scholarly journals Law of mass action in the Arctic lower stratospheric polar vortex January–March 2000: ClO scaling and the calculation of ozone loss rates in a turbulent fractal medium

2003 ◽  
Vol 108 (D15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian F. Tuck
2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-U. Grooß ◽  
R. Müller

Abstract. Current stratospheric chemical model simulations underestimate substantially the large ozone loss rates that are derived for the Arctic from ozone sondes for January of some years. Until now, no explanation for this discrepancy has been found. Here, we examine the influence of intrusions of mid-latitude air into the polar vortex on these ozone loss estimates. This study focuses on the winter 1991/92, because during this winter the discrepancy between simulated and experimentally derived ozone loss rates is reported to be the largest. Also during the considered period the vortex was disturbed by a strong warming event with large-scale intrusions of mid-latitude air into the polar vortex, which is quite unusual for this time of the year. The study is based on simulations performed with the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS). Two methods for determination the ozone loss are investigated, the so-called vortex average approach and the Match method. The simulations for January 1992 show that the intrusions induce a reduction of vortex average ozone mixing ratio corresponding to a systematic offset of the ozone loss rate of about 12 ppb per day. This should be corrected for in the vortex average method. The simulations further suggest, that these intrusions do not cause a significant bias for the Match method due to effective quality control measures in the Match technique.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei P. Smyshlyaev ◽  
Pavel N. Vargin ◽  
Alexander N. Lukyanov ◽  
Natalia D. Tsvetkova ◽  
Maxim A. Motsakov

Abstract. The features of dynamical processes and changes in the ozone layer in the Arctic stratosphere during the winter-spring season 2019–2020 are analyzed using ozonesondes, reanalysis data and numerical experiments with a chemistry-transport model (CTM). Using the trajectory model of the Central Aerological Observatory (TRACAO) and the ERA5 reanalysis ozone mixing ratio data, a comparative analysis of the evolution of stratospheric ozone averaged along the trajectories in the winter-spring seasons of 2010–2011, 2015–2016, and 2019–2020 was carried out, which demonstrated that the largest ozone loss at altitudes of 18–20 km within stratospheric polar vortex in the Arctic in winter-spring 2019–2020 exceeded the corresponding values of the other two winter-spring seasons 2010–2011 and 2015–2016 with the largest decrease in ozone content in recent year. The total decrease in the column ozone inside the stratospheric polar vortex, calculated using the vertical ozone profiles obtained based on the ozonesondes data, in the 2019–2020 winter-spring season was more than 150 Dobson Units, which repeated the record depletion for the 2010–2011 winter-spring season. At the same time, the maximum ozone loss in winter 2019–2020 was observed at lower levels than in 2010–2011, which is consistent with the results of trajectory analysis and the results of other authors. The results of numerical calculations with the CTM with dynamical parameters specified from the MERRA-2 reanalysis data, carried out according to several scenarios of accounting for the chemical destruction of ozone, indicated that both dynamical and chemical processes make contributions to ozone loss inside the polar vortex. In this case, dynamical processes predominate in the western hemisphere, while in the eastern hemisphere chemical processes make an almost equal contribution with dynamical factors, and the chemical depletion of ozone is determined not only by heterogeneous processes on the surface of the polar stratospheric clouds, but by the gas-phase destruction in nitrogen catalytic cycles as well.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 5381-5403 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. L. Manney ◽  
Z. D. Lawrence ◽  
M. L. Santee ◽  
N. J. Livesey ◽  
A. Lambert ◽  
...  

Abstract. A sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) in early January 2013 caused the Arctic polar vortex to split and temperatures to rapidly rise above the threshold for chlorine activation. However, ozone in the lower stratospheric polar vortex from late December 2012 through early February 2013 reached the lowest values on record for that time of year. Analysis of Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) trace gas measurements and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) data shows that exceptional chemical ozone loss early in the 2012/13 Arctic winter resulted from a unique combination of meteorological conditions associated with the early-January 2013 SSW: unusually low temperatures in December 2012, offspring vortices within which air remained well isolated for nearly 1 month after the vortex split, and greater-than-usual vortex sunlight exposure throughout December 2012 and January 2013. Conditions in the two offspring vortices differed substantially, with the one overlying Canada having lower temperatures, lower nitric acid (HNO3), lower hydrogen chloride, more sunlight exposure/higher ClO in late January, and a later onset of chlorine deactivation than the one overlying Siberia. MLS HNO3 and CALIPSO data indicate that PSC activity in December 2012 was more extensive and persistent than at that time in any other Arctic winter in the past decade. Chlorine monoxide (ClO, measured by MLS) rose earlier than previously observed and was the largest on record through mid-January 2013. Enhanced vortex ClO persisted until mid-February despite the cessation of PSC activity when the SSW started. Vortex HNO3 remained depressed after PSCs had disappeared; passive transport calculations indicate vortex-averaged denitrification of about 4 parts per billion by volume. The estimated vortex-averaged chemical ozone loss, ~ 0.7–0.8 parts per million by volume near 500 K (~21 km), was the largest December/January loss in the MLS record from 2004/05 to 2014/15.


2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Schulz ◽  
M. Rex ◽  
J. Steger ◽  
N. R. P. Harris ◽  
G. O. Braathen ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 70-83
Author(s):  
N. D. TSVETKOVA ◽  
◽  
P. N. VARGIN ◽  
A. N. LUK'YANOV ◽  
B. M. KIRYUSHOV ◽  
...  

The estimates of chemical ozone depletion in winter-spring seasons are given for the Arctic stratosphere based on long-term observations of the vertical distribution of ozone. The features and possible causes for an unusually strong and stable stratospheric polar vortex in the Arctic in the winter 2019/2020, that led to a record ozone loss in recent years, and the dynamic processes associated with this polar vortex are analyzed. The TRACAO trajectory model and ERA5 reanalysis are used for the comparative analysis of ozone depletion in the polar vortex in the winter-spring seasons 2010/2011 and 2019/2020.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 3247-3276 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Hommel ◽  
K.-U. Eichmann ◽  
J. Aschmann ◽  
K. Bramstedt ◽  
M. Weber ◽  
...  

Abstract. Record breaking loss of ozone (O3) in the Arctic stratosphere has been reported in winter–spring 2010/2011. We examine in detail the composition and transformations occurring in the Arctic polar vortex using total column and vertical profile data products for O3, bromine oxide (BrO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), chlorine dioxide (OClO), and polar stratospheric clouds (PSC) retrieved from measurements made by SCIAMACHY (Scanning Imaging Absorption SpectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartography) on-board Envisat (Environmental Satellite), as well as total column ozone amount, retrieved from the measurements of GOME-2 (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment) on MetOp-A (Meteorological Experimental Satellite). Similarly we use the retrieved data from DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) measurements made in Ny-Ålesund (78.55° N, 11.55° E). A chemical transport model (CTM) has been used to relate and compare Arctic winter–spring conditions in 2011 with those in the previous year. In late winter–spring 2010/2011 the chemical ozone loss in the polar vortex derived from SCIAMACHY observations confirms findings reported elsewhere. More than 70% of O3 was depleted by halogen catalytic cycles between the 425 and 525 K isentropic surfaces, i.e. in the altitude range ~16–20 km. In contrast, during the same period in the previous winter 2009/2010, a typical warm Arctic winter, only slightly more than 20% depletion occurred below 20 km, while 40% of O3 was removed above the 575 K isentrope (~23 km). This loss above 575 K is explained by the catalytic destruction by NOx descending from the mesosphere. In both Arctic winters 2009/2010 and 2010/2011, calculated O3 losses from the CTM are in good agreement to our observations and other model studies. The mid-winter 2011 conditions, prior to the catalytic cycles being fully effective, are also investigated. Surprisingly, a significant loss of O3 around 60%, previously not discussed in detail, is observed in mid-January 2011 below 500 K (~19 km) and sustained for approximately 1 week. The low O3 region had an exceptionally large spatial extent. The situation was caused by two independently evolving tropopause elevations over the Asian continent. Induced adiabatic cooling of the stratosphere favoured the formation of PSC, increased the amount of active chlorine for a short time, and potentially contributed to higher polar ozone loss later in spring.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramina Alwarda ◽  
Kristof Bognar ◽  
Kimberly Strong ◽  
Martyn Chipperfield ◽  
Sandip Dhomse ◽  
...  

<p>The Arctic winter of 2019-2020 was characterized by an unusually persistent polar vortex and temperatures in the lower stratosphere that were consistently below the threshold for the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). These conditions led to ozone loss that is comparable to the Antarctic ozone hole. Ground-based measurements from a suite of instruments at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Canada (80.05°N, 86.42°W) were used to investigate chemical ozone depletion. The vortex was located above Eureka longer than in any previous year in the 20-year dataset and lidar measurements provided evidence of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) above Eureka. Additionally, UV-visible zenith-sky Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements showed record ozone loss in the 20-year dataset, evidence of denitrification along with the slowest increase of NO<sub>2</sub> during spring, as well as enhanced reactive halogen species (OClO and BrO). Complementary measurements of HCl and ClONO<sub>2</sub> (chlorine reservoir species) from a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer showed unusually low columns that were comparable to 2011, the previous year with significant chemical ozone depletion. Record low values of HNO<sub>3</sub> in the FTIR dataset are in accordance with the evidence of PSCs and a denitrified atmosphere. Estimates of chemical ozone loss were derived using passive ozone from the SLIMCAT offline chemical transport model to account for dynamical contributions to the stratospheric ozone budget.</p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 4973-5029 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. L. Manney ◽  
Z. D. Lawrence ◽  
M. L. Santee ◽  
N. J. Livesey ◽  
A. Lambert ◽  
...  

Abstract. A sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) in early January 2013 caused the polar vortex to split. After the lower stratospheric vortex split on 8 January, the two offspring vortices – one over Canada and the other over Siberia – remained intact, well-confined, and largely at latitudes that received sunlight until they reunited at the end of January. As the SSW began, temperatures abruptly rose above chlorine activation thresholds throughout the lower stratosphere. The vortex was very disturbed prior to the SSW, and was exposed to much more sunlight than usual in December 2012 and January 2013. Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) nitric acid (HNO3) data and observations from CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) indicate extensive polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) activity, with evidence of PSCs containing solid nitric acid trihydrate particles during much of December 2012. Consistent with the sunlight exposure and PSC activity, MLS observations show that chlorine monoxide (ClO) became enhanced early in December. Despite the cessation of PSC activity with the onset of the SSW, enhanced vortex ClO persisted until mid-February, indicating lingering chlorine activation. The smaller Canadian offspring vortex had lower temperatures, lower HNO3, lower hydrogen chloride (HCl), and higher ClO in late January than the Siberian vortex. Chlorine deactivation began later in the Canadian than in the Siberian vortex. HNO3 remained depressed within the vortices after temperatures rose above the PSC existence threshold, and passive transport calculations indicate vortex-averaged denitrification of about 4 ppbv; the resulting low HNO3 values persisted until the vortex dissipated in mid-February. Consistent with the strong chlorine activation and exposure to sunlight, MLS measurements show rapid ozone loss commencing in mid-December and continuing through January. Lagrangian transport estimates suggest ~ 0.7–0.8 ppmv (parts per million by volume) vortex-averaged chemical ozone loss by late January near 500 K (~ 21 km), with substantial loss occurring from ~ 450 to 550 K. The surface area of PSCs in December 2012 was larger than that in any other December observed by CALIPSO. As a result of denitrification, HNO3 abundances in 2012/13 were among the lowest in the MLS record for the Arctic. ClO enhancement was much greater in December 2012 through mid-January 2013 than that at the corresponding time in any other Arctic winter observed by MLS. Furthermore, reformation of HCl appeared to play a greater role in chlorine deactivation than in more typical Arctic winters. Ozone loss in December 2012 and January 2013 was larger than any previously observed in those months. This pattern of exceptional early winter polar processing and ozone loss resulted from the unique combination of dynamical conditions associated with the early January 2013 SSW, namely unusually low temperatures in December 2012 and offspring vortices that remained well-confined and largely in sunlit regions for about a month after the vortex split.


2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (16) ◽  
pp. 3167-3167 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. Richard ◽  
K. C. Aikin ◽  
A. E. Andrews ◽  
B. C. Daube ◽  
C. Gerbig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Thölix ◽  
Alexey Karpechko ◽  
Leif Backman ◽  
Rigel Kivi

Abstract. Stratospheric water vapor plays a key role in radiative and chemical processes, it e.g. influences the chemical ozone loss via controlling the polar stratospheric cloud formation in the polar stratosphere. The amount of water entering the stratosphere through the tropical tropopause differs substantially between chemistry-climate models. This is because the present-day models have difficulties in capturing the whole complexity of processes that control the water transport across the tropopause. As a result there are large differences in the stratospheric water vapour between the models. In this study we investigate the sensitivity of simulated Arctic ozone loss to the amount of water, which enters the stratosphere through the tropical tropopause. We used a chemical transport model, FinROSE-CTM, forced by ERA-Interim meteorology. The water vapour concentration in the tropical tropopause was varied between 0.5 and 1.6 times the concentration in ERA-Interim, which is similar to the range seen in chemistry climate models. The water vapour changes in the tropical tropopause led to about 1.5 and 2 ppm more water vapour in the Arctic polar vortex compared to the ERA-Interim, respectively. We found that the impact of water vapour changes on ozone loss in the Arctic polar vortex depend on the meteorological conditions. Polar stratospheric clouds form in the cold conditions within the Arctic vortex, and chlorine activation on their surface lead to ozone loss. If the cold conditions persist long enough (e.g. in 2010/11), the chlorine activation is nearly complete. In this case addition of water vapour to the stratosphere increased the formation of ICE clouds, but did not increase the chlorine activation and ozone destruction significantly. In the warm winter 2012/13 the impact of water vapour concentration on ozone loss was small, because the ozone loss was mainly NOx induced. In intermediately cold conditions, e.g. 2013/14, the effect of added water vapour was more prominent than in the other studied winters. The results show that the simulated water vapour concentration in the tropical tropopause has a significant impact on the Arctic ozone loss and deserves attention in order to improve future projections of ozone layer recovery.


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