The impact of high altitude aircraft on the ozone layer in the stratosphere

The paper discusses the potential effects on the ozone layer of gases released by the engines of proposed high altitude supersonic aircraft. The major problem arises from the emissions of nitrogen oxides which have the potential to destroy significant quantities of ozone in the stratosphere. The magnitude of the perturbation is highly dependent on the cruise altitude of the aircraft. Furthermore, the depletion of ozone is substantially reduced when heterogeneous conversion of nitrogen oxides into nitric acid on sulfate aerosol particles is taken into account in the calculation. The sensitivity of the aerosol load on stratospheric ozone is investigated. First, the model indicates that the aerosol load induced by the SO₂ released by aircraft is increased by about 10–20% above the background aerosols at mid-high latitude of the Northern Hemisphere at 15 km for the NASA emission scenario A (the NASA emission scenarios are explained in Tables I to III). This increase in aerosol has small effects on stratospheric ozone. Second, when the aerosol load is increased following a volcanic eruption similar to the eruption of El Chichon (Mexico, April 1982), the ozone column in spring increases by as much as 9% in response to the injection of NO _x from the aircraft with the NASA emission scenario A. Finally, the modeled suggests that significant ozone depletion could result from the formation of additional polar stratospheric clouds produced by the injection of H₂O and HNO₃ by the aircraft engines.     

Multi-scale variation characteristics of polar vortex at 10 hPa in the Southern Hemisphere

By use of 1948-2007 NCEP/NCAR reanalysis monthly geopotential data, a set of circulation indices are defined to characterize the polar vortex at 10 hPa in the Southern Hemisphere, including area-(S), intensity-(P) and centre position-(λc , φc) indices. Sea-sonal variation, interannual anomalies and their possible causes of 10 hPa polar vortex in the Southern Hemisphere are analyzed by using these indices, the relationship between 10 hPa polar vortex strength and the Antarctic Oscillation are analyzed as well. The results show that: (1) the polar region at 10 hPa in the Southern Hemisphere is controlled by anticyclone (cyclone) from Dec. to Jan. (from Mar. to Oct.), Feb. and Nov. are circulation transition seasons. (2) Intensity index (P) and area index (S) of anticy-clone (cyclone) in Jan. (Jul.) show a significant spike in the late 1970s, the anticyclone (cyclone) enhances (weakens) from ex-tremely weak (strong) oscillation to near the climatic mean before a spike, anticyclone tends to the mean state from very strong oscillation and cyclone oscillates in the weaker state after the spike. (3) There is significant interdecadal change for the anticyclone center in Jan., while markedly interannual variation for cyclone center in July. (4) The ozone anomalies can cause the interannual anomaly of the polar anticyclone at 10 hPa in the Southern Hemisphere in Jan. (positive correlation between them), but it is not related to the polar cyclone anomalies. (5) There is notable negative correlation between the polar vortex intensity index P and the Antarctic Oscillation index (AAOI), thus AAOI can be represented by P.     

Accuracy of ozonesonde measurements in the troposphere

Measurements of atmospheric ozone at concentrations typical of the free troposphere have been compared for ECC sondes and a UV-absorption photometer, using a Bendix chemiluminescent analyser as a transfer standard. Comparisons were conducted in the laboratory and in the tropospheric part of the atmosphere. It was found that the measurements agreed to within 4% provided that the background current for the ECC sonde was measured before exposure to ozone in the preparation procedure, and was assumed to be constant throughout the sonde flight. These results confirm those of earlier experiments and mean that the methods currently used to correct for the background current in the troposphere need to be revised.     

A Study of Ozone Laminae Using Diabatic Trajectories, Contour Advection and Photochemical Trajectory Model Simulations.

In this paper, we show that the rate of ozone loss in both polar and mid-latitudes, derived from ozonesonde and satellite data, has almost the same vertical distribution (although opposite sense) to that of ozone laminae abundance. Ozone laminae appear in the lower stratosphere soon after the polar vortex is established in autumn, increase in number throughout the winter and reach a maximum abundance in late winter or spring. We indicate a possible coupling between mid-winter, sudden stratospheric warmings (when the vortex is weakened or disrupted) and the abundance of ozone laminae using a 23-year record of ozonesonde data from the World Ozone Data Center in Canada combined with monthly-mean January polar temperatures at 30 hPa.Results are presented from an experiment conducted during the winter of 1994/95, in phase II of the Second European Stratospheric And Mid-latitude Experiment (SESAME), in which 93 ozone-enhanced laminae of polar origin observed by ozonesondes at different time and locations are linked by diabatic trajectories, enabling them to be probed twice or more. It is shown that, in general, ozone concentrations inside laminae fall progressively with time, mixing irreversibly with mid-latitude air on time-scales of a few weeks. A particular set of laminae which advected across Europe during mid February 1995 are examined in detail. These laminae were observed almost simultaneously at seven ozonesonde stations, providing information on their spatial scales. The development of these laminae has been modelled using the Contour Advection algorithm of Norton (1994), adding support to the concept that many laminae are extrusions of vortex air. Finally, a photochemical trajectory model is used to show that, if the air in the laminae is chemically activated, it will impact on mid-latitude ozone concentrations. An estimate is made of the potential number of ozone molecules lost each winter via this mechanism.     

Column Amounts of ClONO2, HCl, HNO3, and HF from Ground-Based FTIR Measurements Made Near Kiruna, Sweden, in Late Winter 1994

During SESAME phase I ground-based FTIR measurements were performed atEsrange near Kiruna, Sweden, from 28 January to 26 March 1994. Zenith columnamounts of ClONO₂, HCl, HF, HNO₃,O₃, N₂O, CH₄, and CFC-12 werederived from solar absorption spectra. Time series of ClONO₂and HCl indicate a chlorine activation at the end of January and around 1March. On 1 March a very low amount of HCl of 2.09times; 10¹⁵molec. cm^-2 was detected, probably caused by a second chlorineactivation phase starting from an already decreased amount of HCl. The ratioof column amounts of HCl to ClONO₂ decreased inside the vortexfrom about 1 in January to 0.4 in late March compared to values of about 2outside the vortex. Although the Arctic stratosphere was rather warm in winter1993/94 and PSCs occurred seldom, chlorine partitioning into its reservoirspecies HCl and ClONO₂ changed during that winter andClONO₂ is the major chlorine reservoir at the end of thewinter as in cold winters like 1991/92 and 1994/95.     

Identification and Apportionment of Sources of Ozone‐forming Potential for Proper Reduction Strategies

In this study, results of source identification and apportionment for ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from a previous work were used to estimate ozone‐forming potentials (OFPs) of effective sources for developing proper strategies for reduction of tropospheric ozone pollution. The source identification and apportionment of ambient VOC pollution within Yildiz Technical University's Davutpasa Campus (Istanbul, Turkey) was done by positive matrix factorization (PMF). The results suggested five effective source groups with the emissions related with paint use and solvent use having the highest contributions (36.8 and 28.2%). The results from PMF were used along with maximum incremental reactivities to estimate potentials of individual sources for ozone formation. It was found that biogenic emissions (3.78) and traffic related emissions (gasoline and diesel vehicle exhaust) (3.83 and 3.15, respectively) have the highest potential for ozone formation in terms of grams O₃/g VOC emitted. The results were used to suggest proper source‐based reduction strategies for OFP.     

Study on horizontal relative diffusion in the troposphere and lower stratosphere

The behaviour of relative diffusion theory and Gifford’s random-force theory for long-range atmospheric diffusion is examined. When a puff scale is smaller than the Lagrangian length scale, 2KTL, an accelerative relative diffusion region exists, i.e., σy∝t3/2. While the puff diffusion enters a two-dimensional turbulence region, in which the diffusion scale is larger than 500 km, or time scale is larger than 1 day, divergence and convergence are main cause of horizontal diffusion. Between the two above-mentioned regimes, diffusion deviation is given byσy=2KTL. The large-scale horizontal relative diffusion parameters were obtained by analyzing the data of radioactive cloud width collected in air nuclear tests.     

Study on Ozone Change over the Tibetan Plateau

This paper reviewed the main results with respect to the discovery of low center of total column ozone (TCO) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) in summer, and its formation mechanism. Some important advances are summarized as follows: The fact is discovered that there is a TCO low center over the TP in summer, and the features of the background circulation over the TP are analyzed; it is confirmed that the TP is a pathway of mass exchange between the troposphere and stratosphere, and it influences the TCO low center over the TP in summer; models reproduce the TCO low center over the TP in summer, and the formation mechanism is explored; in addition, the analyses and diagnoses of the observation data indicate that not only there is the TCO low center over the TP in summer, but also TCO decrease trend over the TP is one of the strong centers of TCO decrease trend in the same latitude; finally, the model predicts the future TCO change over the TP.     

On the nonlinear response of lower stratospheric ozone to NOx and ClOx perturbations for different CH4 sources

The impact of sulfate aerosol, ClOx and NOx perturbations for two different magnitudes of CH4 sources on lower stratospheric ozone is studied by using a heterogeneous chemical system that consists of 19 species belonging to 5 chemical families （oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, chlorine and carbon）. The results show that the present modeled photochemical system can present several different solutions, for instance, periodic states and multi-equilibrium states appearing in turn under certain parameter domains, through chlorine chemistry and nitrogen chemistry together with sulfate aerosol as well as the increasing magnitude of CH4 sources. The existence of catastrophic transitions could produce a dramatic reduction in the ozone concentration with the increase of external sources.     

两种再分析资料平流层温度场的对比分析

在Lorenz环流分解基础上,比较了全球平流层低层ECMWF和NCEP/NCAR两种再分析资料月平均温度场的差异。结果表明：（1）纬向的平均温度无论DJF季度还是JJA季度100 hPa,30°S～30°N纬带都是冷中心;在该冷纬带ECMWF资料温度均值显著低于NCEP资料,ECWMF资料的年际方差显著小于NCEP资料。（2）30 hPa以上NCEP资料的定常波比较杂乱,在中纬大陆上出现与事实不符的高低中心,而ECMWF资料反映的气温定常波则比较合理。（3）ECMWF资料在100 hPa和10 hPa上气温异常未能充分地反映近50 a来3次强的火山喷发引起的平流层增温。