Evaluation of surface ozone measurements during 2000–2005 at a rural area in the upper Spanish plateau

This paper presents the main experimental results of surface ozone concentrations measured at a rural area in Northern Spain from February 2000 to December 2005. Daily and seasonal variation of ozone has been analysed. The peak concentration levels are obtained in the afternoon, mean value around 88 μg m⁻³, with extreme average values of 59 μg m⁻³ in January and 113 μg m⁻³ in July. Small differences are found in the mean and median of the ozone levels from April to August, when spring and summer maxima are observed. Despite the great inter-annual ozone variability obtained, most air quality indicators showed a positive trend. Further analysis of the monthly mean ozone concentrations of the main percentiles have also been performed using a harmonic model. The upward trend was 6.2 ± 1.7 μg m⁻³ for the 98th percentile. To interpret the main features of the annual cycle and describe the ozone peaks, the influence of meteorological factors is studied. In summer, ozone production is governed by local processes, air temperature being the major controlling factor. However, the origin of the spring maximum is not so well identified.     

Analysis of climatic trends in data from the agrometeorological station of Bologna-Cadriano, Italy (1952–2007)

Agriculture is highly exposed to climate change, as farming activities directly depend on climatic conditions. Knowledge of the extent of such change and of related phenomena will help to answer the questions posed by society about adaptation strategies. The global situation is well described by the Fourth IPCC assessment report (IPCC 2007), but local studies are important to understand the impact and the priorities to adopt in adaptation strategies. In this study a historical set of meteorological data, collected during the period 1952–2007 at the University of Bologna (Italy) agrometeorological station, was analysed. Several indexes, such as Frost Severity Index, number of hot days, number of rainy days, etc., were calculated, and their trends in time were analysed. The results show a scenario of increasing temperatures and evapotranspiration, a decrease in rainy days and a deepening of the watertable. The effect of these changes on agriculture will be a decrease in water availability, an increase in heat stress in plants and an increase in drought risk.     

Analysis of the interannual variations and influencing factors of wind speed anomalies over the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region

风场对京津冀地区雾霾的产生和消散起着决定性作用。本文利用站点观测数据,研究了京津冀地区冬季风场的年际变化及其影响因素。研究表明,京津冀地区的冬季平均风速为2.0 m s~(-1),每年降幅为0.01 m s~(-1)。大多数情况下,强风年对应热带太平洋东部的负海温异常,而弱风年份相反。此外,京津冀地区冬季风场的年际变化还受到包括北半球中高纬度气压梯度、欧亚大陆地表温度、菲律宾东部热带太平洋海面温度等多重因素的影响。     

Analysis of the coupling between the stratospheric meridional wind and the surface level zonal wind during 1979–93 Northern Hemisphere extratropical winters

The coupling between the stratosphere and the troposphere has been investigated by analysing low-frequency variations in: (1) the meridional mass flux into the polar cap (north of 60°N), computed separately for the stratosphere and the troposphere; (2) the polar cap mean surface pressure, and (3) the surface level meridional pressure gradient and zonal wind around 60°N. The analysis has been done for the 1979–93 Northern Hemisphere (NH) winters, using ECMWF reanalysis data. The results show that for all winters the meridional mass flux variations in the stratosphere precede those in the troposphere, by about one day. This result can also be obtained qualitatively with a very simple model, based on the zonally averaged zonal and meridional momentum equations. The lag is not very sensitive to the latitude of the southern boundary of the polar cap. The analysed variations in the polar cap mean surface pressure associated with variations in the meridional mass flux, determine most of the variability in the analysed meridional surface pressure gradient and the associated surface zonal wind around 60°N. The results also show that in the stratosphere the Coriolis force associated with the zonal-mean meridional wind is in near-balance with the convergence of the eddy momentum flux, and in the lower troposphere with the zonal frictional force. In summary, the results indicate that in the extratropical northern winter hemisphere, low-frequency variations in the meridional wind in the stratosphere induce low-frequency variations in the zonal wind near the surface.     

Evolution of meteorological drought characteristics in Vietnam during the 1961–2007 period

The drought conditions over the seven sub-climatological regions in Vietnam are examined using three meteorological drought indices: de Martonne J, PED, and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). According to the seasonal probabilities of drought occurrence estimated by the de Martonne index, droughts mainly occur between November and March in all the sub-regions. The PED index and the SPI index generally show high probabilities of drought occurrence from April to August and from May to October, respectively. In the southern sub-regions of Vietnam, droughts more frequently occur in El Niño years and wet conditions are more frequently observed in La Niña years. However, such El Niño–Southern Oscillation influences are not clearly observed in the northern sub-regions. During 1961–2007, droughts significantly increased in the northern part of Vietnam. In the southern regions, PED shows increasing drought conditions while J and SPI show decreasing drought trends for almost all the stations.     

Analysis of measurement data on carbon dioxide concentration in the near-ice surface atmosphere at North Pole-35 drifting ice station (2007–2008)

Significant CO₂ concentration disturbances with an amplitude of 150 ppm are observed in October–November in the region of North Pole-35 drifting ice station over the continental slope of the Arctic Ocean. A local maximum of the CO₂ concentration disturbances is observed in April; it is connected with a change in the regime of the sea ice deformation at that time of the year in the western Arctic basin. Changes in the CO₂ concentration have oscillations at the frequency of oceanic tides. Several episodes of the initial phase of CO₂ release into the near-ice surface atmosphere in October 2007 are recorded. The CO₂ amount released into the atmosphere as a result of ice formation in the Arctic Ocean is a significant quantity in the total balance of the CO₂ release on the global scale and accounts for approximately 30% of the anthropogenic release of CO₂ per year.     

Analysis of the Trends of Thunderstorms in 1951–2007 in Jiangsu Province

Based on the 1951–2007 thunderstorms in Jiangsu, a study is conducted for their climate trends, periodicity, spatiotemporal patterns, and the distributions of the first and last days of the thunderstorms at different guarantee rates (GRs) using climate tendency rate, wavelet analysis, and GR for diagnosis. Results suggest that the inter-annual number of thunderstorm days (TSDs) exhibits a decreasing trend in this province. The trend is displayed mainly in the decreasing TSD number in summer and autumn except in spring, when the variation is not significant in the study period. In this province, the TSD number declines by ~2 days per 10 years. On an inter-annual basis, the pronounced positive departures of the number take place chiefly in the early 1960s, the late 1960s to the early-mid-1970s, the late 1980s, and the late 1990s compared with the negative anomalies dominant in the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, the mid-to-late-1990s, and the late 1990s to 2007. There are vast differences in the initial and ending days at diverse GRs in different areas of the province. At 50% GR, the earliest (last) days occur from mid-March to early April (early to late September) while at 80% GR, the initial (last) days are from late March to early May (early to late October). For the distribution of periods, the periods >8–10 years are relatively stable for the entire province. Based on 1951–2007 period analysis, the region north (south) of the Huaihe River experiences TSDs less (more) than normal days in recent years.     

Analysis of rainfall characteristics of the Madden–Julian oscillation using TRMM satellite data

Rainfall characteristics of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) are analyzed primarily using tropical rainfall measuring mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR), TRMM microwave imager (TMI) and lighting imaging sensor (LIS) data. Latent heating structure is also examined using latent heating data estimated with the spectral latent heating (SLH) algorithm.The zonal structure, time evolution, and characteristic stages of the MJO precipitation system are described. Stratiform rain fraction increases with the cloud activity, and the amplitude of stratiform rain variation associated with the MJO is larger than that of convective rain by a factor of 1.7. Maximum peaks of both convective rain and stratiform rain precede the minimum peak of the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) anomaly which is often used as a proxy for the MJO convection. Stratiform rain remains longer than convective rain until ∼4000 km behind the peak of the mature phase. The stratiform rain contribution results in the top-heavy heating profile of the MJO.Associated with the MJO, there are tri-pole convective rain top heights (RTH) at 10–11, ∼7 and ∼3 km, corresponding to the dominance of afternoon showers, organized systems, and shallow convections, respectively. The stratiform rain is basically organized with convective rain, having similar but slightly lower RTH and slightly lags the convective rain maximum. It is notable that relatively moderate (∼7 km) RTH is dominant in the mature phase of the MJO, while very tall rainfall with RTH over 10 km and lightning frequency increase in the suppressed phase. The rain-yield-per flash (RPF) varies about 20–100% of the mean value of ∼2–10 × 10⁹ kg fl⁻¹ over the tropical warm ocean and that of ∼2–5 × 10⁹ kg fl⁻¹ over the equatorial Islands, between the convectively suppressed phase and the active phase of MJO, in the manner that RPF is smaller in the suppressed phase and larger in the active phase.     

Quasi-biennial oscillation signal detected in the stratospheric zonal wind at 55–65°N

北极极涡是一个存在于极区对流层中上层和平流层的大尺度气旋性环流系统,是极区大气运动的主要特征。赤道平流层风场的准两年振荡,可以对行星波的传播进行调制,从而对北极极涡的强度产生影响。为了定量描述,赤道平流层风场的准两年振荡对北极极涡的影响,我们对表征北极极涡强度的55–65°N纬度带平流层纬向风进行了分析,提取出了北极极涡中的准两年振荡信号,并发现了该信号的纬向不均一性,120–180°E为高值区,25–45°E为低值区。     

Analysis of temperature variability in the mountain regions of the North Caucasus in 1961–2013

Annual and seasonal series of temperature values are analyzed using the data of Akhty, Teberda, and Terskol weather stations (the height above the sea level is >1000 m) for 1961-2013 as well as from 1976 to 2013 in order to reveal changes in the mountain climate in the period of contemporary global warming. Mean values, standard deviations, norms, and anomalies of annual and seasonal values of temperature as well as the rate of their variation in the mentioned periods are obtained. It is found that the temperature rise is observed in all seasons and for the year as a whole at the mountain weather stations except Terskol station. According to the results of studying temperature variability, Akhty and Teberda weather stations were united into the group “mountain weather stations” with the subsequent averaging of climatic variables. Terskol weather station was singled out as an independent high-mountain weather station.     

Analysis of deep‐drogued satellite‐tracked drifter measurements in the northeast pacific

Abstract

We analyse the trajectories of 24 deep‐drogued, satellite‐tracked drifters launched between 50 and 52°N in the northeast Pacific during June and October 1987. Three aspects of the observed motions at the drogue depths of 100 to 120 m are studied: (i) the spatial structure of the mean and variance velocity fields; (ii) the dispersion and eddy diffusion characteristics of the fluctuating motions; and (iii) the properties of selected mesoscale eddies.

The mean Lagrangian velocity field is consistent with the mean flow pattern derived from the historical dynamic height topography. Fluctuating motions within the region are dominated by mesoscale eddies and meanders. Several instances of persistent O(100 days) westward flowing countercurrents were also observed. Based on the Lagrangian integral time‐ and length scales, drifter motions become decorrelated within a period of 10 days and a separation of 100 km. The mean zonal and meridional integral time‐scales of 4.5 and 3.6 days, respectively, are nearly identical with those obtained by Krauss and Böning (1987) from deep‐drogued drifter tracks in the North Atlantic. Because of the relatively small (<100 cm² s^?2) kinetic energy values in the northeast Pacific, the corresponding mean Lagrangian length scales of 29.4 and 29.9 km are roughly half those for the Atlantic.

The observed drifter dispersion is generally consistent with Taylor's (1921) theory for single‐particle dispersion in homogeneous isotropic turbulence. Estimates obtained using 476 pseudo‐drifter tracks generated from the original records indicate that the dispersion increases linearly with time, t, within the first 3 to 5 days of launch and subsequently increases as t^1/2 (the random‐walk regime) within 10 days of launch. The respective peak zonal and meridional eddy diffusion coefficients of 4.1 × and 3.8 × 10⁷ cm² s^?1 are reached within 30 days of deployment. Similar estimates for the peak eddy diffusivities are obtained using dispersion curves for sets of 4 drifters launched at the same location during the June and October deployments. The dispersion of these clusters followed an exponential rather than a t^1/2 dependence over the first 70 days after release.

Eddies are predominantly clockwise rotary and are characterized by radii of 26 ± 16 km, periods of rotation of 16.0 ± 5.2 days, and azimuthal current speeds of 12.7 ± 8.6 cm s^?1. One eddy was tracked for over 10 months. Oceanographic data collected during the October deployment period showed the eddies have vertical extents of 500 to 700 m and are linked to isotherm depressions of over 100 m in the main pycnocline. All eddies in the bifurcation zone propagate to the west at roughly 1.5 ± 0.4 cm s^?1 counter to the prevailing mean flow and winds. These speeds are consistent with the westward phase speeds of first mode baroclinic planetary (Rossby) waves.     

The winterstorm “Vivian” of 27 February 1990: About the meteorological development,wind forces and damage situation in the forests of Switzerland

Summary During the months January and February 1990 a series of severe cyclones were responsible for enormous wind-induced damage in Europe. The final of this series, on 27 February 1990, cyclone Vivian mainly affected the alpine valleys of Switzerland. 5 Millions m³ of timber were felled by the severe winds, a record number in this century. A complete damage survey of the deforested areas offers in combination with meteorological data an unique data set for a detailed case study of this extreme event.This paper describes the general meteorological development from the synoptic scale down to the mesoscale of Switzerland and presents a general overview of the damage situation. The main results show that a rare situation of a straight frontal zone stretching over the whole Atlantic Ocean and showing a strong gradient in temperature pointed directly toward Central-Europe. Two waves formed along this elongated polar front and deepend rapidly to depressions. The first low travelled on the southernmost trajectory of the whole storm series and affected Switzerland most. North of the Alps the prefrontal warm air was blocked to the east by the arriving coldfront and had to escape into the complex terrain of the alpine valleys. There, the stormy winds were strengthened by channelizing and Föhn effects. The large temperature gradient between the prefrontal and the incoming air masses induced thunderstorm activity which vortices and downdrafts might have enhanced locally. As a result most of the damaged forested areas were found between 1200 and 1600 m MSL on slopes, which were mainly exposed toward the prevailing NW-winds. A comparison of extreme wind speeds for the period 1978–1992 revealed that this event's extreme high speed of 74.5 m/s, measured at a high elevated pass station in the mountains, was exceptional. For lower elevated stations the wind speeds were high but in the range of other observed extreme values. In addition to the severe wind forces the duration of sustained high wind speed was exceptionally long during February 1990.With 16 Figures     

Vertical behaviour and meteorological properties of air masses in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (1997–2007)

Air masses are characterized by physical (temperature, humidity) and chemical (transported gases and aerosols) properties, being associated their arrival to different meteorological scenarios. The knowledge of the air masses over a region is fundamental as complementary information in several atmospheric studies, being the calculation of back-trajectory the most widely used tool whenever air masses are analyzed. A study of air masses has been carried out in southwestern Iberian Peninsula using 5-day kinematic back trajectories computed by the HYSPLIT model at three heights (500, 1,500 and 3,000 m) from 1997 to 2007. The main aims have been to characterize their vertical behaviour and their thermal and humidity properties. Thirteen trajectory clusters have been defined, showing the northerly and westerly clusters a high coupling degree. Seasonal daily variation of potential temperature and specific humidity has been analyzed, obtaining higher differences among clusters in the cold season.     

Trend in chemical composition of precipitation during 2005–2009 at a rural station of Bhubaneswar, eastern India

Precipitation samples collected during 2005–2009 from a rural forest station of Bhubaneswar were analyzed for their chemical composition. The samples were collected through a wet-only (WO) collector and two bulk (B1 and B2) collectors. The ions were evenly balanced indicating good data quality. The overall pH of rainwater was slightly acidic and ~47% of all rain events during the period were acidic (pH?<?5.6). Multilinear regression analysis showed relation between the free acidity (H⁺) and other components in rainwater. Enrichment factors (EF) of the major components with respect to their sources such as marine and crustal were calculated. Maximum EF was observed for NO ₃ ^? for both marine and crustal sources for all the three collectors. Source apportionments were also carried for the ions. Trend analysis showed continuous increase in most of the ions over years during the study period driven by anthropogenic emissions. Statistical/factorial analysis established correlation among different ions.     

Influences of meteorological conditions on interannual variations of particulate matter pollution during winter in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei area

To investigate the interannual variations of particulate matter (PM) pollution in winter, this paper examines the pollution characteristics of PM with aerodynamic diameters of less than 2.5 and 10 μm (i.e., PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), and their relationship to meteorological conditions over the Beijing municipality, Tianjin municipality, and Hebei Province—an area called Jing–Jin–Ji (JJJ, hereinafter)—in December 2013–16. The meteorological conditions during this period are also analyzed. The regional average concentrations of PM_2.5 (PM₁₀) over the JJJ area during this period were 148.6 (236.4), 100.1 (166.4), 140.5 (204.5), and 141.7 (203.1) μg m^–3, respectively. The high occurrence frequencies of cold air outbreaks, a strong Siberian high, high wind speeds and boundary layer height, and low temperature and relative humidity, were direct meteorological causes of the low PM concentration in December 2014. A combined analysis of PM pollution and meteorological conditions implied that control measures have resulted in an effective improvement in air quality. Using the same emissions inventory in December 2013–16, a modeling analysis showed emissions of PM_2.5 to decrease by 12.7%, 8.6%, and 8.3% in December 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively, each compared with the previous year, over the JJJ area.     

Upwelling characteristics in the Peter the Great Bay in fall-winter season of 1999–2000

The intermediate water upwelling zone is discovered in November and December in the Peter the Great Bay (the Sea of Japan) on the basis of the data of the repeated hydrological section along 132° E. Taking account of the two-layer density field structure obtained from the observational data and applying the corresponding upwelling model [20], its main characteristics are computed. The upwelling zone width amounts to 6.2 km, the stratification destruction time is 69 h, and the vertical speed component is 4.3 × 10⁻² cm/s. The upwelling zone is clearly pronounced both at the temperature and salinity fields and at the biogenic element field.     

Climatology of thunderstorms in the Baltic countries, 1951–2000

This paper provides an overview of the thunderstorm climate of the Baltic countries during the period of 1951–2000. Our study area is in northeastern Europe and encompasses Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Visual thunderstorm observations at 59 weather stations were used as a data source. The mean annual number of thunderstorm days was 12–29.5. The seasonal cycle of thunderstorm hours with a daily step unexpectedly showed two maxima, whereas the monthly numbers of thunderstorm days had one clear mid-latitude specific peak between June and August. The diurnal cycle of thunderstorm hours showed a peak between 1400 and 1800 local time and a minimum between 0400 and 1000 hours local time. The average annual duration of thunderstorm events was 112 min. The average number of thunderstorm events per thunderstorm day was around 1.1–1.2. Our results showed that the thunderstorm climate of the Baltic countries generally resembles that of other mid-latitude study sites.