scholarly journals Precursory Changes in Planetary Wave Activity for Midwinter Surface Pressure Anomalies over the Arctic

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koutarou TAKAYA ◽  
Hisashi NAKAMURA
2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 14601-14643
Author(s):  
S. P. Alexander ◽  
M. G. Shepherd

Abstract. Temperature data from the COSMIC GPS-RO satellite constellation are used to study planetary wave activity in both polar stratospheres from September 2006 until November 2008. One major and several minor sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) were recorded during the boreal winters of 2006/2007 and 2007/2008. Planetary wave morphology is studied using space-time spectral analysis while individual waves are extracted using a linear least squares fitting technique. Results show the planetary wave frequency and zonal wavenumber distribution varying between hemisphere and altitude. Most of the large Northern Hemisphere wave activity is associated with the winter SSWs, while the largest amplitude waves in the Southern Hemisphere occur during spring. Planetary wave activity during the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 Arctic SSWs is due largely to travelling waves with zonal wavenumbers |s|=1 and |s|=2 having periods of 12, 16 and 23 days and stationary waves with |s|=1 and |s|=2. The latitudinal variation of wave amplification during the two Northern Hemisphere winters is studied. Most planetary waves show different structure and behaviour during each winter. Abrupt changes in the latitude of maximum amplitude of some planetary waves is observed co-incident in time with some of the SSWs.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Schranz ◽  
Jonas Hagen ◽  
Gunter Stober ◽  
Klemens Hocke ◽  
Axel Murk ◽  
...  

Abstract. Middle atmospheric ozone, water vapour and zonal and meridional wind profiles have been measured with the two ground-based microwave radiometers GROMOS-C and MIAWARA-C. The instruments are located at the Arctic research base AWIPEV at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (79° N, 12° E) since September 2015. GROMOS-C measures ozone spectra in the four cardinal directions with an elevation angle of 22°. This means that the probed airmasses at an altitude of 3 hPa (37 km) have a horizontal distance of 92 km to Ny-Ålesund. We retrieve four separate ozone profiles along the lines of sight and calculate daily mean horizontal ozone gradients which allow us to investigate the small-scale spatial variability of ozone above Ny-Ålesund. In winter 2018/2019 a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) took place with the central date at 2 January. We present the ozone, water vapour and wind measurements of the winter 2018/2019 and discuss the signatures of the SSW in a global context. We further present the evolution of the ozone gradients at Ny-Ålesund and link it to the planetary wave activity. At 3 hPa we find a distinct seasonal variation of the ozone gradients. In October and March a strong polar vortex leads to ozone decreases towards the pole. In November the amplitudes of the planetary waves grow until they break in the end of December and an SSW takes place. From November until February the ozone gradients mostly point to higher latitudes and the magnitude is smaller than in October and March. We attribute this to the planetary wave activity of wave number 1 and 2 which enabled meridional transport. The MERRA-2 reanalysis and the SD-WACCM model are able to capture the small-scale ozone variability and its seasonal changes.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 6707-6728
Author(s):  
P. Bohlinger ◽  
B.-M. Sinnhuber ◽  
R. Ruhnke ◽  
O. Kirner

Abstract. Arctic stratospheric ozone depletion is closely linked to the occurrence of low stratospheric temperatures. There are indications that cold winters in the Arctic stratosphere have been getting colder, raising the question if and to what extent a cooling of the Arctic stratosphere may continue into the future. We use meteorological re-analyses from ERA-Interim for the past 32 yr together with calculations of the chemistry-climate model EMAC and CCM models from the CCMVal project to infer radiative and dynamical contributions to long-term Arctic stratospheric temperature changes. For the past three decades ERA-Interim shows a warming trend in winter and cooling trend in spring and summer. Changes in winter and spring are caused by a corresponding change of planetary wave activity with increases in winter and decreases in spring. During winter the increase of planetary wave activity is counteracted by a radiatively induced cooling. Stratospheric radiatively induced cooling is detected throughout all seasons being highly significant in spring and summer. This means that for a given dynamical situation, in ERA-Interim the annual mean temperature of the Arctic lower stratosphere has been cooling by −0.41 ± 0.11 K decade−1 at 50 hPa over the past 32 yr. Calculations with state-of-the-art models from CCMVal and the EMAC model confirm the radiatively induced cooling for the past decades, but underestimate the amount of radiatively induced cooling deduced from ERA-Interim. EMAC predicts a continued annual radiatively induced cooling for the coming decades (2001–2049) of −0.15 ± 0.06 K decade−1 where the projected increase of CO2 accounts for about 2/3 of the cooling effect. Expected decrease of stratospheric halogen loading and resulting ozone recovery in the future counteracts the cooling tendency due to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and leads to a reduced future cooling trend compared to the past. CCMVal multi-model mean predicts a future annual mean radiatively induced cooling of −0.10 ± 0.02 K decade−1 which is also smaller in the future than in the past.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Pavel N. Vargin ◽  
Sergey V. Kostrykin ◽  
Evgeni M. Volodin ◽  
Alexander I. Pogoreltsev ◽  
Ke Wei

Simulations of Institute of Numerical Mathematics (INM) coupled climate model 5th version for the period from 2015 to 2100 under moderate (SSP2-4.5) and severe (SSP5-8.5) scenarios of greenhouse gases growth are analyzed to investigate changes of Arctic polar stratospheric vortex, planetary wave propagation, Sudden Stratospheric Warming frequency, Final Warming dates, and meridional circulation. Strengthening of wave activity propagation and a stationary planetary wave number 1 in the middle and upper stratosphere, acceleration of meridional circulation, an increase of winter mean polar stratospheric volume (Vpsc) and strengthening of Arctic stratosphere interannual variability after the middle of 21st century, especially under a severe scenario, were revealed. March monthly values of Vpsc in some winters could be about two times more than observed ones in the Arctic stratosphere in the spring of 2011 and 2020, which in turn could lead to large ozone layer destruction. Composite analysis shows that “warm” winters with the least winter mean Vpsc values are characterized by strengthening of wave activity propagation from the troposphere into the stratosphere in December but weaker propagation in January–February in comparison with winters having the largest Vpsc values.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 1679-1688 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Bohlinger ◽  
B.-M. Sinnhuber ◽  
R. Ruhnke ◽  
O. Kirner

Abstract. Arctic stratospheric ozone depletion is closely linked to the occurrence of low stratospheric temperatures. There are indications that cold winters in the Arctic stratosphere have been getting colder, raising the question if and to what extent a cooling of the Arctic stratosphere may continue into the future. We use meteorological reanalyses from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA-Interim and NASA's Modern-Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) for the past 32 yr together with calculations of the chemistry-climate model (CCM) ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) and models from the Chemistry-Climate Model Validation (CCMVal) project to infer radiative and dynamical contributions to long-term Arctic stratospheric temperature changes. For the past three decades the reanalyses show a warming trend in winter and cooling trend in spring and summer, which agree well with trends from the Radiosonde Innovation Composite Homogenization (RICH) adjusted radiosonde data set. Changes in winter and spring are caused by a corresponding change of planetary wave activity with increases in winter and decreases in spring. During winter the increase of planetary wave activity is counteracted by a residual radiatively induced cooling. Stratospheric radiatively induced cooling is detected throughout all seasons, being highly significant in spring and summer. This means that for a given dynamical situation, according to ERA-Interim the annual mean temperature of the Arctic lower stratosphere has been cooling by −0.41 ± 0.11 K decade−1 at 50 hPa over the past 32 yr. Calculations with state-of-the-art models from CCMVal and the EMAC model qualitatively reproduce the radiatively induced cooling for the past decades, but underestimate the amount of radiatively induced cooling deduced from reanalyses. There are indications that this discrepancy could be partly related to a possible underestimation of past Arctic ozone trends in the models. The models project a continued cooling of the Arctic stratosphere over the coming decades (2001–2049) that is for the annual mean about 40% less than the modeled cooling for the past, due to the reduction of ozone depleting substances and the resulting ozone recovery. This projected cooling in turn could offset between 15 and 40% of the Arctic ozone recovery.


2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5335-5343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judah Cohen ◽  
Mathew Barlow ◽  
Paul J. Kushner ◽  
Kazuyuki Saito

Abstract A diagnostic of Northern Hemisphere winter extratropical stratosphere–troposphere interactions is presented to facilitate the study of stratosphere–troposphere coupling and to examine what might influence these interactions. The diagnostic is a multivariate EOF combining lower-stratospheric planetary wave activity flux in December with sea level pressure in January. This EOF analysis captures a strong linkage between the vertical component of lower-stratospheric wave activity over Eurasia and the subsequent development of hemisphere-wide surface circulation anomalies, which are strongly related to the Arctic Oscillation. Wintertime stratosphere–troposphere events picked out by this diagnostic often have a precursor in autumn: years with large October snow extent over Eurasia feature strong wintertime upward-propagating planetary wave pulses, a weaker wintertime polar vortex, and high geopotential heights in the wintertime polar troposphere. This provides further evidence for predictability of wintertime circulation based on autumnal snow extent over Eurasia. These results also raise the question of how the atmosphere will respond to a modified snow cover in a changing climate.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 10791-10806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Schranz ◽  
Jonas Hagen ◽  
Gunter Stober ◽  
Klemens Hocke ◽  
Axel Murk ◽  
...  

Abstract. Middle atmospheric ozone, water vapour and zonal and meridional wind profiles have been measured with the two ground-based microwave radiometers GROMOS-C and MIAWARA-C. The instruments have been located at the Arctic research base AWIPEV at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (79∘ N, 12∘ E), since September 2015. GROMOS-C measures ozone spectra in the four cardinal directions with an elevation angle of 22∘. This means that the probed air masses at an altitude of 3 hPa (37 km) have a horizontal distance of 92 km to Ny-Ålesund. We retrieve four separate ozone profiles along the lines of sight and calculate daily mean horizontal ozone gradients which allow us to investigate the small-scale spatial variability of ozone above Ny-Ålesund. We present the evolution of the ozone gradients at Ny-Ålesund during winter 2018/2019, when a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) took place with the central date at 2 January, and link it to the planetary wave activity. We further analyse the SSW and discuss our ozone and water vapour measurements in a global context. At 3 hPa we find a distinct seasonal variation of the ozone gradients. The strong polar vortex during October and March results in a decreasing ozone volume mixing ratio towards the pole. In November the amplitudes of the planetary waves grow until they break in the end of December and an SSW takes place. From November until February ozone increases towards higher latitudes and the magnitude of the ozone gradients is smaller than in October and March. We attribute this to the planetary wave activity of wave numbers 1 and 2 which enabled meridional transport. The MERRA-2 reanalysis and the SD-WACCM model are able to capture the small-scale ozone variability and its seasonal changes.


2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 707-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. Alexander ◽  
M. G. Shepherd

Abstract. Temperature data from the COSMIC GPS-RO satellite constellation are used to study the distribution and variability of planetary wave activity in the low to mid- stratosphere (15–40 km) of the Arctic and Antarctic from September 2006 until March 2009. Stationary waves are separated from travelling waves and their amplitudes, periods and small-scale vertical distribution then examined. COSMIC observed short lived (less than two weeks and less than 5 km vertically) but large enhancements in planetary wave amplitudes occurring regularly throughout all winters in both hemispheres. In contrast to recent Arctic winters, eastward wave activity during 2008–2009 was significantly reduced during the early part of the winter and immediately prior to the major SSW. The eastward waves which did exist had similar periods to the two preceding winters (~16–20 days). A westward wave with zonal wavenumber two, with distinct peaks at 22 km and 35 km and period around 16–24 days, as well as a stationary wave two were associated with the 2009 major SSW. In the Southern Hemisphere, the height structure of planetary wave amplitudes also exhibited fluctuations on short time and vertical scales superimposed upon the broader seasonal cycle. Significant inter-annual variability in planetary wave amplitude and period are noticed, with the times of cessation of significant activity also varying.


2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 2133-2148 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. W. Peters ◽  
P. Vargin ◽  
A. Gabriel ◽  
N. Tsvetkova ◽  
V. Yushkov

Abstract. The dynamical evolution of the relatively warm stratospheric winter season 2002–2003 in the Northern Hemisphere was studied and compared with the cold winter 2004–2005 based on NCEP-Reanalyses. Record low temperatures were observed in the lower and middle stratosphere over the Arctic region only at the beginning of the 2002–2003 winter. Six sudden stratospheric warming events, including the major warming event with a splitting of the polar vortex in mid-January 2003, have been identified. This led to a very high vacillation of the zonal mean circulation and a weakening of the stratospheric polar vortex over the whole winter season. An estimate of the mean chemical ozone destruction inside the polar vortex showed a total ozone loss of about 45 DU in winter 2002–2003; that is about 2.5 times smaller than in winter 2004–2005. Embedded in a winter with high wave activity, we found two subtropical Rossby wave trains in the troposphere before the major sudden stratospheric warming event in January 2003. These Rossby waves propagated north-eastwards and maintained two upper tropospheric anticyclones. At the same time, the amplification of an upward propagating planetary wave 2 in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere was observed, which could be caused primarily by those two wave trains. Furthermore, two extratropical Rossby wave trains over the North Pacific Ocean and North America were identified a couple of days later, which contribute mainly to the vertical planetary wave activity flux just before and during the major warming event. It is shown that these different tropospheric forcing processes caused the major warming event and contributed to the splitting of the polar vortex.


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