Nitrate in the atmospheric boundary layer of the tropical South Pacific: Implications regarding sources and transport

Weekly bulk aerosol samples collected at Funafuti, Tuvalu (8°30S, 179°12E), American Samoa (14°15S, 170°35W), and Rarotonga (21°15S, 159°45W), from 1983 through most of 1987 have been analyzed for nitrate and other constituents. The mean nitrate concentration is about 0.11 g m^–3 at each of these stations: 0.107±0.011 g m^–3 at Funafuti; 0.116±0.008 at American Samoa; and 0.117±0.010 at Rarotonga. Previous measurements of mineral aerosol and trace metal concentrations at American Samoa are among the lowest ever recorded for the near-surface troposphere and indicate that this region is minimally affected by transport of soil material and pollutants from the continents. Consequently, the nitrate concentration of 0.11 g m^–3 can be regarded as the natural level for the remote marine boundary layer of the tropical South Pacific Ocean. In contrast, over the tropical North Pacific which is significantly impacted by the transport of material from Asia and North America, the mean nitrate concentrations are about three times higher, 0.29 and 0.36 g m^–3 at Midway and Oahu, respectively. The major sources of the nitrate over the tropical South Pacific are still very uncertain. A very significant correlation between the nitrate concentrations at American Samoa and the concentrations of ²¹⁰Pb suggests that transport from continental sources might be important. This continental source could be lightning, which occurs most frequently over the tropical continents. A near-zero correlation with ⁷Be indicates that the stratosphere and upper troposphere are probably not the major sources. A significant biogenic source would be consistent with the higher mean nitrate concentrations, 0.16 to 0.17 g m^–3, found over the equatorial Pacific at Fanning Island (3°55N, 159°20W) and Nauru (0°32S, 166°57E). The lack of correlation between nitrate and nss sulfate at American Samoa does not necessarily preclude an important role for marine biogenic sources.     

Recurrence statistics of concentration fluctuations in plumes within a near-neutral atmospheric surface layer

This study examines the statistical properties of the concentration derivative, , for a dispersing plume in a near-neutrally stratified atmospheric surface layer. Towards this goal, the probability density function (pdf) of , and the conditional pdf of given a fixed concentration level, , have been measured. These pdfs are found to be modeled well by a generalizedq-Gaussian (gqG) distribution with intermittency exponent,q, equal to 0.3 and 3/4, respectively. These results highlight the strong intermittency effect (patchiness) of the small-scale concentration eddy structures in the plume. The distribution of time intervals between successive high peaks in the squared derivative process, x², is found to be well approximated by a power-law distribution, implying that occurrences of these high peaks are much more clustered than would be predicted by a Poisson or shot-noise process. The results are used to improve models for the joint pdf of and , and for the expected number of upcrossings per unit time interval of a fixed concentration level that have been proposed by Kristensenet al. (1989). The predictions of the improved models are in accord with observations, and suggest that the intercorrelation between and must be explicitly incorporated if good estimates of the upcrossing intensity are to be obtained.     

Calculation of velocity skewness in real and artificial plant canopies

Wind velocities within a plant canopy are much more strongly skewed than those of the air flow above. We have examined the governing Eulerian equations for the velocity products u _i, u _j u_k using data from a wind tunnel study with an artificial canopy consisting of an array of 5 cm lengths of monofilament fishing line, and from measurements in corn (Zea mays L).Simple parameterizations for pressure-velocity correlations, and for the quadruple velocity products allowed reasonably accurate calculations of the third moments using measured profiles of the mean velocity, variance and covariance fields. Comparisons of individual terms in the rate equations for ovu _i, u _j u _krevealed that diffusion (from above) and mean shear were most important in creating large skewness in the canopy. A drag term also contributed but was of lesser importance. These terms were balanced by return-to-isotropy and a turbulence interaction term. A quasi-Gaussian approximation considerably underestimated the magnitude of the fourth moments within the canopy.     

Effects of heat and water vapor transport on eddy covariance measurement of CO2 fluxes

Flux densities of carbon dioxide were measured over an arid, vegetation-free surface by eddy covariance techniques and by a heat budget-profile method, in which CO₂ concentration gradients were specified in terms of mixing ratios. This method showed negligible fluxes of CO₂, consistent with the bareness of the experimental site, whereas the eddy covariance measurements indicated large downward fluxes of CO₂. These apparently conflicting observations are in quantitative agreement with the results of a recent theory which predicts that whenever there are vertical fluxes of sensible or latent heat, a mean vertical velocity is developed. This velocity causes a mean vertical convective mass flux (= _cw for CO₂, in standard notation). The eddy covariance technique neglects this mean convective flux and measures only the turbulent flux _c w. Thus, when the net flux of CO₂ is zero, the eddy covariance method indicates an apparent flux which is equal and opposite to the mean convective flux, i.e., _c w = – _c w. Corrections for the mean convective flux are particularly significant for CO₂ because _cw and _c w are often of similar magnitude. The correct measurement of the net CO₂ flux by eddy covariance techniques requires that the fluxes of sensible and latent heat be measured as well.     

Reactions of alkoxy radicals under atmospheric conditions: The relative importance of decomposition versus reaction with O2

The reactions of alkoxy radicals determine to a large extent the products formed during the atmospheric degradations of emitted organic compounds. Experimental data concerning the decompositions, 1,5-H shift isomerizations and reactions with O₂ of several classes of alkoxy radicals are inconsistent with literature estimations of their absolute or relative rate constants. An alternative, although empirical, method for assessing the relative importance under atmospheric conditions of the reactions of alkoxy radicals with O₂ versus decomposition was derived. This estimation method utilizes the differences in the heats of reaction, (H)=(H_{decomposition}–H_{O 2 reaction}), between these two reactions pathways. For (H)[22–0.5(H_{O 2 reaction})], alkoxy radical decomposition dominates over the reaction with O₂ at room temperature and atmospheric pressure of air, while for (H)[25-0.5(H_{O 2 reaction})], the O₂ reaction dominates over decomposition (where the units of H are in kcal mol^–1). The utility and shortcomings of this approach are discussed. It is concluded that further studies concerning the reactions of alkoxy radicals are needed.     

Cold surges along the front range of the Rocky mountains: Development of a classification scheme

Summary A classification scheme for cold surges occurring along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains has been developed using NMC surface and upper air data. A separation is seen in the data between cases with parent anticyclones that moved from Canada south into the United States (Northern type) and those which moved from the Eastern Pacific Ocean east into the central US (Western type). The Northern surges are further broken down into three types, A, B and B, when the degree of southward motion of the anticyclone and the leading edge of the cold air is considered. An anticyclone movement south of 40°N distinguishes type A, while anticyclone tracks remaining north of 40°N characterize types B and B. The leading edge of the surge (the surge line) associated with the type A anticyclone travels south of 25N, while the type B anticyclones produce two distinct surge line movements, one remaining north of 25°N and the other moving south of 25°N. It is not possible to break down the Western surges into distinct types. As a rule, the anticyclones associated with Western surges remain between 50°N and 30°N, with the surge line moving south to 18°N on average.Though the classification scheme is developed in a relatively subjective manner, the statistical robustness of the scheme is verified through application of the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. Results of the test clearly provide support for the division of the surges that was obtained.With 16 Figures     

Glaciers and Climate in the Andes between the Equator and 30° S: What is Recorded under Extreme Environmental Conditions?

Sublimation and melt disturb the environmental information obtained from ice core records in the Andes. In two case studies we demonstrate to what extent these post-depositional processes may remove major parts of the accumulated snow cover. Dark ash layers from the Tungurahua eruption changed the albedo of surface snow on Chimborazo glacier (6268 m, 1°30 S,78°36 W, Ecuador) between two ice core drilling campaigns and forced substantial melt. Re-distribution and washout of the chemical constituents shifted the concentration profiles obtained in December 1999 as compared to an equivalent core drilled in December 2000. The stable isotope records showed that approximately the water equivalent (weq) of an annual layer had melted, and that the percolating melt water penetrated within the firn layer to a depth of at least 16.5 m without refreezing. In the second example, from a site on the dry axis between the tropical and extra-tropical precipitation belts, significant loss of accumulated snow layers occurred by sublimation. A surface experiment at Cerro Tapado glacier (5536 m, 30°08 S,69°55 W, Chile) revealed that losses of 2 mm weq (5 mm snow) per day occurred during the dry period following the 1997/98 El Niño. This loss generally included the entire surface layer enriched in stable isotopes, and thus caused minimal disturbance of the isotopic signature (and hence climatic information) of the net accumulation, yet chemical constituents again experienced considerable changes in concentration. From annual layer counting and direct dating it is obvious that the major part of the accumulated ice on both glaciers is younger than 100 years; however, isotopic and chemical variations at least in the basal ice from Cerro Tapado clearly point to climate conditions different from the recent centuries. This evidence is supported by mass balance considerations derived from a glacier-climate model. The possibility of a third type of disturbance aside from sublimation and melting – in this case a significant hiatus in the environmental chronology – also deserves consideration for other icecore records from this region. Potential disruptions or discontinuities need to be carefully evaluated given the profound changes in climatic and glaciological conditions since the Last Glacial Maximum throughout Holocene times.     

Studies of the atmospheric stability characteristics during the solar eclipse of February 16, 1980

Observations made with a monostatic sodar and from a 120 m instrumented tower have been used to study the variations in the atmospheric boundary layer at Tarapur (19° 50 N, 72° 41 E) during the solar eclipse of February 16, 1980. Atmospheric instability was reduced below normal values during the eclipse but the atmosphere at no time became stable.     

Synchronous Scan and Excitation-Emission Matrix Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Water-Soluble Organic Compounds in Atmospheric Aerosols

Three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra of water-soluble organic compounds (WSOC) from aerosol samples were measured and compared with those reported in the literature for natural dissolved organic matter. The EEM profiles of the WSOC presented three characteristic excitation/emission (_Exc/_Em) peaks: 240/405 nm, 310/405 nm and 280/340 nm. The fluorescence intensities at _Exc/_Em240/405 nm and _Exc/_Em310/405 nm are located at wavelengths shorter than those reported for aquatic humic substances, indicating a smaller content of both aromatic structures and condensed unsaturated bond systems in the WSOC fraction. The EEM profiles of fractions obtained by the isolation procedure of the WSOC by the XAD resins showed that a fractionation has occurred and the XAD-8 eluate is highly representative of the total WSOC of collected aerosol. Synchronous scan spectra were more detailed than conventional fluorescence emission spectra, appearing more suitable for studying multicomponent samples such as the WSOC from atmospheric aerosols.     

A Comparative Analysis of Transpiration and Bare Soil Evaporation

Transpiration E^v and bare soil evaporation E^b processes are comparatively analysed assuming homogeneous and inhomogeneous areal distributions of volumetric soil moisture content . For a homogeneous areal distribution of we use a deterministic model, while for inhomogeneous distributions a statistical-deterministic diagnostic surface energy balance model is applied. The areal variations of are simulated by Monte-Carlo runs assuming normal distributions of .The numerical experiments are performed for loam. In the experiments we used different parameterizations for vegetation and bare soil surface resistances and strong atmospheric forcing. According to the results theE^v()-^Eb() differences are great, especially in dry conditions. In spite of this, the available energy flux curves of vegetation A^v() and bare soil A^b() surfaces differ much less than the E^v() and ^Eb() curves. The results suggest that E^v is much more non-linearly related to environmental conditions than ^Eb. Both E^v and ^Eb depend on the distribution of , the wetness regime and the parameterization used. With the parameterizations, ^Eb showed greater variations than E^v. These results are valid when there are no advective effects or mesoscale circulation patterns and the stratification is unstable.     

Sea breeze activity at an inland station Kharagpur (India) — A case study

Surfaces fluxes, turbulent kinetic energy and Flux Richardson number are calculated for three typical sea breeze days characterizing three types of sea breeze onset at an inland station Kharagpur (22°21 N, 87°19 E), 80 km inland, one of the sites for MONTBLEX (MONsoon Trough Boundary Layer EXperiment), in India. The sea breeze onset is associated with a decrease in momentum and heat fluxes and an increase in moisture flux. The turbulent kinetic energy shows quite a significant value even in the late afternoon. The surface layer becomes nearly stable even before sunset, due to the passage of the sea breeze.     

The Effect of Atmospheric Stability on the Surface-Layer Characteristics in a Low-Wind Area of Tropical West Africa

This study details the observed effects ofatmospheric stability on characteristics of thesurface layer in a low wind speed (U = 1.5 m s-1)regime of tropical West Africa. Theaerodynamic roughness length, z0, anddisplacement height, d, obtained from profilewind-speed data at our bush land site (height 2 m)have values of 0.24 ± 0.10 m and 1.54 ± 0.04 mrespectively. In the unstable range (-2.5 < Ri < -0.1; Riis gradient Richardson number), thestandard deviation in wind speed fluctuations, u, increased from 0.57 ± 0.19 m s-1 toa maximum of 0.7 ± 0.2 m s-1 in near-neutralconditions, and in the stable range, the parameterdecreased rapidly to 0.41 ± 0.15 m s-1 at Ri 0.2.In the same stability range, the horizontal winddispersion, , decreased withincreasing stability from 19 ± 8 deg. to 13 ± 5 deg.The surface-layer integral quantity, u/u*, when plottedas a function of stability, is in agreement with theempirical results. The ratio ofsensible heat flux (estimated) to the net radiationranged between 0.1 and 0.2 at nighttime,increasing to about 0.5 during the daytime, and showeda strong dependency on season.     

Development of sea surface temperature,surface wind and divergence anomalies during a composite ENSO episode

Summary The interannual variations in sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial east Pacific, which are dominated by the El Niño phenomenon, are shown for the period 1870–1983. Since 1870 25 significant warm events have occurred. These events are classified as weak, moderate, strong and very strong, according to the normalized SST anomalies in the region 130° W–80° W, 0°–5° S.The spatial and temporal development of a composite El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) episode, based on 10 very strong or strong events, is presented in terms of SST, surface wind and divergence anomalies for the tropical Pacific (10° N–30° S). During its evolution the following phases are distinguished: Antecedent Conditions, Onset Phase, Peak Phase, Mature Phase and Dissipation Stage.Some aspects of ocean-atmosphere interaction associated with this evolution and, more specifically, the initiation of the composite event, are described. Seasonally varying feedback processes between SST, surface wind and convergence anomaly patterns in the western Pacific/Indonesian region suggest a possible mechanism for the initiation of typical ENSO events.

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Zusammenfassung Die interannuären Variationen der Meeresoberflächentemperatur (SST) im äquatorialen Ostpazifik, die von dem El Niño-Phänomen dominiert werden, werden für die Periode 1870–1983 aufgezeigt. Seit 1870 traten 25 signifikante Ereignisse auf. Diese Ereignisse werden entsprechend den normierten SST-Anomalien in der Region 130° W–80° W, 0°–5° S als schwach, mittel, stark und sehr stark klassifiziert.Die räumliche und zeitliche Entwicklung einer Komposit-El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-Episode, die auf 10 sehr starken bzw. starken Ereignissen basiert, wird anhand von SST-, Bodenwind- und Divergenzanomalien für den tropischen Pazifik (10° N–30° S) dargestellt. Während ihrer Entwicklung werden die folgenden Phasen unterschieden: Vorausgehende Bedingungen, Einsetzphase, Spitzenphase, Reifestadium und Auflösungsstadium.Einige Aspekte der Wechselbeziehungen Ozean—Atmosphäre werden im Zusammenhang mit der Entwicklung und insbesondere der Auslösung des Komposit-Ereignisses beschrieben. Jahreszeitlich variierende Rückkopplungsprozesse zwischen SST-, Bodenwind- und Konvergenzanomalien in der westpazifischen/indonesischen Region stellen einen möglichen Mechanismus für die Auslösung typischer ENSO-Ereignisse dar.

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With 9 Figures     

High-Latitude Springtime Photochemistry. Part I: NOx, PAN and Ozone Relationships

Springtime measurements of NO_x, ozone, PAN,J(NO₂), and other compounds were made near Ny-Ålesund,Svalbard (78°54N, 11°53E), in 1994 and Poker Flat,Alaska (65°08N, 147°29W), in 1995. At Svalbard medianmixing ratios for PAN and NO_x of 237 and 23.7 pptv,respectively, were observed. The median mixing ratios at Poker Flat for PANand NO_x were 79.5 and 85.9 pptv, respectively. These data areused to estimate thermal PAN decomposition using several differentapproaches. At Svalbard PAN decomposition was very small, while at PokerFlat up to 30 pptv/h PAN decomposed. At both sites the NO_x/PANratio increased with temperature between –10 and 20°C implyingthat PAN decomposition is an important NO_x source. In-situozone production was calculated from the measured NO, NO₂,O₃, J(NO₂), and temperature data, using thesteady state assumption Median ozone production was 605 pptv/h at PokerFlat, and one order of magnitude smaller at Svalbard during the daytime.Only at Poker Flat could a direct influence on the diurnal ozone cycle beobserved from in-situ production. These results imply that PAN decompositionis a major source of NO_x in the high latitude troposphere, andthat this contributes to the observed spring maximum in surface ozone.     

Maximum precipitation for different short-term intervals

Summary A time series and extreme value analysis of maximum precipitation for distinct time intervals from 10 minutes to 1 day have been deduced for the observatory Zagreb-Gri ( = 45°49 and = 15°59,H _s = 157 m) for the period between 1908 and 1985. The Spearman rank correlation test revealed that the short-term precipitation maxima series for the time intervals of 10 to 30 minutes and 8 to 24 hours indicate no significant trend for the 95 percent probability level. The 40-minute to 4-hour precipitation maxima exhibited an increaese in recent time. Annual maximumt-minute precipitation was estimated using the Gumbel distribution for sets of data gradually prolonged with 10-year steps towards the past. The ratios (q) of maximum precipitation estimates for the shorter periods and of estimates for the reference period (1908–1985) have been calculated. Their positions according to the confidence interval on the reference estimates were determined. Confident extreme value estimates could be obtained using at least the 50–60 year data series.With 3 Figures     

An observation of waves and turbulence in the earth's boundary layer

An account is given of an observation of a wave-like phenomenon obtained during a study of nocturnal inversions. Associated bursts of turbulent activity are also described.     

The Value Of The β Coefficient In The Relaxed Eddy Accumulation Method In Terms Of Fourth-Order Moments

The commonly measured value of in the relaxed eddy accumulationmethod of about 0.56is shown to arise from the non-Gaussiannature of turbulence. Fourth-orderGram–Charlier functions forthe two-dimensional probability distributionsof variation in the horizontal component of wind velocityand concentrations of water vapour, carbondioxide and methane with respect to thevertical component of wind velocity are used to examinethe value of .An analytical solution for ispresented in terms of fourth-order moments.Under mean conditions, this solution givesa value for of0.557. Variation of is shown to be controlledprimarily by the ratio of the mean ofc'w3 (where c'is relevant to the entity of interest andw' is vertical component of windvelocity) to the correlationcoefficient between the entity concentrationand vertical component of wind velocity.     

A study of the sensitivity of bare soil evaporation schemes to soil surface wetness,using the coupled soil moisture and surface temperature prediction model,BARESOIL

Summary The performance of evaporation schemes with and approach and their combination within resistance representation of evaporation from bare soil surface is discussed. For this purpose nine schemes, based on different functions of or , on the ratio of the volumetric soil moisture content and its saturated value are used.The quality of the chosen schemes has been evaluated using the results of time integration by the coupled soil moisture and surface temperature prediction model, BARESOIL, using in situ data. A sensitivity analysis was made using two sets of data derived from the volumetric soil moisture content of the top soil layer. One with values below the wilting point (0.17 m³m^–3) and the second with values above 0.20m³m^–3. Data sets were obtained at the experimental site Rimski anevi, Yugoslavia, from the bare surface of a chernozem soil.With 4 Figures     

Measurements of solar radiation and estimation of optical depth in the high Andes of Peru

Summary During an expedition to the high Andes of Southern Peru in June–July 1977, measurements of direct solar radiation in four spectral bands (0.270–0.530–0.630–0.695–2.900 ) were conducted at six sites in elevations ranging from sea level to 5645 m. These measurements were evaluated in Langley plots to determine total optical depths () and irradiances at the top of the atmosphere. In addition, water vapor optical depths (_wv) were calculated from the mean radiosounding over Lima during the expedition, and Rayleigh (_ray) and ozone (_oz) optical depths were obtained from published tabulations. Subtracting _ray, _oz, and _wv from yielded estimates of aerosol optical depth _aer. The components _ray and _oz decrease from the shorter towards the longer wavelength bands and from the lower towards the higher elevation sites; _aer also decreases towards the higher elevations. Particularly pronounced is the decrease of _aer and from the lowlands of the Pacific coast to the highlands of the interior, reflecting the effect of a persistent lower-tropospheric inversion and the contrast from the marine boundary layer to the clear atmosphere of the high Andes.With 4 Figures     

Occurrence of roll circulations in a shallow boundary layer

Meteorological measurements taken at the Näsudden wind turbine site during slightly unstable conditions have been analyzed. The height of the convective boundary layer (CBL) was rather low, varying between 60 and 300 m. Turbulence statistics near the ground followed Monin-Obukhov similarity, whereas the remaining part of the boundary layer can be regarded as a near neutral upper layer. In 55% of the runs, horizontal roll vortices were found. Those were the most unstable runs, with -z _i/L > 5. Spectra and co-spectra are used to identify the structures. Three roll indicators were identified: (i) a low frequency peak in the spectrum of the lateral component at low level; (ii) a corresponding increase in the vertical component at mid-CBL; (iii) a positive covariance {ovvw} together with positive wind shear in the lateral direction (V/z) in the CBL. By applying these indicators, it is possible to show that horizontal roll circulations are likely to be a common phenomenon over the Baltic during late summer and early winter.