Time variability of the total methane content in the atmosphere over the vicinity of St. Petersburg

The results of measuring the methane content in the entire atmospheric thickness over the St. Petersburg region are given for 1991–2007. It is shown that, within this period, the mean annual cycle of the total methane content is characterized by its maximum values in December–January and its minimum values in June–August when the annual-cycle amplitude amounts to ∼3.6%. In this case, the annual variations in the total methane content may differ significantly from the mean annual cycle obtained in some years. A statistically significant linear trend of the total CH₄ content has not been revealed for 1991–2007. The obtained values of the linear-trend index have opposite signs in the winter and summer months (positive for January 0.6 ± 0.2%/year and February 0.4 ± 0.2%/year and negative for July 0.3 ± 0.2%/year and August 0.2 ± 0.1%/year). This fact suggests the tendency for an increase in the amplitude of the annual cycle of the total CH₄ content. The results of a spectral analysis of a series of data on the total CH₄ content show that, for 1991–2007, the following harmonics are pronounced with a confidence of 95%: 12 months (annual harmonic), 32 months (quasi-biennial oscillations), and 55 months (4.5 years), which are also pronounced in the series of meteorological parameters and total ozone content.     

Assessment of the influence of air invasions from the upper troposphere on the CO total column amount in the St. Petersburg region

The influence of air invasions from the upper troposphere on the CO total column amount is studied on the basis of spectroscopic measurements of the CO total column amount, backward trajectories of air-mass motions (the HYSPLIT model), and meteorological data. It is shown that the observed invasions of substratospheric and upper-troposphere air masses determine the minimum CO total column amount in late January-late March. The invasion of air masses from the upper troposphere can result in a decrease in the CO total column amount to 30% (of its mean values). Using January 31, 2000, as an example, we show the influence of the invasion of Arctic air masses from the upper troposphere on the CO total column amount in the St. Petersburg region: the results of measurements of the CO total column amount in the St. Petersburg region and at the Kiruna polar station (NDACC) are in agreement to within 1% if the vertical transport of air masses is taken into account. Thus, for a correct combined analysis of measurement data on the CO total column amount for different observation stations, it is necessary to use data on air-mass trajectories.     

Ground-based measurements of total column of hydrogen chloride in the atmosphere near St. Petersburg

We present ground-based spectroscopic measurements of the total hydrogen chloride in the atmosphere of Peterhof near St. Petersburg from April 2009 to March 2012. The well-known computer code SFIT-2 (Zephyr-2) was used to interpret the spectra of the solar IR radiation. The random and systematic errors of total column (TC) HCl measurements did not exceed 3.8 and 4.5%. The seasonal behavior of TC HCl in Peterhof is characterized by the presence of a maximum in March–April and a minimum in October–November. There are also extremely small TC HCl values in January–February. The time behavior obtained for Peterhof agrees well with data from nearest stations in the NDACC international network. The ground-based measurements of the TC HCl were compared with satellite measurements with the help of ACE-FTS and MLS instruments. The direct comparisons of coincident (within a day) and collocated (within 500 km) satellite and ground-based measurements showed a correspondence of results within their total errors.     

Analysis of the quasi-biennial variability of carbon monoxide total column

On the basis of satellite observations of column carbon monoxide (CO) and total ozone (TO), an analysis has been performed of the connection of the interannual variability of CO with the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of the equatorial stratospheric wind and the QBO of total ozone. It is found that the CO total colomn over most of the globe in the westerly phase of the QBO is greater than that in the easterly phase. The global distribution of the CO QBO amplitudes exhibits a local maximum over Indonesia, where the peak-to-peak amplitude of the CO QBO signal averages 15% of the local annual mean CO in this region. Analysis shows that the QBOs of CO are well synchronized with the QBO of wind at 50 hPa. At the same time, a joint analysis of the characteristics of the CO QBO and TO QBO demonstrates no direct photochemical coupling between of the quasi-biennial variations of TO and CO.     

Time variations of the total CO content in the atmosphere near St. Petersburg

We analyzed measurements of the total carbon monoxide (CO) content in the atmosphere in the region of St. Petersburg (59.88°N, 29.83° E; 20 m above sea level) in the period from 1995 to 2009. The average annual behavior for the entire measurement period has a maximum in February–March and a minimum in July with an amplitude of ～20%. In the absence of strong forest fires in the European part of the Russian Federation and Siberia, the annual minimum of the total CO content is usually recorded in August–September. In winter 1995–2009 (November–January), there was a decrease in the total CO content with a gradual shift in the maximum of the annual behavior from January (1995–1999) to February (2000–2004) and March (2005–2009). The total CO content in January–February 2009 was ～20% lower than the multiyear average level. Estimates of the linear trend for the maximum, minimum, and average values for the period of 1996–2009 showed an absence of statistically significant long-term changes in the total CO content. A spectral analysis of data showed that the spectral components with periods of 12, 14, 17, 24, and 46 months are extracted with 80% confidence. It is shown that the irregular component of the time series of the total CO content (calculated for the period from May to September) agrees well with data on the areas of the forest fires and on the volume of the burnt forest and that 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, and 2009 can be considered “background” years with the least numbers of forest fires.     

Spectroscopic measurements of total CFC-11 freon in the atmosphere near St. Petersburg

On the basis of ground based measurements of the infrared spectra of solar radiation with a high spectral resolution, estimates of total CFC-11 freon content in the atmosphere near St. Petersburg in January and May 2009 have been yielded in Russia for the first time. These data are conformed to various independent measurements within the limits of spectroscopic measurement errors.     

Nitrogen dioxide in the air basin of St. Petersburg: Remote measurements and numerical simulation

The results of ground-based and satellite spectroscopic measurements of the tropospheric NO₂ content near St. Petersburg in January–March 2006 are presented. It is shown that the increased concentrations of NO₂ observed in St. Petersburg and its vicinities in this period were caused by NO₂ accumulation due to unfavorable weather conditions, which is confirmed by an analysis of meteorological data and the results of a numerical simulation of the dispersion of urban air pollutants. Data from satellite and ground-based measurements agree with each other satisfactorily (a correlation coefficient of 0.5) and with model calculations of tropospheric NO₂ conducted for the coordinates of a station of ground-based measurements (a correlation coefficient of 0.6). The HYSPLIT dispersion model also made it possible to estimate the scale of the NO₂ spatial-temporal variability in the near-surface layer in the vicinities of St. Petersburg.     

Variation of Carboneceous Atmospheric Aerosol Near St. Petersburg

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The results of 5-year (2013–2017) measurements of organic (OC) and elemental (EC) carbon aerosol fractions observed at the atmospheric monitoring...     

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%.     

Analysis of variability of the CO, NO2, and O3 contents in the troposphere near St. Petersburg

The space-time variability of the fields of CO, NO₂, and O₃ concentrations and contents in the troposphere of northwestern Russia is analyzed on the basis of experimental data and the results of numerical modeling. The influence that the St. Petersburg emission has on the concentrations and contents of CO, NO₂, and O₃ in the troposphere is estimated for March 2006. A comparison of the measurements of the total CO content and the tropospheric NO₂ content with the results of modeling showed a qualitative and, in come cases, quantitative agreement between the results of calculations and experimental data. When synoptic conditions are determined, the St. Petersburg train can be detected at a distance of more than 300 km, which can affect the atmospheric air quality in adjacent countries.     

Comparison of Ground-Based Measurement Results of Total Ozone near St. Petersburg

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - This paper compares the results of ground-based measurements of the total ozone content (TOC) near St. Petersburg for the period of 2009–2020. The...     

Estimates of Trends of Climatically Important Atmospheric Gases Near St. Petersburg

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Total column amounts (TCAs) of various climatically important atmospheric gases have been determined in Peterhof for the period between 2009 and 2018....     

Revealing Paleoseismic Dislocations in the Region of St. Petersburg Based on Remote-Sensing Data

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The intensity of paleoearthquakes in the territory under study has been estimated by two methods: from the maximum displacement of Quaternary rocks...     

Experimental Estimates of Integral Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions in the City of St. Petersburg

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The increase in the content of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O, etc.) in the Earth’s atmosphere is changing the radiation balance and leading to...     

Cloud condensation nuclei activity of the Aitken mode particles near St. Petersburg,Russia

Aitken mode atmospheric particles largely control the formation and transformation of cloud systems, which in turn have an effect on their radiative properties. In this paper, a measurement technique for the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity of monodisperse particles is described and the measurement data (results) obtained for monodisperse aerosol fractions with diameters of 60, 80, and 100 nm are presented. The measurements were performed during March and April 2014 at the urban background station located in a suburban area of St. Petersburg. The CCN concentration in the water-vapor supersaturation range of 0.1–1.1% and the cloud particle activation parameters were determined. The fraction of active particles capable to serve as CCN is found to be less than 33%, which is characteristic of anthropogenic aerosols containing hydrophobic organic components. Based on the measurement data, the hygroscopicity parameter κ characterizing the chemical composition effect on condensational properties of particles has been determined. During the measurement campaign, the value of the hygroscopicity parameter varied between 0.1 and 0.8. The lower limit of κ corresponds to organic species and its higher values occurs due to presence of hygroscopically active inorganic species in particles. The average value of κ was estimated to be 0.34 ± 0.19, which is in good agreement with literature data obtained for megapolises and European continental aerosols.     

Analysis of the Variability of Stratospheric Gases Near St. Petersburg Using Ground-Based Spectroscopic Measurements

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Ozone anomalies that occur in the winter–spring period in the Northern Hemisphere have been increasingly observed in recent decades not only in...     

Interannual and seasonal variations in ozone in different atmospheric layers over St. Petersburg based on observational data and numerical modeling

This paper analyzes atmospheric ozone variability at different altitudes over St. Petersburg for the period 2009–2014 on the basis of surface observations at the Peterhof station, satellite measurements with an SBUV instrument, and numerical simulations. Simulation data on temperature, wind velocity, humidity, and surface pressure are taken from the MERRA reanalysis database. Based on ozone measurements, numerical modeling, and reanalysis data, characteristics of ozone seasonal and interannual changes are identified; the role of photochemical and dynamic factors in ozone variations is estimated.     

Variations in the column-average dry-air mole fractions of CO2 in the vicinity of St. Petersburg

The results obtained from ground-based spectroscopic measurements of column-average dry-air mole fractions of CO₂ in the atmosphere over the St. Petersburg region are given for the period April 2009–October 2011 (～900 measurement runs, 151 measurement days). These results show significant variations in the CO₂ mixing ratio in the atmosphere over the St. Petersburg region. The minimum value of this mixing ratio (373.1 ppm) was observed on April 27, 2011, and its maximum value (420.8 ppm) was observed on February 10, 2010. The typical seasonal behavior of the CO₂ mixing ratio with its summer minimum was observed in 2009. In July 2010 and 2011, the values of the CO₂ mixing ratio increased apparently due to high air temperatures. In 2010 an additional contribution to this increase in the CO₂ mixing ratio could have been made by strong natural fires.