Effects of the equatorial quasi-biennial oscillation in the total ozone content over Russia

On the basis of ground-based measurements of total ozone content (TOC) over Russia and a number of neighboring states during 1973–2002, the amplitudes and phases of TOC variations caused by the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of wind in the equatorial stratosphere are estimated for different regions and for the whole area. The seasonal dependence of the QBO effect in the TOC is analyzed. It is shown that the magnitude and even the sign of the effect depend on the relation between the equatorial QBO phase and the season. The regional empirical models of seasonally dependent QBO effects are constructed. It is found that the seasonal dependence of regional effects accounts for 4% (in the north of the area) to 20% (in the south) of the interannual variability of the TOC. The relation between the QBO effect and the 11-year cycle of solar activity is analyzed. Significant differences are revealed in the effects under the conditions of maximum and minimum solar activity. The QBO effects obtained from observations at Russian stations, satellite measurements with a TOMS instrument, and spectrometric observations of the TOC at western European stations are compared, and their satisfactory agreement is shown. An analysis of the results suggests that the QBO effects in the TOC over Russia are caused by several interacting factors and apparently reflect their regional properties.     

Sudden stratospheric warmings: statistical characteristics and influence on NO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and O<Subscript>3</Subscript> total contents

Statistical characteristics of major and minor sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) for 1958–2015 are analyzed using data of NCEP-NCAR, ERA 40, and ERA-Interim reanalyses. Dependencies of the number of major SSWs with the displacement of the circumpolar stratospheric vortex and the number of minor SSWs on the phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of the equatorial stratospheric wind and on the level of solar activity (SA) in the 11-year solar cycle have been revealed. Major SSWs accompanied by a displacement of the polar vortex occur more often at a high level of SA and at the easterly phase of the QBO in the 50–40 hPa layer, while minor SSWs occur more often at a low SA level and at the westerly phase of the QBO. An analysis of spatiotemporal dynamics of the stratospheric polar vortex at major SSWs is performed. The most probable directions of vortex displacement caused by SSWs have been revealed. Influences of the major SSWs on the total contents of NO₂ and ozone, as well as on stratosphere temperature, are analyzed.     

Quasi-biennial variations in ozone and meteorological parameters over western Europe from ozonesonde data

Quasi-biennial variations in vertical profiles of ozone, temperature, air pressure, and zonal and meridional wind velocities are analyzed from ozonesonde data obtained at the western European stations of Lindenberg, Hohenpeissenberg, and Payerne. The effect of quasi-biennial variations manifests itself variously in different variables and is nonuniform in altitude. The period of quasi-biennial variations is not constant, and the values of the mean period group mainly around 2 and 2.5 years. As in the North American region, the effects of quasi-biennial variations in different parameters of the stratosphere and troposphere over western Europe are due to a combination of the effects of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the equatorial stratosphere, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The observed 2.5-year variations in stratospheric ozone are related to the equatorial QBO to a larger extent in comparison with variations in other variables. It seems likely that a determining influence on variations in stratospheric wind and temperature is exerted by the ENSO. Variations in tropospheric and stratospheric parameters with a mean period of about 2 years are due to the ENSO and NAO effects.     

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.     

Effect of the 11-year cycle of solar activity on characteristics of the total ozone annual variation

The goal of the paper is an analysis of changes in the amplitude and phase characteristics of the annual variation (AC) of total ozone (TO) from ground-based and satellite (TOMS) measurements and their interpretation with a two-dimensional photochemical model. According to ground-based TO measurements, two characteristic types of quasi-decadal variations in the phase of the annual harmonic (AH) of total ozone have been noted: variations in phase and antiphase with solar activity (SA). Changes in the TO AH phase opposite to solar activity variation are noted the high latitudes of the North Atlantic region and in the tropical belt, and in-phase changes are observed in the middle and subtropical latitudes of both hemispheres. Variations in the TO AH amplitude (hence, in the TO AV amplitude) and in the annual mean TO usually coincide in phase with the SA cycle. Analysis of satellite data shows that the 0-phase of the AV and the phase of the AH of the zonal mean TO at middle latitudes vary synchronously with the 11-year solar cycle. Model simulations have shown that the stratospheric ozone influx to the middle latitudes increases in the fall and winter period during a period of maximum solar activity. This dynamic mechanism accounts for up to 30% of the winter ozone increase in the ozone maximum layer in the Southern Hemisphere midlatitudes during the solar maximum as compared with the solar minimum. In the northern midlatitudes, the dynamic mechanism makes the main contribution to ozone changes during the latter half of winter under SA variations. The stratospheric ozone inflow change induced by SA variations affects the annual variation of ozone.     

Analysis of the influence that climatic variability has on the formation of the total-ozone-content field at extratropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere

Having applied the method of discriminant analysis to the TOMS data of satellite sounding of the total ozone content (TOC) in the March months of 1979–2008, the authors could make a new estimate of the TOC field variability in the Northern Hemisphere and interlongitudinal regularities of its changes under the action of climatic variability. The effects of temperature variations in the polar stratosphere, El Niño, and quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) have proven comparable and reach 80 DU in some regions. The influence of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) reaches 40 DU. The regions of TOC variations and their location and dimensions change depending on the phases of QBO, AO, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Three regions of increased TOC—over Europe, Eastern Siberia, and the Pacific Ocean—are formed in years with a warm stratosphere. A compensating TOC decrease takes place in the tropics and over Greenland. In the years of El Niño and the easterly QBO phase, the TOC increases over Europe and drops over the central Pacific, as well as to the south from 45° N. The AO controls the ozone growth over most of Eurasia at temperate latitudes and its weak drop over the Atlantic. It was impossible to obtain such quantitative estimates with the use of methods based on an independent analysis of the TOC series at individual points of the coordinate grid. Testing with the Monte Carlo method confirmed that the results obtained are significant with a probability of 95–99.9%.     

Analysis of the weekly cycle in the atmosphere near Moscow

Using the spectral method and the method of grouping by days of week, we analyzed the weekly cycles by standard air sounding data obtained at the Dolgoprudny station near Moscow and by the results of measurements of NO₂ content in the stratosphere and the atmospheric boundary layer at the Zvenigorod Research Station of the Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, in 1990–2010. We revealed weekly cycles of the NO₂ content in the vertical column of the stratosphere, temperature, geopotential, meridional wind velocity in the troposphere and lower stratosphere, and the tropopause height in the warm half of the year (mid-April to mid-October). The weekly variations in temperature in the troposphere are positive in the first half of the week and negative in the second half, and the variations in temperature in the tropopause layer and in the lower stratosphere are opposite in sign to the tropospheric variations. The weekly cycle of the tropopause height is approximately in phase with the cycle of tropospheric temperature, and the weekly cycle of the NO₂ content in the stratospheric column is opposite in phase to the cycle of the tropopause height. Weekly variations were also observed in the total ozone content over Moscow. This finding was confirmed by calculations based on regression relationships between the vertical distribution of ozone and tropopause height. Conceptual mechanisms of weekly cycles were proposed.     

Variations in the temperature and circulation of the atmosphere during the 11-year cycle of solar activity derived from the ERA-Interim reanalysis data

Using the data of the ERA-Interim reanalysis, we have obtained estimates of changes in temperature, the geopotential and its large-scale zonal harmonics, wind velocity, and potential vorticity in the troposphere and stratosphere of the Northern and Southern hemispheres during the 11-year solar cycle. The estimates have been obtained using the method of multiple linear regression. Specific features of response of the indicated atmospheric parameters to the solar cycle have been revealed in particular regions of the atmosphere for a whole year and depending on the season. The results of the analysis indicate the existence of a reliable statistical relationship of large-scale dynamic and thermodynamic processes in the troposphere and stratosphere with the 11-year solar cycle.     

Effect that jet streams have on the vertical ozone distribution and characteristics of tropopause inversion layer in the far east region

The paper describes a lidar and presents the results of lidar sensing of the vertical ozone distribution (VOD); the lidar measurements are analyzed together with data from a network of meteorological stations situated along the 132° E meridian. VODs over Primorye and Japan in the winter period are compared. An analysis showed that an interrelation exists between the subtropical jet stream and the structures of VOD and tropopause inversion layer. Specifically, the region of the VOD local maximum above the tropopause is in the upper part of the tropopause inversion layer and the width of the maximum depends on the distance from the core of the subtropical jet stream. It is found that the local ozone minimum in the lower stratosphere corresponds to the local minimum of the squared Brunt-Vaisala frequency within this same altitude range in the winter season, when two tropopauses frequently overlap. It is conjectured that the local ozone maximum and tropopause inversion layer may be associated with mixing processes in the layer where stratospheric and tropospheric circulation cells come into contact near the core of the subtropical jet stream.     

Seasonal features of quasi-biennial variations of NO<Subscript>2</Subscript> stratospheric content derived from ground-based measurements

Seasonal and latitudinal distributions of amplitudes of quasi-biennial variations in total NO₂ content (NO₂ TC), total ozone content (TOC), and stratospheric temperature are obtained. NO₂ TC data from ground-based spectrometric measurements within the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC), TOC data from satellite measurements, and stratospheric temperature data from ERA-Interim reanalysis are used for the analysis. The differences in the NO₂ TC diurnal cycles are identified between the westerly and easterly phases of the quasi-biennial oscillations (QBO) of equatorial stratospheric wind. The QBO effects in the NO₂ TC, TOC, and stratospheric temperature in the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) hemispheres are most significant in the winter–spring periods, with essential differences between the NH and SH. The NO₂ TC in the Antarctic is less for the westerly phase of the QBO than that for the easterly phase, and the NO₂ TC quasi-biennial variations in the SH mid-latitudes are opposite of the variations in the Antarctic. In the NH, the winter values of the NO₂ TC are generally less during the westerly QBO phase than during the easterly phase, whereas in spring, on the contrary, the values for the westerly QBO phase exceed those for the easterly phase. Along with NO₂, the features of the quasi-biennial variations of TOC and stratospheric temperature are discussed. Possible mechanisms of the quasi-biennial variations of the analyzed parameters are considered for the different latitudinal zones.     

Simulation of the quasi-biennial oscillations of the zonal wind in the equatorial stratosphere: Part I. Low-parameter models

The paper focuses on the simulation of the quasi-biennial oscillations (QBOs) of zonal velocity in the equatorial stratosphere. Low-parameter models are used to examine two mechanisms for excitation of the QBO: one through the interaction of planetary waves with the mean flow at critical levels and another through gravity-wave obliteration. The possible use of each of these mechanisms for generating the QBO is shown, the ranges of parameter values where this generation is possible are determined, and the dependences of the period and amplitude of the limit cycle on the model parameters are analyzed. A relative role of waves of different scales in the formation of the period of the oscillations of zonal wind is studied with a coupled model combining both mechanisms. The conditions that are required to reproduce the QBO in general circulation models are discussed.     

Spectral characteristics of quasi-biennial oscillations of the equatorial stratospheric wind and the problem of synchronization

Spectral characteristics of the quasi-biennial oscillations (QBO) of the zonal velocity in the equatorial stratosphere are investigated in this work on the basis of data from the NCEP/NCAR and ERA40 reanalyses and numerical experiments with the atmospheric general circulation (GCM) model developed at the Institute of Numerical Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences (INM RAS). The problem of synchronizing QBO and semiannual oscillations (SAO) of the zonal velocity in the mesosphere is considered. It is shown that the process of synchronization to multiples of SAO periods is identifiable in the transition region between QBO and SAO. For all heights where QBO exist, their synchronization with SAO is expressed in the calculation of the period in terms of differences between the westerly maxima. The INM RAS GCM model is shown to satisfactorily reproduce the main spectral characteristics of QBO and SAO, as well as specific features of the variability of the QBO period obtained from reanalysis data. The possibility of synchronization with SAO or the annual cycle in the upper layers is shown on the basis of an investigation of QBO models with a small number of parameters, both for the absorption mechanism of planetary waves by the mean flow and for the breaking of short gravity waves. The QBO formation from different wave types, together with SAO and the annual cycle, can be considered a unified system of oscillations in the circulation of the equatorial upper atmosphere.     

Spatio-Temporal Variability of the Phase of Total Ozone Quasi-Decennial Oscillations

The SBUV/SBUV2 (65° S–65° N) and Bodeker Scientific (90° S–90° N) satellite databases have been used for composite and cross-wavelet analyses of the spatio-temporal variability of phase relations between a 11-year cycle of solar activity (SA) and quasi-decennial oscillations (QDOs) of total ozone content (TOC). For globally average TOC values, the QDO maxima coincide in phase with the solar-activity maxima, and amplitude variations of TOC correlate with those of the 11-year solar cycle. According to the analysis of amplitude and phase of QDOs for the zonal average TOC fields, a QDO amplitude is about 6–7 Dobson Units (DU) in the high northern and southern latitudes, and it does not exceed 2–3 DU in the tropic regions. The latitudinal TOC variations are distinguished by a delay of the quasi-decennial oscillation phase in the southern latitudes in comparison with the northern latitudes. The TOC maxima phase coincides with the SA maxima phase in the tropic regions; the TOC variations go ahead of the SA variations, on average, in moderate and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere; the TOC variations are behind the SA variations in the Southern Hemisphere. The phase delay between TOC QDO maxima in the northern and southern latitudes appears to increase in the course of time, and the TOC quasi-decennial variations in the Arctic and Antarctic subpolar regions occur approximately in an antiphase over the last two decades.     

Variations in the surface ozone concentration in the atmosphere over Ulan-Ude

The results of regular measurements of the surface ozone concentration (SOC) in Ulan-Ude over an observation period of six years (1999–2004) are given. The maximum of daily variations in SOC is observed at local noon. The radiation regime is found to have a significant influence only on the minimum values in the SOC seasonal cycle. It is also found that the principal maxima of total ozone content (TOC) and SOC in the seasonal cycle are, on average, shifted by three months (the TOC maximum is reached at the end of March, and the SOC maximum is reached in June).     

Analysis of the sensitivity of the composition and temperature of the stratosphere to the variability of spectral solar radiation fluxes induced by the 11-year cycle of solar activity

The sensitivity of the gas composition of the atmosphere and its temperature to the changes in spectral radiation fluxes during the 11-year cycle of solar activity has been analyzed with a chemistry-climate model of the lower and middle atmosphere. For this, the data of satellite measurements acquired in the first decade of the 21st century were used. The results of the model calculations showed that, in addition to the increase in the spectral flux in the absorption bands of molecular oxygen that leads to the growth of the ozone content, the changes in the flux at longer wavelengths are significant for the composition and temperature of the atmosphere. The changes of the ozone destruction rate in different catalytic cycles partly compensate each other; in these processes, the destruction rate increases in the reaction with atomic oxygen, while it decreases in the hydrogen and chlorine cycles.     

Quasi-decadal variations in total ozone content,wind velocity,temperature, and geopotential height over the Arosa station (Switzerland)

We present the results of the analysis of the phase relationships between the quasi-decadal variations (QDVs) (in the range from 8 to 13 years) in the total ozone content (TOC) at the Arosa station for 1932–2012 and a number of meteorological parameters: monthly mean values of temperature, meridional and zonal components of wind velocity, and geopotential heights for isobaric surfaces in the layer of 10–925 hPa over the Arosa station using the Fourier methods and composite and cross-wavelet analysis. It has been shown that the phase relationships of the QDVs in the TOC and meteorological parameters with an 11-year cycle of solar activity change in time and height; starting with cycle 24 of solar activity (2008–2010), the variations in the TOC and a number of meteorological parameters occur in almost counter phase with the variations in solar activity. The periods of the maximum growth rate of the temperature at isobaric surfaces 50–100 hPa nearly correspond to the TOC’s maximum periods, and the periods of the maximum temperature correspond the periods of the decrease of the peak TOC rate. The highest correlation coefficients between the meridional wind velocity and temperature are observed at 50 hPa at positive and negative delays of ~27 months. The times of the maxima (minima) of the QDVs in the meridional wind velocity nearly correspond to the periods of the maximum amplification (attenuation) rate of the temperature of the QDVs. The QDVs in the geopotential heights of isobaric surfaces fall behind the variations in the TOC by an average of 1.5 years everywhere except in the lower troposphere. In general, the periods of variations in the TOC and meteorological parameters in the range of 8–13 years are smaller than the period of variations in the level of solar activity.     

Formation of the Anomalies of Hydrometeorological Fields on the South Coast of Crimea in the Years of Decreasing Solar Activity in Its 11-Year Cycles

We study the anomalies of some hydrometeorological fields in the Atlantic-European sector and on the South Coast of Crimea (SCC) in the years of decrease in solar activity in its even and odd 11-year cycles. It is shown that, in the first half of summer, the values of the sea level and surface temperature at the SCC averaged over the years of decrease of an even cycle are lower than for the same years of an odd cycle. As a result, we make a conclusion that there exists a tendency to the formation of quasi-22-year variability of some hydrometeorological characteristics near the SCC. We also discover a trend to the antiphase variability of the number of upwellings and the surface temperature at the SCC in the years of decrease in solar activity in its even and odd 11-year cycles.     

Distribution of surface-active substances in the northern Adriatic Sea

Spatial distribution and seasonal variability of surfactant activity (SA) of seawater were studied in the northern Adriatic Sea and compared to the temperature and salinity patterns in the 2-year period from February 1998 to January 2000, based on monthly surveys. Surface-active substances (SAS) were determined with alternating current voltammetry (in-phase mode) using o-nitrophenol as an electrochemical probe. A general characteristic of the SA seasonal variability for the northern Adriatic is the sinusoidal change of SA within the period of 1 year; similar behaviour was observed for the seasonal variations of temperature. Maximum SA values appeared during the summer period, while minimum SA values were measured in winter, during the period of well-mixed water layers and lower phytoplankton production. In May and October, the highest SA values were obtained in the upper seawater layer, which was ascribed to the influence of high inflow of nutrient-rich Po River freshwater. Riverine inputs indirectly favour autochthonous production processes, which result in increased concentration of organic matter (OM), particularly surface-active substances.     

影响东海气候的太阳活动信息分析

采用逐次滤波法逐次提取东海气温资料序列中蕴涵的太阳活动影响信息并加以分析,发现东海气候年代际变化特征十分清楚,主要表现为:(1)突变性,东海夏季7月海平面层及对流层大气温度场在过去半个多世纪中发生过一次急剧变化,突变点是1978年7月.从1978年7月由历时30多年的温度偏低时期跃变为持续高温时期,高温期持续至20世纪末,升温幅度超过0.4℃.资料分析表明,整个对流层东海夏季大气温度都具有这种年代际变化特征;(2)高空气候持续增温型,东海夏季7月平流层中部10 hPa大气温度表现为一种波动式的持续升温过程,50多年来温度升高4℃,年升温率超过0.075℃/a.东海平流层底部100 hPa温度也具有持续升温的特点,从1948年至今呈缓慢升高的趋势,53 a升高了1.9℃,升温率为0.036℃/a;(3)周期性,东海不同高度大气温度都具有显著程度不同的22 a周期性年代际变化特征,22 a周期分量的振幅由高空到低空迅速减小,表明22 a周期高空清楚,低空不太明显.东海对流层中部和平流层底部还具有显著的11 a周期性年代际变化.据分析认为22 a周期是太阳黑子磁场磁性变化周期所激发,11 a周期与太阳黑子相对数11 a周期相吻合,二者均为太阳活动在大气气候中的反映.     

Temporal Variability of Total Ozone in the Asian Region Inferred from Ground-Based and Satellite Measurement Data

This paper reports investigation data on the temporal variability of total ozone content (TOC) in the Central Asian and Tibet Plateau mountain regions obtained by conventional methods, as well as by spectral, cross-wavelet, and composite analyses. The data of ground-based observation stations located at Huang He, Kunming, and Lake Issyk-Kul, along with the satellite data obtained at SBUV/SBUV2 (SBUV merged total and profile ozone data, Version 8.6) for 1980–2013 and OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) and TOU (Total Ozone Unit) for 2009–2013 have been used. The average relative deviation from the SBUV/SBUV2 data is less than 1% in Kunming and Issyk-Kul for the period of 1980–2013, while the Huang He Station is characterized by an excess of the satellite data over the ground-based information at an average deviation of 2%. According to the Fourier analysis results, the distribution of amplitudes and the periods of TOC oscillations within a range of over 14 months is similar for all series analyzed. Meanwhile, according to the cross-wavelet and composite analyses results, the phase relationships between the series may considerably differ, especially in the periods of 5–7 years. The phase of quasi-decennial oscillations in the Kunming Station is close to the 11-year oscillations of the solar cycle, while in the Huang He and Issyk-Kul stations the TOC variations go ahead of the solar cycle.