective of NASA's utilization of its airborne assets to advance our understanding of the chemical and physical processes that control the abundance of stratospheric ozone in both the Antarctic and Arctic.     

Ozone and climate governance: An implausible path dependence

Many observers and commentators have used the case of ozone science and politics as a role model for climate science and politics. Two crucial assumptions underpin this view: (1) that science drives policymaking, and (2) that a unified, international science assessment is essential to provide “one voice” of science that speaks to policymakers. I will argue that these assumptions are theoretically problematic and empirically questionable. We should realize that both cases, ozone and climate, are profoundly different and only have superficial similarities. Ozone science developed late, but efforts to protect the ozone layer happened swiftly. The relation between carbon dioxide and climate change has been studied for many decades, but efforts to control global warming have failed so far. I will discuss the linear model of the science-policy relationship and use the typology of tame and wicked problems to explain this stark difference.     

Unprecedented Ozone Depletion in the Arctic Stratosphere during Winter–Spring of 2020

Doklady Earth Sciences - Unprecedentedly long and intense depletion in stratospheric ozone over the Arctic observed from January to April 2020 is analyzed. For analysis of the parameters, we...     

Forecasting ozone concentrations in the east of Croatia using nonparametric Neural Network Models

Ozone is one of the most significant secondary pollutants with numerous negative effects on human health and environment including plants and vegetation. Therefore, more effort is made recently by governments and associations to predict ozone concentrations which could help in establishing better plans and regulation for environment protection. In this study, we use two Artificial Neural Network based approaches (MPL and RBF) to develop, for the first time, accurate ozone prediction models, one for urban and another one for rural area in the eastern part of Croatia. The evaluation of actual against the predicted ozone concentrations revealed that MLP and RBF models are very competitive for the training and testing data in the case of Kopa?ki Rit area whereas in the case of Osijek city, MLP shows better evaluation results with 9% improvement in the correlation coefficient. Furthermore, subsequent feature selection process has improved the prediction power of RBF network.     

Impacts of ozone on trees and crops

In this review article, we explore how surface-level ozone affects trees and crops with special emphasis on consequences for productivity and carbon sequestration. Vegetation exposure to ozone reduces photosynthesis, growth, and other plant functions. Ozone formation in the atmosphere is a product of NO_x, which are also a source of nitrogen deposition. Reduced carbon sequestration of temperate forests resulting from ozone is likely offset by increased carbon sequestration from nitrogen fertilization. However, since fertilized croplands are generally not nitrogen-limited, capping ozone-polluting substances in the USA, Europe, and China can reduce future crop yield loss substantially.     

On the impact of temperature on tropospheric ozone concentration levels in urban environments

The influence of temperature on tropospheric ozone (O₃) concentrations in urban and photochemically polluted areas in the greater Athens region are investigated in the present study. Hourly values of the ambient air temperature used for studying the urban heat island effect in Athens were recorded at twenty-three experimental stations while ozone concentration values were measured at three of the above-mentioned stations and for a period of two years (1996–1997). The linear correlation between ozone concentration and air temperature values as well as the temporal variation of temperature and ozone concentration, for the above-mentioned experimental stations, were calculated and analysed. Moreover, a neural network approach was used for investigating the impact of temperature on the ozone concentration values over the greater Athens area. The neural network model used ambient air temperature as one of its input parameters and it was found that temperature is a predominant parameter, affecting considerably the ozone concentration values.     

2008-2012年拉萨地基与卫星臭氧总量观测比较

通过比较2008-2012年拉萨站地基观测臭氧总量与三种卫星反演产品, 评估地基和卫星观测臭氧总量数据的质量信息. 结果表明: 地基与卫星臭氧总量绝对差为-10~15 DU, 相对差为-4%~4%, 日尺度相对差呈随机分布特征; TOSOMI算法反演的SCIAMACHY臭氧总量更接近地基观测结果, DOAS算法反演OMI臭氧总量与地基观测结果差异最大. 地基与卫星臭氧总量标准差存在季节性变化, 夏季最大, 冬季最小; 云的影响会加剧地基与卫星臭氧总量差异, 以SCIAMACHY产品最为显著.     

Ultraviolet-B radiation effects on natural phytoplankton assemblages of central San Francisco Bay

Since the discovery of a depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer over Antarctica in 1979, scientific attention has been directed towards the effects of increased doses of ultraviolet radiation on phytoplankton in other ecosystems. Little is known about the effects of ultraviolet-B (280–320 nm) radiation (UVBR) on temperate estuarine phytoplankton. Freshly collected phytoplankton samples from Central San Francisco Bay were exposed to ambient UVBR in quartz bottles and monitored for biomass and nutrient uptake rates for comparison with phytoplankton dispensed into bottles made of polycarbonate that effectively filtered out the UVBR to evaluate response to natural UVBR exposure. Short-term (10–12 h) exposure experiments were carried out monthly from October 1998 to October 1999. No significant effect of UVBR on chlorophylla concentrations was found but a clear deleterious effect of UVBR on nutrient uptake was observed.     

Total column ozone retrieval using INSAT-3D sounder in the tropics: A simulation study

The present study examines the potential of infrared sounder observations from Indian geostationary satellite INSAT-3D for the estimation of total column integrated ozone over the tropical Indian region. A dataset with diverse profiles was used to create training and testing datasets using forward simulations from a radiative transfer model for infrared sounder channels. A study was carried out for the standard tropical atmospheric profile to examine the sensitivity of ozone band radiance corresponding to the atmospheric temperature, water vapour, and ozone mixing ratios at different atmospheric pressure levels. Further, statistical retrieval technique has been used for the total column ozone estimation using two different approaches: (i) ozone channel observation along with the a-priori estimate of temperature and water vapour profile and (ii) only sounder channels observations. The accuracy of the retrieval algorithms was examined for different errors in the atmospheric profiles for the method (i) and different sensor noise specification for the method (ii). This study has shown that accurate temperature information is very important for ozone estimation and lower instrument noise results in better ozone estimates.