Stratospheric ozone loss-induced cloud effects lead to less surface ultraviolet radiation over the Siberian Arctic in spring

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&#176;N, 86.42&#176;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 NO2 during spring, as well as enhanced reactive halogen species (OClO and BrO). Complementary measurements of HCl and ClONO2 (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 HNO3 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.

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Extreme Ozone Loss Following Nuclear War Results in Enhanced Surface Ultraviolet Radiation

Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres ◽

10.1029/2021jd035079 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Charles G. Bardeen ◽

Douglas E. Kinnison ◽

Owen B. Toon ◽

Michael J. Mills ◽

Francis Vitt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ultraviolet Radiation ◽

Nuclear War ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Enhanced Surface

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Denitrification, dehydration and ozone loss during the Arctic winter 2015/2016

10.5194/acp-2017-503 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Farahnaz Khosrawi ◽

Oliver Kirner ◽

Björn-Martin Sinnhuber ◽

Sören Johansson ◽

Michael Höpfner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atmospheric Chemistry ◽

Stratospheric Ozone ◽

Satellite Observations ◽

The Arctic ◽

Cold Pool ◽

Polar Stratospheric Clouds ◽

Airborne Measurements ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Polar Stratosphere ◽

Stratospheric Clouds

Abstract. The Arctic winter 2015/2016 was one of the coldest stratospheric winters in recent years. A stable vortex formed by early December and the early winter was exceptionally cold. Cold pool temperatures dropped below the Nitric Acid Trihydrate (NAT) existence temperature of about 195 K, thus allowing Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) to form. The low temperatures in the polar stratosphere persisted until early March allowing chlorine activation and catalytic ozone destruction. Satellite observations indicate that sedimentation of PSC particles led to denitrification as well as dehydration of stratospheric layers. Model simulations of the Arctic winter 2015/2016 nudged toward European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses data were performed with the atmospheric chemistry–climate model ECHAM5/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) for the Polar Stratosphere in a Changing Climate (POLSTRACC) campaign. POLSTRACC is a High Altitude and LOng Range Research Aircraft (HALO) mission aimed at the investigation of the structure, composition and evolution of the Arctic Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere (UTLS). The chemical and physical processes involved in Arctic stratospheric ozone depletion, transport and mixing processes in the UTLS at high latitudes, polar stratospheric clouds as well as cirrus clouds are investigated. In this study an overview of the chemistry and dynamics of the Arctic winter 2015/2016 as simulated with EMAC is given. Further, chemical-dynamical processes such as denitrification, dehydration and ozone loss during the Arctic winter 2015/2016 are investigated. Comparisons to satellite observations by the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (Aura/MLS) as well as to airborne measurements with the Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere (GLORIA) performed on board of HALO during the POLSTRACC campaign show that the EMAC simulations are in fairly good agreement with observations. We derive a maximum polar stratospheric O3 loss of ~ 2 ppmv or 100 DU in terms of column in mid March. The stratosphere was denitrified by about 8 ppbv HNO3 and dehydrated by about 1 ppmv H2O in mid to end of February. While ozone loss was quite strong, but not as strong as in 2010/2011, denitrification and dehydration were so far the strongest observed in the Arctic stratosphere in the at least past 10 years.

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Trends in Stratospheric Ozone: Lessons Learned from a 3D Chemical Transport Model

Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences ◽

10.1175/jas3650.1 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 63 (3) ◽

pp. 1028-1041 ◽

Cited By ~ 85

Author(s):

Richard S. Stolarski ◽

Anne R. Douglass ◽

Stephen Steenrod ◽

Steven Pawson

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Solar Cycle ◽

Ultraviolet Radiation ◽

Boundary Conditions ◽

Interannual Variability ◽

Transport Model ◽

Stratospheric Ozone ◽

Chemical Transport ◽

Chemical Transport Model ◽

The Past

Abstract Stratospheric ozone is affected by external factors such as chlorofluorcarbons (CFCs), volcanoes, and the 11-yr solar cycle variation of ultraviolet radiation. Dynamical variability due to the quasi-biennial oscillation and other factors also contribute to stratospheric ozone variability. A research focus during the past two decades has been to quantify the downward trend in ozone due to the increase in industrially produced CFCs. During the coming decades research will focus on detection and attribution of the expected recovery of ozone as the CFCs are slowly removed from the atmosphere. A chemical transport model (CTM) has been used to simulate stratospheric composition for the past 30 yr and the next 20 yr using 50 yr of winds and temperatures from a general circulation model (GCM). The simulation includes the solar cycle in ultraviolet radiation, a representation of aerosol surface areas based on observations including volcanic perturbations from El Chichon in 1982 and Pinatubo in 1991, and time-dependent mixing ratio boundary conditions for CFCs, halons, and other source gases such as N2O and CH4. A second CTM simulation was carried out for identical solar flux and boundary conditions but with constant “background” aerosol conditions. The GCM integration included an online ozonelike tracer with specified production and loss that was used to evaluate the effects of interannual variability in dynamics. Statistical time series analysis was applied to both observed and simulated ozone to examine the capability of the analyses for the determination of trends in ozone due to CFCs and to separate these trends from the solar cycle and volcanic effects in the atmosphere. The results point out several difficulties associated with the interpretation of time series analyses of atmospheric ozone data. In particular, it is shown that lengthening the dataset reduces the uncertainty in derived trend due to interannual dynamic variability. It is further shown that interannual variability can make it difficult to accurately assess the impact of a volcanic eruption, such as Pinatubo, on ozone. Such uncertainties make it difficult to obtain an early proof of ozone recovery in response to decreasing chlorine.

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Ozone loss in Antarctica: the implications for global change

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.1992.0141 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 338 (1285) ◽

pp. 219-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Stratospheric Ozone ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Careful Analysis ◽

Data Sets ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

New Ideas ◽

Antarctic Ozone ◽

The Antarctic ◽

Antarctic Ozone Hole

Although stratospheric ozone loss had been predicted for m any years, the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole was a surprise which necessitated a major rethink in theories of stratospheric chemistry. The new ideas advanced are discussed here. Global ozone loss has now also been reported after careful analysis of satellite and groundbased data sets. The possible causes of this loss are considered. Further advances require a careful coordination of field measurements and large-scale numerical modelling.

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Stratospheric ozone loss over the Eurasian continent induced by the polar vortex shift

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-017-02565-2 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Jiankai Zhang ◽

Wenshou Tian ◽

Fei Xie ◽

Martyn P. Chipperfield ◽

Wuhu Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stratospheric Ozone ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Eurasian Continent

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Stratospheric ozone, ultraviolet radiation and climate change

Weather ◽

10.1002/wea.451 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 105-110 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Olivier Boucher

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ultraviolet Radiation ◽

Stratospheric Ozone

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Ozone Loss and Recovery and the Preconditioning of Upward-Propagating Planetary Wave Activity

Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences ◽

10.1175/jas-d-12-0259.1 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 70 (12) ◽

pp. 3977-3994 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

John R. Albers ◽

Terrence R. Nathan

Keyword(s):

Ozone Depletion ◽

Planetary Wave ◽

Climate Model ◽

Stratospheric Ozone ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

Wave Drag ◽

Late Winter ◽

Residual Circulation ◽

Wave Amplification ◽

Ozone Loss

Abstract A mechanistic chemistry–dynamical model is used to evaluate the relative importance of radiative, photochemical, and dynamical feedbacks in communicating changes in lower-stratospheric ozone to the circulation of the stratosphere and lower mesosphere. Consistent with observations and past modeling studies of Northern Hemisphere late winter and early spring, high-latitude radiative cooling due to lower-stratospheric ozone depletion causes an increase in the modeled meridional temperature gradient, an increase in the strength of the polar vortex, and a decrease in vertical wave propagation in the lower stratosphere. Moreover, it is shown that, as planetary waves pass through the ozone loss region, dynamical feedbacks precondition the wave, causing a large increase in wave amplitude. The wave amplification causes an increase in planetary wave drag, an increase in residual circulation downwelling, and a weaker polar vortex in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere. The dynamical feedbacks responsible for the wave amplification are diagnosed using an ozone-modified refractive index; the results explain recent chemistry–coupled climate model simulations that suggest a link between ozone depletion and increased polar downwelling. The effects of future ozone recovery are also examined and the results provide guidance for researchers attempting to diagnose and predict how stratospheric climate will respond specifically to ozone loss and recovery versus other climate forcings including increasing greenhouse gas abundances and changing sea surface temperatures.

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A Match-based approach to the estimation of polar stratospheric ozone loss using Aura Microwave Limb Sounder observations

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-15-9945-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (17) ◽

pp. 9945-9963 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

N. J. Livesey ◽

M. L. Santee ◽

G. L. Manney

Keyword(s):

Stratospheric Ozone ◽

Potential Temperature ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

Rate Of Change ◽

The Arctic ◽

Air Mass ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Chemical Destruction ◽

Induced Changes ◽

The Impact

Abstract. The well-established "Match" approach to quantifying chemical destruction of ozone in the polar lower stratosphere is applied to ozone observations from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on NASA's Aura spacecraft. Quantification of ozone loss requires distinguishing transport- and chemically induced changes in ozone abundance. This is accomplished in the Match approach by examining cases where trajectories indicate that the same air mass has been observed on multiple occasions. The method was pioneered using ozonesonde observations, for which hundreds of matched ozone observations per winter are typically available. The dense coverage of the MLS measurements, particularly at polar latitudes, allows matches to be made to thousands of observations each day. This study is enabled by recently developed MLS Lagrangian trajectory diagnostic (LTD) support products. Sensitivity studies indicate that the largest influence on the ozone loss estimates are the value of potential vorticity (PV) used to define the edge of the polar vortex (within which matched observations must lie) and the degree to which the PV of an air mass is allowed to vary between matched observations. Applying Match calculations to MLS observations of nitrous oxide, a long-lived tracer whose expected rate of change is negligible on the weekly to monthly timescales considered here, enables quantification of the impact of transport errors on the Match-based ozone loss estimates. Our loss estimates are generally in agreement with previous estimates for selected Arctic winters, though indicating smaller losses than many other studies. Arctic ozone losses are greatest during the 2010/11 winter, as seen in prior studies, with 2.0 ppmv (parts per million by volume) loss estimated at 450 K potential temperature (~ 18 km altitude). As expected, Antarctic winter ozone losses are consistently greater than those for the Arctic, with less interannual variability (e.g., ranging between 2.3 and 3.0 ppmv at 450 K). This study exemplifies the insights into atmospheric processes that can be obtained by applying the Match methodology to a densely sampled observation record such as that from Aura MLS.

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