Concentration of surface ozone, Obninsk, 2004–2010

The results of measurements of surface ozone in central European Russia in 2004–2010 are presented. The variation coefficient for hourly, monthly, and annual mean ozone concentrations is 78, 26, and 12%, respectively. The measurements established a link between increased (>60 μg/m³) and minimum (<12 μg/m³) hourly mean ozone concentrations with the existence of a temperature inversion in the lower 300-m atmospheric layer. Sixty-seven percent of the total number of increased hourly mean ozone concentrations over the 2004–2010 period took place in 2010. A maximum hourly mean ozone concentration of 218.5 μg/m³ was recorded at 17:00 on August 1, 2010. The annual mean ozone concentration in a climatically significant range of hourly mean concentrations from 12 to 60 μg/m³ increased by 45% in a linear approximation over the period of record. The spectral analysis of monthly mean concentrations of surface ozone identified composite oscillations with periods from 3 to 60 months. To approximate the temporal dynamics of ozone, a statistical model was used. This model satisfactorily describes the experimental monthly and annual mean concentrations.     

Prognostic estimations of the atmospheric ozone content in the first half of the 21st century

New prognostic estimates are obtained for the potential variability of the atmospheric ozone content in the first half of the 21st century. The calculations are based on models of gas composition and general circulation in the lower and middle atmosphere and on the scenarios of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It is shown that the rate of ozone content increase will be controlled to a considerable extent by variations in stratospheric temperature. Even though the contents of atmospheric chlorine and bromine are not reduced, contrary to the WMO prediction, and remain at the present-day levels, the continuation of stratospheric cooling will lead to a rapid recovery of the ozone content to its level characteristic of the 1980s. Model experiments on variations in the stratospheric aerosol content have shown that an increase in the aerosol concentration will not affect the rate of ozone recovery in the atmosphere during reduced emissions of chlorine and bromine gases if the stratospheric temperature remains lowered. Numerical experiments have also shown that the simultaneous anthropogenic action on the contents of halogen gases and on the lower-stratosphere temperature can reduce the adverse effects of Freons and halons on the ozone layer.     

Study of Ozone Layer Variability near St. Petersburg on the Basis of SBUV Satellite Measurements and Numerical Simulation (2000–2014)

A comparison between the numerical simulation results of ozone fields with different experimental data makes it possible to estimate the quality of models for their further use in reliable forecasts of ozone layer evolution. We analyze time series of satellite (SBUV) measurements of the total ozone column (TOC) and the ozone partial columns in two atmospheric layers (0–25 and 25–60 km) and compare them with the results of numerical simulation in the chemistry transport model (CTM) for the low and middle atmosphere and the chemistry climate model EMAC. The daily and monthly average ozone values, short-term periods of ozone depletion, and long-term trends of ozone columns are considered; all data sets relate to St. Petersburg and the period between 2000 and 2014. The statistical parameters (means, standard deviations, variations, medians, asymmetry parameter, etc.) of the ozone time series are quite similar for all datasets. However, the EMAC model systematically underestimates the ozone columns in all layers considered. The corresponding differences between satellite measurements and EMAC numerical simulations are (5 ± 5)% and (7 ± 7)% and (1 ± 4)% for the ozone column in the 0–25 and 25–60 km layers, respectively. The correspondent differences between SBUV measurements and CTM results amount to (0 ± 7)%, (1 ± 9)%, and (–2 ± 8)%. Both models describe the sudden episodes of the ozone minimum well, but the EMAC accuracy is much higher than that of the CTM, which often underestimates the ozone minima. Assessments of the long-term linear trends show that they are close to zero for all datasets for the period under study.     

A New Way to Study Water-Vapor Absorption Coefficient

In the visible spectrum, the atmospheric attenuations to sunlight mainly include aerosol scattering, atmospheric molecule Rayleigh scattering and ozone absorption, while in the near-infrared spectrum （from 650 nm to 1 000 nm）, we must take water-vapor absorption into account. Based on the atmospheric correction theory, using spectrum irradiance data measured by Instantaneous Ground spectrometer, ozone content measured by Microtops Ⅱ ozone monitor, water-vapor content and aerosol optical thickness measured by sun photometer, we give a new way to study water-vapor absorption to sunlight, and the result shows that the main peak values of water-vapor absorption coefficients are 0.025 cm^-1, 0.073 cm^-1, 0.124 cm^-1, 0.090 cm^-1, 0.141 cm^-1 and 0.417 cm^-1, which respectively lie at 692 nm, 725 nm, 761 nm, 818 nm, 912 nm and 937 nm.     

Reduction of short-lived atmospheric pollutant emissions as an alternative strategy for climate-change moderation

The current state of studies on short-lived atmospheric constituents (greenhouse gases and aerosols) is reviewed. They have short atmospheric lifetimes (from several days to a few years) and can significantly affect the environment and climate. We propose reducing the emissions of these constituents as an alternative to the reduction of man-made carbon dioxide releases. We consider methane, hydrofluorocarbons, tropospheric ozone, and various aerosols (primarily, black carbon); discuss their atmospheric sources and destruction mechanisms; evaluate their content, atmospheric emissions, and climate impacts; and recommend efficient actions for the nearest future.     

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.     

基于遥感的海表紫外辐射强度反演方法

Ultraviolet(UV) radiation has a significant influence on marine biological processes and primary productivity;however, the existing ocean color satellite sensors seldom contain UV bands. A look-up table of wavelengthintegrated UV irradiance(280–400 nm) on the sea surface is established using the coupled ocean atmosphere radiative transfer(COART) model. On the basis of the look-up table, the distributions of the UV irradiance at middle and low latitudes are inversed by using the satellite-derived atmospheric products from the Aqua satellite,including aerosol optical thickness at 550 nm, ozone content, liquid water path, and the total precipitable water.The validation results show that the mean relative difference of the 10 d rolling averaged UV irradiance between the satellite retrieval and field observations is 8.20% at the time of satellite passing and 13.95% for the daily dose of UV. The monthly-averaged UV irradiance and daily dose of UV retrieved by satellite data show a good correlation with the in situ data, with mean relative differences of 6.87% and 8.43%, respectively. The sensitivity analysis of satellite inputs is conducted. The liquid water path representing the condition of cloud has the highest effect on the retrieval of the UV irradiance, while ozone and aerosol have relatively lesser effect. The influence of the total precipitable water is not significant. On the basis of the satellite-derived UV irradiance on the sea surface, a preliminary simple estimation of ultraviolet radiation's effects on the global marine primary productivity is presented, and the results reveal that ultraviolet radiation has a non-negligible effect on the estimation of the marine primary productivity.     

Comparing data obtained from ground-based measurements of the total contents of O<Subscript>3</Subscript>, HNO<Subscript>3</Subscript>,HCl,and NO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and from their numerical simulation

Chemistry climate models of the gas composition of the atmosphere make it possible to simulate both space and time variations in atmospheric trace-gas components (TGCs) and predict their changes. Both verification and improvement of such models on the basis of a comparison with experimental data are of great importance. Data obtained from the 2009–2012 ground-based spectrometric measurements of the total contents (TCs) of a number of TGCs (ozone, HNO₃, HCl, and NO₂) in the atmosphere over the St. Petersburg region (Petergof station, St. Petersburg State University) have been compared to analogous EMAC model data. Both daily and monthly means of their TCs for this period have been analyzed in detail. The seasonal dependences of the TCs of the gases under study are shown to be adequately reproduced by the EMAC model. At the same time, a number of disagreements (including systematic ones) have been revealed between model and measurement data. Thus, for example, the EMAC model underestimates the TCs of NO₂, HCl, and HNO₃, when compared to measurement data, on average, by 14, 22, and 35%, respectively. However, the TC of ozone is overestimated by the EMAC model (on average, by 12%) when compared to measurement data. In order to reveal the reasons for such disagreements between simulated and measured data on the TCs of TGCs, it is necessary to continue studies on comparisons of the contents of TGCs in different atmospheric layers.     

Simulation of the impact of thunderstorm activity on atmospheric gas composition

A chemistry-climate model of the lower and middle atmosphere has been used to estimate the sensitivity of the atmospheric gas composition to the rate of thunderstorm production of nitrogen oxides at upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric altitudes. The impact that nitrogen oxides produced by lightning have on the atmospheric gas composition is treated as a subgrid-scale process and included in the model parametrically. The natural uncertainty in the global production rate of nitrogen oxides in lightning flashes was specified within limits from 2 to 20 Tg N/year. Results of the model experiments have shown that, due to the variability of thunderstorm-produced nitrogen oxides, their concentration in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere can vary by a factor of 2 or 3, which, given the influence of nitrogen oxides on ozone and other gases, creates the potential for a strong perturbation of the atmospheric gas composition and thermal regime. Model calculations have shown the strong sensitivity of ozone and the OH hydroxyl to the amount of lightning nitrogen oxides at different atmospheric altitudes. These calculations demonstrate the importance of nitrogen oxides of thunderstorm origin for the balance of atmospheric odd ozone and gases linked to it, such as ozone and hydroxyl radicals. Our results demonstrate that one important task is to raise the accuracy of estimates of the rate of nitrogen oxide production by lightning discharges and to use physical parametrizations that take into account the local lightning effects and feedbacks arising in this case rather than climatological data in models of the gas composition and general circulation of the atmosphere.     

热红外波段大气透过率和程辐射的估算方法

文中对M ONTRAN模型内嵌6种大气模式的主要特性差异进行分析,并以中纬度夏季大气模式为例,分析了主要参数(如水汽、臭氧以及气温等)对估算热红外波段大气透过率和程辐射的影响。论文最后对利用探空数据构造完整大气模式进行了研究。     

Dynamics of surface-air pollution during the passage of a cold front

The dynamics of meteorological parameters, of sodar data on the temperature stratification of the atmospheric boundary layer, and of surface contents of pollutants (nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and ozone) during the passage over Moscow of a structurally complex prominent cold front are discussed. It is shown that the cold front passage is accompanied by stepwise increases in the NO, NO₂, and CO surface contents. A probable cause of this phenomenon is a quick entrainment of smoke plumes from high-altitude sources of pollution into the surface turbulent air near the frontal boundary. Intense advection of cold air at the rear of the cyclone can lead to the development of an unstable stratification in the atmospheric boundary layer even in the nighttime. Under these conditions, the minute-scale variability of contents of trace gases increases abruptly as compared to that occurring in the frontal zone of the cyclone prior to the passage of the front. This effect is statistically significant. The dynamics of surface ozone reflects an increase in its background concentrations in arctic air masses.     

The concentration and distribution of dimethyl sulfide in the marine atmospheric boundary layer near the equator

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Simulation of climate change induced by injection of sulfur compounds into the stratosphere

An atmosphere-ocean general circulation model including the atmospheric chemistry and carbon cycle was used to perform numerical experiments to simulate the consequences of geoengineering. Out of the five emission scenarios considered here, the scenario where the injection of sulfur compounds occurs near the equator at an altitude between 22 and 24 km can be considered the most efficient in the sense of a maximum decrease in globally averaged surface temperature. We consider the equilibrium distribution of the sulfate aerosol and changes in temperature at the Earth’s surface and at different altitudes, in precipitation, in ozone concentration, and in primary plant productivity caused by geoengineering.     

Effect of certain geo-and heliophysical factors on the variability of ozone and UV irradiance fields in the tropics

The variability of the fields of the total ozone content (TOC) and UV erythemal irradiance in the tropical region (30°S–30°N) is studied. The fields of monthly means of the TOC and erythemal irradiance that are based on the TOMS 8 and SBUV 8 satellite observations over the period from 1979 through 2003, with preliminarily eliminated the linear trend and the seasonal cycle, were used as the initial data. The application of the method of empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) to analysis of initial series made it possible to identify the characteristic spatial and temporal patterns in the fields of TOC and UV-irradiance anomalies that are closely related to solar activity and elements of the atmospheric general circulation, such as the quasi-biennial oscillation and El Niño (La Niña) phenomena. Quantitative estimates and analysis of the fields of TOC and UV-irradiance variations are presented in the study. The revealed spatial, temporal, and phase relations of the fields of ozone variations to some geo-and heliophysical factors are used in the regression model proposed for estimating monthly means of TOC in the tropics and based on the EOF decomposition.     

Variations in the total column amounts of carbon monoxide and methane in the Antarctic atmosphere

The results of measuring the total contents of carbon monoxide and methane via the method of solar-absorption spectroscopy are presented. The measurements were performed at the Molodezhnaya Station in 1977–1978, at the Mirny Observatory from 1982 to 1992, and at the Novolazarevskaya Station from 2003 to 2006. The character of seasonal variations in the contents of these gases in the Antarctic atmosphere is described and compared to the intra-annual variation of their surface concentrations measured at the Syowa Station (Japan). Synchronous intra-annual variations in the contents of carbon monoxide in the atmospheric column and in its surface concentrations are observed, while the spring maximum content of methane is observed three months after the maximum of its surface concentration. Synchronous seasonal variations in the total content of methane and ozone are observed, which makes it possible to suggest that the Antarctic circumpolar vortex has a significant influence on the characteristics of the vertical distribution of methane during Antarctic spring. Quantitative estimates of the parameters of multiyear variations in the contents of CO and CH₄ are given. The content of methane was increasing (although with different rates) during the entire observation period 1977–2006. The content of CO was observed to increase until 1992 and to decrease during 2003–2006.     

Simulation of changes in global ozone and atmospheric dynamics in the 21st century with the chemistry-climate model SOCOL

The solar climate ozone links (SOCOL) three-dimensional chemistry-climate model is used to estimate changes in the ozone and atmospheric dynamics over the 21st century. With this model, four numerical time-slice experiments were conducted for 1980, 2000, 2050, and 2100 conditions. Boundary conditions for sea-surface temperatures, sea-ice parameters, and concentrations of greenhouse and ozone-depleting gases were set following the IPCC A1B scenario and the WMO A1 scenario. From the model results, a statistically significant cooling of the model stratosphere was obtained to be 4–5 K for 2000–2050 and 3–5 K for 2050–2100. The temperature of the lower atmosphere increases by 2–3 K over the 21st century. Tropospheric heating significantly enhances the activity of planetary-scale waves at the tropopause. As a result, the Eliassen-Palm flux divergence considerable increases in the middle and upper stratosphere. The intensity of zonal circulation decreases and the meridional residual circulation increases, especially in the winter-spring period of each hemisphere. These dynamic changes, along with a decrease in the concentrations of ozone-depleting gases, result in a faster growth of O₃ outside the tropics. For example, by 2050, the total ozone in the middle and high latitudes approaches its model level of 1980 and the ozone hole in Antarctica fills up. The superrecovery of the model ozone layer in the middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres occurs in 2100. The tropical ozone layer recovers far less slowly, reaching a 1980 level only by 2100.     

Ground-Level Ozone Concentration and the Health Status in Various Age Groups of Muscovites in Summer 2010

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - An elevation of the ozone level in surface air due to climate change and increasing atmospheric pollution can lead to an increase in the morbidity and...     

气候模式中海洋数据同化对热带降水偏差的影响

本文采用海洋卫星观测海表温度(SST)和海面高度异常(SLA)数据,对国家海洋局第一海洋研究所地球系统模式FIO-ESM(First Institute of Oceanography Earth System Model version 1.0)中海洋模式分量进行了集合调整卡尔曼滤波(EAKF)同化,对比分析了大气环流、湿度和云量对海洋数据同化的响应,探讨了海洋同化对热带降水模拟偏差的影响。结果表明:海洋数据同化能有效改善海表温度和上层海洋热含量的模拟,30°S~30°N纬度带内年平均SST的绝均差降低60%。同化后大气模式模拟的赤道两侧信风得到明显改善,上升气流在赤道以北热带地区增强而在赤道以南热带地区减弱,热带降水模拟的动力结构更为合理,水汽和云量分布也更切合实际。热带年平均降水的空间分布和强度在同化后均得到改善,赤道以南的纬向年平均降水峰值显著降低,降水偏差明显减小,同化后30°S~30°N纬度带内年平均降水绝均差降低35%。     

Russian studies of atmospheric ozone in 2011–2014

This review contains the most important results obtained in Russian studies on atmospheric ozone in 2011–2014. It is part of the Russian National Report on Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences that was prepared for the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS). This report was considered and approved at the XXVI General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG).¹ The list of Russian publications on atmospheric ozone and its precursors for 2011–2014 is appended to this review.     

Atmospheric trace gas measurements during SEEDS-II over the northwestern pacific

Atmospheric trace gas measurements were conducted during SEEDS-II. Atmospheric dimethylsulfide (DMS) was continuously measured by GC-MS during the R/V Hakuho cruise. Further, ambient air was sampled into canisters (42 samples) and analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID for various biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) after the cruise. CO, O₃, SO₂, and NOx were monitored continuously aboard the ship.A fertilization experiment was conducted in a high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) region (48°N, 165°E). The atmospheric concentrations inside a patch (fertilized area) were compared with those outside it (natural area); however, clear differences were not observed for biogenic trace gasses (DMS, CH₃Cl, CH₃I, isoprene, and alkenes) in the atmosphere. However, a high DMS concentration was observed over the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The fertilized area was also observed by R/V Kilo Moana, and DMS was measured by GC-FPD. A good agreement was observed between the results of the measurements made aboard the two independent ships by different measurement methods.The atmospheric SO₂ concentration was compared with the atmospheric DMS concentration. The SO₂ concentration was found to vary with the atmospheric DMS concentration. A diurnal variation of the atmospheric DMS concentration was observed around the fertilized region. The DMS content tends to increase during the night and decrease during the day. A box model calculation was conducted to explain the diurnal variation of the atmospheric DMS. Since there was no diurnal variation of the wind speed, a constant DMS flux from the ocean surface was assumed. Further, the atmospheric OH radical concentration was assumed to be dependent on sunlight. The box model can roughly reproduce the atmospheric DMS diurnal variation mainly caused by its removal reaction with OH radicals.