Transport and the seasonal variation of ozone

The transport mechanisms responsible for the seasonal behavior of total ozone are deduced from the comparison of model results to stratospheric data. The seasonal transport is dominated by a combination of the diabatic circulation and transient planetary wave activity acting on a diffusively and photochemically determined background state. The seasonal variation is not correctly modeled as a diffusive process. The buildup of total ozone at high latitudes during winter is dependent upon transient planetary wave activity of sufficient strength to cause the breakdown of the polar vortex. While midwinter warmings are responsible for enhanced ozone transport to high latitudes, the final warming marking the transition from zonal mean westerlies to zonal mean easterlies is the most important event leading to the spring maximum. The final warming is not followed by reacceleration of the mean flow; so that the ozone transport associated with this event is more pronounced than that associated with midwinter warmings.     

Influence of wave activity on the composition of the polar stratosphere

The planetary wave impact on the polar vortex stability, polar stratosphere temperature, and content of ozone and other gases was simulated with the global chemical–climatic model of the lower and middle atmosphere. It was found that the planetary waves propagating from the troposphere into the stratosphere differently affect the gas content of the Arctic and Antarctic stratosphere. In the Arctic region, the degree of wave activity critically affects the polar vortex formation, the appearance of polar stratospheric clouds, the halogen activation on their surface, and ozone anomaly formation. Ozone anomalies in the Arctic region as a rule are not formed at high wave activity and can be registered at low activity. In the Antarctic Regions, wave activity affects the stability of polar vortex and the depth of ozone holes, which are formed at almost any wave activity, and the minimal ozone values depend on the strong or weak wave activity that is registered in specific years.     

A three-dimensional model comparison of PSC processing during the Arctic winters of 1991/1992 and 1992/1993

A three-dimensional transport model has been used to compare and contrast the extent of processing by polar stratospheric clouds during the northern hemisphere winters of 1991/1992 and 1992/1993. The model has also been used to compare the potential for ozone loss between these two winters. The TOMCAT off-line model is forced using meteorological analyses from the ECMWF. During winter 1992/1993 polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) in the model persisted into late February/early March, which is much later than in 1991/1992. This persistence of PSCs should have resulted in much more ozone loss in the later winter. Interestingly, however, the extent of PSC processing and ozone loss was greater in January 1992 than January 1993. In January 1992 PSCs occurred at the edge of a distorted polar vortex whilst in January 1993 the PSCs were located at the centre of a much more zonally symmetrical vortex. In March 1993, distortions of the vortex led to the tearing off of vortex air and its mixing into midlatitudes.     

Role of wave–mean flow interaction in sun–climate connections: Historical overview and some new interpretations and results

Quasi-decadal variations in solar irradiance – termed the 11-year solar cycle (SC) – have been linked to variations in a variety of atmospheric circulation features, including the polar vortex, the Brewer–Dobson circulation, and the quasi-biennial oscillation. These features share an underlying commonality: they are all rooted in wave–mean flow interaction. The purpose of this paper is to provide a historical overview of the connection between the SC and wave–mean flow interaction and to propose a more complete theoretical framework for solar modulated wave–mean flow interaction that includes both zonal-mean and zonally asymmetric ozone as intermediaries for communicating variations in solar spectral irradiance to the climate system. We solve a quasi-geostrophic model using the WKB formalism to highlight the physics connecting the SC to planetary wave-drag. Numerical results show the importance of the zonally asymmetric ozone field in mediating the effects of solar variability to the wave-driven circulation in the middle atmosphere.     

Influence of strong sudden stratospheric warmings on ozone in the middle stratosphere according to millimeter wave observations

This paper reports the study data on variations in the ozone content in the middle stratosphere over Moscow based on millimeter wavelength observations during a range of midwinter sudden stratospheric warmings that occurred in the past two decades. The relation of ozone with planetary waves and the intensity of the polar stratospheric vortex has been established. The ozone vertical distribution has been monitored with a highly sensitive spectrometer with a two-millimeter wave band. The discovered phenomena of a relatively long-term lower ozone content in December in the considered cold half-year periods are related to the higher amplitude of the planetary wave with n = 1. Such phenomena preceded the development of strong midwinter stratospheric warmings, which, in turn, were accompanied by a significant increase in the ozone content in January. This ozone enrichment was related to the lower amplitude of the wave with n = 1 and higher amplitude of the wave with n = 2 and was accompanied by geopotential H _c.v. growth in the polar vortex center. Specific features of variations in the ozone content under the influence of the major atmospheric processes are observed not only in certain cold half-year periods but are also well seen in the general averaged pattern for winters with strong stratospheric warmings.     

Microwave measurements of the ozone content in winter arctic stratosphere

As a result of the long-term observations lead in region of Kola Peninsula, connection between character of variations of the ozone content in a stratosphere of Arctic regions and behavior and structure of a winter polar vortex is established. During winter seasons with well developed cyclone and duration of stable existence not less than 1.5–2 months were observed extremely low ozone number density at heights 20–25 km connected, apparently, with its chemical destruction. On the other hand, during disturbances of the vortex, accompanied strong stratospheric warming, was registered almost double increase of ozone amount in a high-altitude interval from 20 up to 40 km. Comparison of results of ground-based microwave monitoring of an ozone layer to data of the satellite instrument EOS MLS installed on satellite AURA is lead. In most cases comparison has shown satisfactory within the limits of an error of measurements coincidence of results. However in conditions of atmospheric disturbances when arose significant spatial heterogeneity, the discrepancy of results of comparison was marked. The possible reasons which cause the detected disagreement in results are discussed.     

The influence of tropical Indian Ocean warming on the Southern Hemispheric stratospheric polar vortex

During the past decades, concurrent with global warming, most of global oceans, particularly the tropical Indian Ocean, have become warmer. Meanwhile, the Southern Hemispheric stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) exhibits a deepening trend. Although previous modeling studies reveal that radiative cooling effect of ozone depletion plays a dominant role in causing the deepening of SPV, the simulated ozone-depletion-induced SPV deepening is stronger than the observed. This suggests that there must be other factors canceling a fraction of the influence of the ozone depletion. Whether the tropical Indian Ocean warming (IOW) is such a factor is unclear. This issue is addressed by conducting ensemble atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) experiments. And one idealized IOW with the amplitude as the observed is prescribed to force four AGCMs. The results show that the IOW tends to warm the southern polar stratosphere, and thus weakens SPV in austral spring to summer. Hence, it offsets a fraction of the effect of the ozone depletion. This implies that global warming will favor ozone recovery, since a warmer southern polar stratosphere is un-beneficial for the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), which is a key factor to ozone depletion chemical reactions. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40775053 and 90711004), National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2009CB421401), and Innovation Key Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant Nos. KZCXZ-YW-Q11-03, KZCZ2-YW-Q03-08)     

On the relationship between vertical ozone distribution and the synoptic situation

Summary The purpose of the paper is to provide a statistical view of the role of circulation patterns and the origin of low stratospheric air in connection with vertical ozone distribution below the ozone maximum, and also with the total ozone amount. Ozonesonde data from the aerological observatory of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI) Prague-Libu (50·0N, 14·7E) for January to April during the period 1979–1990 have been analyzed using an objective method to find the distribution of laminae in the vertical profile of the ozone partial pressure related to the different types of circulation patterns. The synoptic classification following Grosswetterlagen (GWL) was used, the parameters of the ozone profile such as number, magnitude, thickness and height of laminae, or the appearance of the large laminae were obtained for the individual types of GWL and used in other procedures. The total ozone data from the ozone observatory of CHMI in Hradec Králové (50·2N, 15·8E) was also included together with the height of the tropopause and parameters of ozone profiles in the cluster analysis to investigate connections between the ozone distribution and circulation patterns (types of synoptic situation). The ozone low-level index (LLI), defined as the ratio of the integral amount of ozone in D.U. from the surface up to 50 hPa and total ozone were introduced to provide better information about ozone profile response to circulation patterns and thus provide a better grouping of similar types of GWL. The presented results imply the strong confirmation of the huge ozone laminae below the ozone maximum as the source of total ozone positive extremes under appropriate synoptic situations with the near location of the polar vortex edge, which could be used in common forecasts of atmospheric ozone as well as in remote sensing applications.     

Remote sensing of the global distribution of total ozone and the inferred upper-tropospheric circulation from Nimbus IRIS experiments

The global distribution of total ozone is derived for the period April, May, June and July of 1969 from Nimbus-3 Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) experiment. Preliminary estimates of ozone amounts from Nimbus-4 IRIS for the same period of 1970 show similar results. The standard error of estimation of total ozone from both IRIS experiments is 6% with respect to Dobson Spectrophotometer measurements. A systematic variation in the ozone distribution from April to July in the tropical, middle and polar latitudes is observed indicating the changes in the lower stratospheric circulation.The total ozone measurements show a strong correlation with the upper tropospheric geopotential height in the extratropical latitudes. From this relationship total ozone is used as a quasi-stream function to deduce geostrophic winds at the 200 mb level over extratropical regions of the northern and southern hemispheres. These winds reveal the subtropical and polar jet streams over the globe.Allied research associates.     

Prediction of the trend of total column ozone over the Tibetan Plateau

By using 2-D chemical model, the trend of total column ozone over the Tibetan Plateau is simulated. The results show that from 1980 to 1993, the total column ozone over the Tibetan Plateau decreases; after 1995, it starts to recover. But until 2050, it will not still reach the level of 1980 total column ozone. Under Tibetan special circulation, its total column ozone recovers more rapidly than zonal mean. Therefore, the Tibetan special meridional circulation is not a main reason why the total column ozone over the Tibetan Plateau decreases more strongly than zonal mean.

     

Development of a chemistry module for GCMs: first results of a multiannual integration

The comprehensive chemistry module CHEM has been developed for application in general circulation models (GCMs) describing tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry, including photochemical reactions and heterogeneous reactions on sulphate aerosols and polar stratospheric clouds. It has been coupled to the spectral atmospheric GCM ECHAM3. The model configuration used in the current study has been run in an –off-line mode, i.e. the calculated chemical species do not affect the radiative forcing of the dynamic fields. First results of a 15-year model integration indicate that the model ECHAM3/CHEM runs are numerically efficient and stable, i.e. that no model drift can be detected in dynamic and chemical parameters. The model reproduces the main features regarding ozone, in particular intra- and interannual variability. The ozone columns are somewhat higher than observed (approximately 10%), while the amplitude of the annual cycle is in agreement with observations. A comparison with HALOE data reveals, however, a serious model deficiency regarding lower-stratosphere dynamics at high latitudes. Contrary to what is concluded by observations, the lower stratosphere is characterized by slight upward motions in the polar regions, so that some of the mentioned good agreements must be considered as fortuitous. Nevertheless, ECHAM3/CHEM well describes the chemical processes leading to ozone reduction. It has been shown that the mean fraction of the northern hemisphere, which is covered by polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) as well as the temporal appearance of PSCs in the model, is in fair agreement with observations. The model results show an activation of chlorine inside the polar vortex which is stronger in the southern than in the northern winter hemisphere, yielding an ozone hole over the Antarctic; this hole, however, is also caused to a substantial degree by the dynamics. Interhemispheric differences concerning reformation of chlorine reservoir species HCl and ClONO₂ in spring have also been well reproduced by the model.     

Dynamical diagnosis of the breakup of the stratospheric polar vortex in the Northern Hemisphere

The research on climate change in polar regions, especially on the role of polar in the global climate system, has gain unprecedented level of interest. It has been the key scientific issue of the International Polar Year program (IPY, 2007―2008). In this paper, we dealt with the debate upon the breakup time of the stratospheric polar vortex in boreal spring. An observational study of the relation between strato- spheric polar vortex breakup and the extra-tropical circulation was performed. The mean breakup date―when the winter westerly at the core of polar jet turns to summer easterly―is about April 10. The breakup time has large interannual variation with a time span of about 2 months. It also has a long-term trend with the 1990s and 2000s witnessing more and more late breakups of polar vortex. Composite of wind speed at the core of polar jet for the extremely early and late breakup years shows that late years have two periods of westerly weakening while early breakup years have only one. The first weakening in the late years happens in middle January with wind speed dropping sharply from more than 40 m s?1 to about 15 m s?1. This is accompanied with anomalous activities of planetary waves in both strato- sphere and troposphere; while the second weakening in the late breaking years is mainly the results of diabatic heating with very weak wave activities. In early breakup years, the transition from westerly to easterly is rapid with wind speed dropping from more than 30 m s?1 to less than ?10 m s?1 within a month. This evolution is associated with a strong bidirectional dynamical coupling of the stratosphere and troposphere. The circulation anomalies at low troposphere are also analyzed in the extremely early and late breakup years. It shows that there are significant differences between the two kinds of extreme years in the geopotential height and temperature composite analysis, indicating the dynamical cou- pling of stratosphere and troposphere with the evolution of stratospheric polar vortex.     

南半球平流层极涡崩溃早晚年环流异常特征

极涡崩溃是平流层大气环流一个重要的变化过程,本文利用31年的再分析资料研究了南半球平流层极涡崩溃早晚年的异常特征.研究结果表明,南半球平流层极涡崩溃偏早年极涡崩溃前后平流层环流场异常表现为整层一致的变化,即都为正温度异常、正位势高度异常和负纬向风异常;而南半球平流层极涡崩溃偏晚年极涡崩溃前后平流层环流场异常的整层一致性的变化不典型,而在符号上与极涡崩溃偏早年的异常相反.与北半球平流层极涡崩溃前后环流异常相反明显不同,南半球平流层极涡崩溃偏早或偏晚年在极涡崩溃前后的环流异常保持相同的性质.进一步分析表明行星波活动在南极极涡的崩溃过程中起到了重要作用,极涡崩溃早年上传行星波比极涡崩溃晚年强,并且持续时间长.通过波流相互作用,行星波的异常使得极涡崩溃早年和晚年10月的平流层高纬地区分别为位势高度正异常和负异常,环流异常持续保持可能最终影响了南半球平流层极涡的崩溃时间.分析显示南半球极涡崩溃偏晚与La Niña事件之间可能存在一定的联系,但在极涡崩溃偏早年与赤道太平洋海表温度异常(SSTA)并无明显关系.     

On the assimilation of total-ozone satellite data

A two-dimensional model for advection and data assimilation of total-ozone data has been developed. The Assimilation Model KNMI (AMK) is a global model describing the transport of the column amounts of ozone, by a wind field at a single pressure level, assuming that total ozone behaves as a passive tracer. In this study, ozone column amounts measured by the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) instrument on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) polar satellites and wind fields from the Meteorological Archive and Retrieval System (MARS) archives at ECMWF have been used. By means of the AMK, the incomplete space-time distribution of the TOVS measurements is filled in and global total-ozone maps at any given time can be obtained. The choice of wind field to be used for transporting column amounts of ozone is extensively discussed. It is shown that the 200-hPa wind field is the optimal single-pressure-level wind field for advecting total ozone. Assimilated ozone fields are the basic information for research on atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, but are also important for the validation of ozone measurements.     

Influence of the vertical motion field on ozone concentration in the stratosphere

Computations of the mean meridional motion field in the stratosphere are applied to ozone distributions to evaluate the associated ozone concentration changes. These changes are compared with those produced by photochemical and quasi-horizontal eddy processes. For the period January–April 1964 there is a cooperative action between the mean and eddy motions with mean subsidence in middle latitudes supplying ozone to be carried polawards and equatorwards by quasi-horizontal eddy processes. At low latitudes mean horizontal motions offset the eddy transport while at high latitudes mean rising motion is the offsetting term. The mean ozone flux through 50 mb, 3.5×10²⁹ molecules sec^–1, is comparable with the fluxes evaluated by other techniques.The spring maximum is thought to be due to a modulation of the energy supply to the stratospheric eddies which, in turn, force the mean motions. Longer-term changes are to be expected; for example during Ice Ages when increased tropospheric eddy activity is anticipated there should be higher total ozone.     

Trends in total ozone and the effect of the equatorial zonal wind QBO

Trends in total column ozone have been analyzed in terms of the equatorial zonal wind. We used zonal monthly mean total ozone from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and monthly mean zonal wind in the equatorial stratosphere at 30 hPa to define the phases of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). Total column ozone trends have been assessed during the period 1979–2004, for both Hemispheres, and for each month, under three conditions considering, all the ozone dataset, ozone values during easterly phase and ozone values during westerly phase of the QBO. When the whole dataset is considered, negative trends are observed. From low to midlatitudes a zonal pattern is noticed with increasing negative values toward higher latitudes. When the data is filtered according to the QBO phase, statistically significant positive trends appear in the westerly case during January to May at low latitudes .The trend pattern in the case of the easterly phase presents more negative values.     

Evidence of global-scale waves with zonal wave number zero in the stratosphere

Coherency spectra derived from time series of stratospheric quantities indicate oscillations in the frequency range below 0.5 d^–1 which are correlated on a global scale. Satellite observations of total ozone and stratospheric radiance (BUV and SIRS, Nimbus4, April–November 1970) have been used to derive phase relationships of such oscillations. As an example, an oscillation of total ozone with a period of 7.5 d and zonal wave number zero is analyzed in detail. The basic assumption is made and tested, that the oscillation reflects stratospheric planetary waves as obtained from Laplace's tidal equations. The observed latitudinal phase shifts for the total ozone oscillation are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. It is concluded from the observations of ozone and radiance that mainly divergence effects related to global-scale waves are responsible for the 7.5 d oscillations of total ozone at high and middle latitudes and at the equator whereas in the latitude range 10°S–20°S predominantly temperature effects are important. Meridional wind amplitudes of some 10 cm/s are sufficient to explain the high and mid-latitude ozone oscillations. At low latitudes vertical wind amplitudes of about 0.2 mm/s corresponding to height changes of the ozone layer of roughly ±20 m are obtained.     

On the effect of emissions from aircraft engines on the state of the atmosphere

Emissions from aircraft engines include carbon dioxide, water vapour, nitrogen oxides, sulphur components and various other gases and particles. Such emissions from high-flying global civil subsonic air traffic may cause anthropogenic climate changes by an increase of ozone and cloudiness in the upper troposphere, and by an enhanced greenhouse effect. The absolute emissions by air traffic are small (a few percent of the total) compared to surface emissions. However, the greenhouse effect of emitted water and of nitrogen oxides at cruise altitude is potentially large compared to that of the same emissions near the earth’s surface because of relatively large residence times at flight altitudes, low background concentrations, low temperature, and large radiative efficiency. Model computations indicate that emission of nitrogen oxides has doubled the background concentration in the upper troposphere between 40○N and 60○N. Models also indicate that this causes an increase of ozone by about 5-20%. Regionally, the observed annual mean change in cloudiness is 0.4%. It is estimated that the resultant greenhouse effect of changes in ozone and thin cirrus cloud cover causes a climatic surface temperature change of 0.01-0.1 K. These temperature changes are small compared to the natural variability. Recent research indicates that the emissions at cruise altitude may increase the amount of stratospheric aerosols and polar stratospheric clouds and thereby have an impact on the atmospheric environment. Air traffic is increasing about 5-6% per year, fuel consumption by about 3%, hence the effects of the related emissions are expected to grow. This paper surveys the state of knowledge and describes several results from recent and ongoing research.     

Stratospheric ozone response to a solar proton event: Hemispheric asymmetries

Ozone depression in the polar stratosphere during the energetic solar proton event on 4 August 1972 was observed by the backscattered ultraviolet (BUV) experiment on the Nimbus 4 satellite. Distinct asymmetries in the columnar ozone content, the amount of ozone depressions and their temporal variations above 4 mb level (38 km) were observed between the two hemispheres. The ozone destroying solar particles precipitate rather symmetrically into the two polar atmospheres due to the geomagnetic dipole field These asymmetries can be therefore ascribed to the differences mainly in dynamics and partly in the solar illumination and the vertical temperature structure between the summer and the winter polar atmospheres. The polar stratosphere is less disturbed and warmer in the summer hemisphere than the winter hemisphere since the propagation of planetary wave from the troposphere is inhibited by the wind system in the upper troposphere, and the air is heated by the prolonged solar insolation. Correspondingly, the temporal variations of stratospheric ozone depletion and its recovery appear to be smooth functions of time in the (northern) summer hemisphere and the undisturbed ozone amount is slighily, less than that of its counterpart. On the other hand, the tempotal variation of the upper stratospheric ozone in the winter polar atmosphere (southern hemisphere) indicates large amplitudes and irregularities due to the disturbances produced by upward propagating waves which prevail in the polar winter atmosphere. These characteristic differences between the two polar atmospheres are also evident in the vertical distributions of temperature and wind observed by balloons and rocker soundings.