Groundbased Doas UV/visible measurements at Kiruna (Sweden) during the sesame winters 1993/94 and 1994/95.

Zenith sky observations of O3, NO2, OClO and BrO are reported, which were performed at Kiruna (67.9°N, 21.1°E) within the SESAME winters 1993/1994 and 1994/95. For both winters large total amounts of OClO were observed inside the polar vortex at twilight, indicating the degree and the temporal variation of the halogen activation of the polar stratosphere. Occasionally OClO could also be observed outside the polar vortex, most likely due to export of halogen activated vortex air masses into the ambient stratosphere. BrO could also be detected in winter 1994/95, with the largest slant column amounts (5·1014/cm2) occuring in the polar vortex in mid-winter. Similar abundances of stratospheric BrO were observed at dusk and dawn, for both, air masses inside and outside the vortex. This observation is in reasonable agreement with previous studies on stratospheric BrO (observations and models) of Wahner et al. (1992), Arpag et al. (1994), Krug et al. (1996), and Lary et al. (1996a,b), but partly in disagreement with those of Solomon et al. (1989), Fish et al. (1995), and Sessler et al. (1996).     

DOAS Zenith Sky Observations: 2. Seasonal Variation of BrO Over Bremen (53°N) 1994-1995

Zenith sky observations of BrO over Bremen (53°N) are reported for the period of September 1994 to January 1996. BrO differential slant columns between 90° and 80° solar zenith angle showed a strong seasonal variation between a winter maximum of 1.9·1014 molec/cm2 and a summer minimum of 0.6·1014 molec/cm2. The seasonal variation in BrO twilight values is shown to be inversely correlated with NO2 columns in agreement with current knowledge of gas phase chemistry of bromine. In contrast to model predictions, no significant difference between morning and evening BrO measurements was observed. During a 6 day polar vortex excursion to mid-latitudes OClO could be measured above Bremen indicating chlorine activation in the vortex air. No significant increase in BrO differential slant columns was detected during this time.     

Vertical Profile of Night-Time Stratospheric OClO

The first night-time observation of the vertical profile of OClO wasperformed by the AMON balloon-borne spectrometer during the SESAME arcticcampaign, launched from Kiruna in northern Scandinavia. The flight, which tookplace inside the polar vortex on February 10, 1995, reveals mixing ratios of45±10 pptv at 20 km. These results are in excellent agreement with theREPROBUS 3D model simulations, which indicate that the observed OClOcorresponds to daytime ClO and BrO mixing ratios of 1.2 ppbv and 10 pptv,respectively.     

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.     

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.     

High resolution simulation of recent Arctic and Antarctic stratospheric chemical ozone loss compared to observations

Simulations of polar ozone losses were performed using the three-dimensional high-resolution (1^∘ × 1^∘) chemical transport model MIMOSA-CHIM. Three Arctic winters 1999–2000, 2001–2002, 2002–2003 and three Antarctic winters 2001, 2002, and 2003 were considered for the study. The cumulative ozone loss in the Arctic winter 2002–2003 reached around 35% at 475 K inside the vortex, as compared to more than 60% in 1999–2000. During 1999–2000, denitrification induces a maximum of about 23% extra ozone loss at 475 K as compared to 17% in 2002–2003. Unlike these two colder Arctic winters, the 2001–2002 Arctic was warmer and did not experience much ozone loss. Sensitivity tests showed that the chosen resolution of 1^∘ × 1^∘ provides a better evaluation of ozone loss at the edge of the polar vortex in high solar zenith angle conditions. The simulation results for ozone, ClO, HNO₃, N₂O, and NO _y for winters 1999–2000 and 2002–2003 were compared with measurements on board ER-2 and Geophysica aircraft respectively. Sensitivity tests showed that increasing heating rates calculated by the model by 50% and doubling the PSC (Polar Stratospheric Clouds) particle density (from 5 × 10⁻³ to 10⁻² cm⁻³) refines the agreement with in situ ozone, N₂O and NO _y levels. In this configuration, simulated ClO levels are increased and are in better agreement with observations in January but are overestimated by about 20% in March. The use of the Burkholder et al. (1990) Cl₂O₂ absorption cross-sections slightly increases further ClO levels especially in high solar zenith angle conditions. Comparisons of the modelled ozone values with ozonesonde measurement in the Antarctic winter 2003 and with Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement III (POAM III) measurements in the Antarctic winters 2001 and 2002, shows that the simulations underestimate the ozone loss rate at the end of the ozone destruction period. A slightly better agreement is obtained with the use of Burkholder et al. (1990) Cl₂O₂ absorption cross-sections.     

Cloud distributions over the coastal Arctic Ocean: surface-based and satellite observations

All-weather Arctic cloud analyses primarily derived from a surface-based hemispheric all-sky imager are compared against ISCCP D-1 cloud amount, type, and phase during the sunlit polar season. Increasing surface temperatures and decreasing ice cover over the past decade have altered heat and moisture fluxes around the Arctic, providing conditions more conducive for cloud generation. Shipboard and ice camp measurements from field experiments conducted over an 8-year period show cloudy skies in 70–95% of the record. Most of these occurrences are stratiform or multi-level, multi-form cloud, increasing in amount with time through the season. Collocated ISCCP retrievals underestimate cloud amount at small solar zenith angles and overestimate at large angles, sometimes by as much as 50%. Satellite assessments of cloud form classify 95% of scenes as having multiple cloud types, the majority of which are mid-level ice cloud and low-level liquid cloud. Despite large discrepancies in diurnal cloud amount, regional averages of ISCCP pixel cloudiness over the length of the experiments agree within ±5% of surface observations.     

DOAS Zenith Sky Observations: 1. BrO Measurements over Bremen (53°N) 1993–1994

Observations of stratospheric BrO over Bremen (53°N) are reported for winter and early spring periods of 1993 and 1993/94. The BrO was observed by ground-based near-UV absorption spectroscopy of sunlight scattered in the zenith. Differential slant column densities for solar zenith angles 90°/80° in the range of9× 10¹³ (detection limit) to 4.5×10¹⁴ molecules/cm² having a high day-to-day variability were found. For the majority of the measurements no significant difference was observed between the morning and evening behaviour of BrO. Exceptions are the morning measurements from the winter of 1992/93 where an accelerated production of BrO was observed. We believe the latter best to be explained by the early morning rapid photolysis of elevated amounts of photo-labile Br-reservoirs formed during the night. The largest differential slant column densities of BrO were measured in December 1993 when the temperatures at 30 hPa dropped below 205 K. This might be an indication of heterogeneous conversion of bromine compounds on sulfate and other aerosols.     

On the angular correction of satellite radiation measurements: The performance of ERBE angular dependence model in the Arctic

Summary An angular dependence model (ADM) is needed to convert radiance measurements into fluxes. This paper provides an overview on the progress and issues related to the angular correction of radiation data at the top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA), followed by an investigation on the performance of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) ADMs in the Arctic during summer. The variation of inferred albedo with viewing geometry indicates the merit of an ADM. The ERBE ADM for land does well as it leads to near constant albedos for given solar zenith angles. The ADM for snow/ice is least satisfactory when applied to the Arctic in summer. The performance of the ocean ADM is acceptable except at large solar zenith angles for which albedo increases with viewing zenith angle. Significant and systematic variation of albedo with viewing angle and relative azimuth angle are manifest when the overcast ERBE ADM is applied to over-cast-over-snow/ice scenes. A methodology for correcting ERBE ADMs was proposed by normalizing the anisotropic factor over bins containing sufficient measurements.With 6 Figures     

Theoretical Simulation of Solar Ultraviolet Fluxes Measured on the 8 July 1974 Stratoprobe I flights

Solar ultraviolet fluxes in the wavelength region 1900 to 2300Å were measured during the first balloon flight of Project stratoprobe on July 8, 1974, over a range of solar zenith angles at a float altitude of 28.6 km. High‐resolution computer simulations of the measured spectra were made for a range of solar zenith angles of 40° to 80° over the wavelength region 2050 to 2150A, and comparisons made with the observed spectra at 40° and 47 °. Qualitative agreements were obtained but there were significant discrepancies between the simulated and experimentally obtained fluxes. Sources of the discrepancies are discussed.     

Atmospheric Precursors of and Response to Anomalous Arctic Sea Ice in CMIP5 Models

This study examines pre-industrial control simulations from CMIP5 climate models in an effort to better understand the complex relationships between Arctic sea ice and the stratosphere, and between Arctic sea ice and cold winter temperatures over Eurasia. We present normalized regressions of Arctic sea-ice area against several atmospheric variables at extended lead and lag times. Statistically significant regressions are found at leads and lags, suggesting both atmospheric precursors of, and responses to, low sea ice; but generally, the regressions are stronger when the atmosphere leads sea ice, including a weaker polar stratospheric vortex indicated by positive polar cap height anomalies. Significant positive midlatitude eddy heat flux anomalies are also found to precede low sea ice. We argue that low sea ice and raised polar cap height are both a response to this enhanced midlatitude eddy heat flux. The so-called "warm Arctic, cold continents" anomaly pattern is present one to two months before low sea ice, but is absent in the months following low sea ice, suggesting that the Eurasian cooling and low sea ice are driven by similar processes. Lastly, our results suggest a dependence on the geographic region of low sea ice, with low Barents–Kara Sea ice correlated with a weakened polar stratospheric vortex, whilst low Sea of Okhotsk ice is correlated with a strengthened polar vortex. Overall, the results support a notion that the sea ice, polar stratospheric vortex and Eurasian surface temperatures collectively respond to large-scale changes in tropospheric circulation.     

Diffuse radiation,twilight, and photochemistry — I

A photochemical scheme which includes a detailed treatment of multiple scattering up to solar zenith angles of 96° (developed for use in a GCM) has been used to study partitioning within chemical families. Attention is drawn to the different zenith angle dependence of diffuse radiation for the two spectral regions <310 nm and >310 nm. The effect that this has on the so-called 40 km ozone problem is discussed. The importance of correctly including multiple scattering for polar ozone studies is emphasised.     

Middle Stratospheric Polar Vortex Ozone Budget during the Warming Arctic Winter, 2002--2003

The ozone budget inside the middle stratospheric polar vortex(24-36 km) during the 2002-2003 Arctic winter is studied by analyzing Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding(MIPAS) satellite data.A comprehensive global chemical transport model(Model for Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers,MOZART-3) is used to analyze the observed variation in polar vortex ozone during the stratospheric sudden warming(SSW) events.Both MIPAS measurement and MOZART-3 calculation show that a pronounced increase(26-28 DU) in the polar vortex ozone due to the SSW events.Due to the weakening of the polar vortex,the exchange of ozone mass across the edge of the polar vortex increases substantially and amounts to about 3.0× 107 kg according to MOZART-3 calculation.The enhanced downward transport offsets about 80% of polar vortex ozone mass increase by horizontal transport.A "passive ozone" experiment shows that only ～55% of the vertical ozone mass flux in February and March can be attributed to the variation in vertical transport.It is also shown that the enhanced downward ozone above ～32 km should be attributed to the springtime photochemical ozone production.Due to the increase of air temperature,the NOx reaction rate increases by 40%-80% during the SSW events.As a result,NOx catalytic cycle causes another 44% decrease in polar vortex ozone compared to the net ozone changes due to dynamical transport.It is also shown that the largest change in polar vortex ozone is due to horizontal advection by planetary waves in January 2003.     

An update on dynamical changes in the Arctic and Antarctic stratospheric polar vortices

Dynamical changes in the Arctic and Antarctic lower stratosphere from autumn to spring were analysed using the NCEP/NCAR, ERA40 and FUB stratospheric analyses for three periods: 1979–1999, 1979–2005, and 1965–2005. We found a weakening of the Arctic vortex in winter and a strengthening in spring between 1979/1980 and 1998/1999, with corresponding changes in the zonal mean circulation. The vortex formed earlier in autumn and broke down later in spring. These changes however were statistically not significant due to the high interannual dynamical variability in northern hemisphere (NH) winter and spring and the relatively short time series. In the Antarctic, the vortex formed earlier in autumn, intensified in late spring, and broke down later. The changes of the Antarctic vortex were at all levels and for both autumn and spring transitions larger and more significant than the changes of the Arctic vortex. These changes of the 1980s and early to mid 1990s were however not representative of a long-term change. The dynamically more active winters in the Arctic and Antarctic since 1998/1999 led to an enhanced weakening of the polar vortex in winter, and to a reduction of the polar vortex intensification in spring. As two of the recent Arctic major warmings occurred rather early in winter the polar vortex could recover in late winter and the delay in spring breakdown further increased. In contrast, the increase in Antarctic vortex persistence did no longer appear when including the recent winters due to the dominant impact of the three recent dynamically active Antarctic winters in 2000, 2002, and 2004. The long-term changes of 1965/1966–2005 were smaller in amplitude and partly opposite to the trends since the 1980s. There is no significant long-term change in the Arctic vortex lifetime or spring persistence, while the Antarctic vortex shows a long-term deepening and shift towards later spring transitions. The changes in the stratospheric dynamical situation could be attributed in both hemispheres to changes in the dynamical forcing from the troposphere.     

Record Arctic Ozone Loss in Spring 2020 is Likely Caused by North Pacific Warm Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies

Record ozone loss was observed in the Arctic stratosphere in spring 2020. This study aims to determine what caused the extreme Arctic ozone loss. Observations and simulation results are examined in order to show that the extreme Arctic ozone loss was likely caused by record-high sea surface temperatures(SSTs) in the North Pacific. It is found that the record Arctic ozone loss was associated with the extremely cold and persistent stratospheric polar vortex over February–April, and the extremely cold vortex was a result of anomalously weak planetary wave activity. Further analysis reveals that the weak wave activity can be traced to anomalously warm SSTs in the North Pacific. Both observations and simulations show that warm SST anomalies in the North Pacific could have caused the weakening of wavenumber-1 wave activity, colder Arctic vortex, and lower Arctic ozone. These results suggest that for the present-day level of ozone-depleting substances, severe Arctic ozone loss could form again, as long as certain dynamic conditions are satisfied.     

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...     

Overview of the Major 2012-2013 Northern Hemisphere Stratospheric Sudden Warming：Evolution and Its Association with Surface Weather

In this study, we analyzed the dynamical evolution of the ma jor 2012-2013 Northern Hemisphere （NH） stratospheric sudden warming （SSW） on the basis of ERA-Interim reanalysis data provided by the ECMWF. The intermittent upward-propagating planetary wave activities beginning in late November 2012 led to a prominent wavenumber-2 disturbance of the polar vortex in early December 2012. However, no major SSW occurred. In mid December 2012, when the polar vortex had not fully recovered, a mixture of persistent wavenumber-1 and -2 planetary waves led to gradual weakening of the polar vortex before the vortex split on 7 January 2013. Evolution of the geopotential height and Eliassen-Palm flux between 500 and 5 hPa indicates that the frequent occurrence of tropospheric ridges over North Pacific and the west coast of North America contributed to the pronounced upward planetary wave activities throughout the troposphere and stratosphere. After mid January 2013, the wavenumber-2 planetary waves became enhanced again within the troposphere, with a deepened trough over East Asia and North America and two ridges between the troughs. The enhanced tropospheric planetary waves may contribute to the long-lasting splitting of the polar vortex in the lower stratosphere. The 2012-2013 SSW shows combined features of both vortex displacement and vortex splitting. Therefore, the anomalies of tropospheric circulation and surface temperature after the 2012-2013 SSW resemble neither vortex-displaced nor vortex-split SSWs, but the combination of all SSWs. The remarkable tropospheric ridge extending from the Bering Sea into the Arctic Ocean together with the resulting deepened East Asian trough may play important roles in bringing cold air from the high Arctic to central North America and northern Eurasia at the surface.     

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.     

Constraints on 2-Way Transport across the Arctic Tropopause Based on O3, Stratospheric Tracer (SF6) Ages, and Water Vapor Isotope (D, T) Tracers

Based upon airborne trace gas and isotope observations in the winter months 1991/1992 to1994/1995, transport pathways across the mid-latitude and Arctic tropopause areinvestigated. A powerful set of contrasting transport tracers are examined, such asdeuterated water vapor (HDO) which is shown to trace the passage of water vapor from thetroposphere into the lowermost stratosphere (LS), or the `SF₆ age' defined as theresidence time of an air parcel within the stratosphere since its entry at thetropopause. Cross-tropopause transport in both directions was found near mid-latitudecyclones (at baroclinic flanks of troughs in the polar front), in which about 80% of thestratosphere-to-troposphere flux proceeded along potential temperature ()surfaces of 300 ± 10 K. As these isentropes are the lowest which reach into the LS(in winter), a mixing zone just above the Arctic tropopause (at least 1.5 km thick) isformed. Here, upwelling tropospheric air is mixed with downwelling LS air which isaffected by air from higher altitudes, the surf-zone and the polar vortex. The observedelevated D/H isotope ratio of water vapor within the mixing zone can be explained byinjection of subtropical water vapor that is transported to the tropopause by the warmconveyor belt associated with mid-latitude cyclones. Downward vertical transport ofArctic LS air, which may be influenced by ouflowing chemically disturbed polar vortexair, into the Arctic troposphere was found to be small.     

Influence of the 11-year solar cycle on the effects of the equatorial quasi-biennial oscillation, manifesting in the extratropical northern atmosphere

Using the longest and most reliable ozonesonde data sets grouped for four regions (Japan, Europe, as well as temperate and polar latitudes of Canada) the comparative analysis of regional responses of ozone, temperature, horizontal wind, tropopause and surface pressure on the equatorial quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO effects), manifesting in opposite phases of the 11-year solar cycle (11-yr SC) was carried out. The impact of solar cycle is found to be the strongest at the Canadian Arctic, near one of two climatological centres of polar vortex, where in solar maximum conditions the QBO signals in ozone and temperature have much larger amplitudes, embrace greater range of heights, and are maximized much higher than those in solar minimum conditions. The strengthening of the temperature QBO effect during solar maxima can explain why correlation between the 11-yr SC and polar winter stratospheric temperature is reversed in the opposite QBO phases. At the border of polar vortex the 11-yr SC also modulates the QBO effect in zonal wind, strengthening the quasi-biennial modulation of polar vortex during solar maxima that is associated with strong negative correlation between stratospheric QBO signals in zonal wind and temperature. Above Japan the QBO effects of ozone, temperature, and zonal wind, manifesting in solar maxima reveal the downward phase dynamics, reminding similar feature of the zonal wind in the equatorial stratosphere. Above Europe, the QBO effects in solar maxima reveal more similarity with those above Japan, while in solar minima with the effects obtained at the Canadian middle-latitude stations. It is revealed that the 11-yr SC influences regional QBO effects in tropopause height, tropopause temperature and surface pressure. The influence most distinctly manifest itself in tropopause characteristics above Japan. The results of the accompanying analysis of the QBO reference time series testify that in the period of 1965–2006 above 50-hPa level the duration of the QBO cycle in solar maxima is 1–3 months longer than in solar minima. The differences are more distinct at higher levels, but they are diminished with lengthening of the period.