scholarly journals Influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on European tropospheric composition: an observational and modelling study

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Pope ◽  
Martyn P. Chipperfield ◽  
Stephen R. Arnold ◽  
Norbert Glatthor ◽  
Wuhu Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Anthropogenic Source ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The North ◽  
Source Regions ◽  
Governing Factor ◽  
Winter Time ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract. We have used satellite observations and a simulation from the TOMCAT chemistry transport model (CTM) to investigate the influence of the well-known winter-time North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on European tropospheric composition. Under the positive phase of the NAO (NAO+), strong westerlies tend to enhance transport of European pollution (e.g. nitrogen oxides, NOx, carbon monoxide, CO) away from anthropogenic source regions. In contrast, during the negative phase of the NAO (NAO−), more stable meteorological conditions lead to a build up of pollutants over these regions, relative to the winter-time average pollution levels. However, the secondary pollutant ozone shows the opposite signal of larger values during NAO+. NAO+ introduces Atlantic ozone-enriched air into Europe while under NAO− westerly transport of ozone is reduced yielding lower values over Europe. Furthermore, ozone concentrations are also decreased by chemical loss through the reaction with accumulated primary pollutants such as nitric oxide (NO) in NAO−. Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), in the upper troposphere-lower stratosphere (UTLS) peaks over Iceland/Southern Greenland in NAO−, between 200–100 hPa, consistent with the trapping by an anticyclone at this altitude. Model simulations show enhanced PAN over Iceland/Southern Greenland in NAO− is associated with vertical transport of polluted air from the troposphere into the UTLS. Overall, this work shows that NAO circulation patterns are an important governing factor for European winter-time composition and air pollution.

scholarly journals Influence of the wintertime North Atlantic Oscillation on European tropospheric composition: an observational and modelling study

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 8389-8408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Pope ◽  
Martyn P. Chipperfield ◽  
Stephen R. Arnold ◽  
Norbert Glatthor ◽  
Wuhu Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Anthropogenic Source ◽  
Chemistry Transport Model ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Source Regions ◽  
Governing Factor ◽  
Circulation Patterns

Abstract. We have used satellite observations and a simulation from the TOMCAT chemistry transport model (CTM) to investigate the influence of the well-known wintertime North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on European tropospheric composition. Under the positive phase of the NAO (NAO-high), strong westerlies tend to enhance transport of European pollution (e.g. nitrogen oxides, NOx; carbon monoxide, CO) away from anthropogenic source regions. In contrast, during the negative phase of the NAO (NAO-low), more stable meteorological conditions lead to a build-up of pollutants over these regions relative to the wintertime average pollution levels. However, the secondary pollutant ozone shows the opposite signal of larger values during NAO-high. NAO-high introduces Atlantic ozone-enriched air into Europe, while under NAO-low westerly transport of ozone is reduced, yielding lower values over Europe. Furthermore, ozone concentrations are also decreased by chemical loss through the reaction with accumulated primary pollutants such as nitric oxide (NO) in NAO-low. Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere (UTLS) peaks over Iceland and southern Greenland in NAO-low, between 200 and 100 hPa, consistent with the trapping by an anticyclone at this altitude. Model simulations show that enhanced PAN over Iceland and southern Greenland in NAO-low is associated with vertical transport of polluted air from the mid-troposphere into the UTLS. Overall, this work shows that NAO circulation patterns are an important governing factor for European wintertime composition and air pollution.

scholarly journals Influence of the North Atlantic oscillation on the atmospheric levels of benzo[a]pyrene over Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Jiménez-Guerrero ◽  
Nuno Ratola
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
The South ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

AbstractThe atmospheric concentration of persistent organic pollutants (and of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, in particular) is closely related to climate change and climatic fluctuations, which are likely to influence contaminant’s transport pathways and transfer processes. Predicting how climate variability alters PAHs concentrations in the atmosphere still poses an exceptional challenge. In this sense, the main objective of this contribution is to assess the relationship between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and the mean concentration of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP, the most studied PAH congener) in a domain covering Europe, with an emphasis on the effect of regional-scale processes. A numerical simulation for a present climate period of 30 years was performed using a regional chemistry transport model with a 25 km spatial resolution (horizontal), higher than those commonly applied. The results show an important seasonal behaviour, with a remarkable spatial pattern of difference between the north and the south of the domain. In winter, higher BaP ground levels are found during the NAO+ phase for the Mediterranean basin, while the spatial pattern of this feature (higher BaP levels during NAO+ phases) moves northwards in summer. These results show deviations up to and sometimes over 100% in the BaP mean concentrations, but statistically significant signals (p<0.1) of lower changes (20–40% variations in the signal) are found for the north of the domain in winter and for the south in summer.

scholarly journals The North Atlantic Oscillation controls air pollution transport to the Arctic

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 1769-1778 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Eckhardt ◽  
A. Stohl ◽  
S. Beirle ◽  
N. Spichtinger ◽  
P. James ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Pollution Transport ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
Strong Control

Abstract. This paper studies the interannual variability of pollution pathways from northern hemisphere (NH) continents into the Arctic. Using a 15-year model simulation of the dispersion of passive tracers representative of anthropogenic emissions from NH continents, we show that the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) exerts a strong control on the pollution transport into the Arctic, particularly in winter and spring. For tracer lifetimes of 5 (30) days, surface concentrations in the Arctic winter are enhanced by about 70% (30%) during high phases of the NAO (in the following referred to as NAO+) compared to its low phases (NAO-). This is mainly due to great differences in the pathways of European pollution during NAO+ and NAO- phases, respectively, but reinforced by North American pollution, which is also enhanced in the Arctic during NAO+ phases. In contrast, Asian pollution in the Arctic does not significantly depend on the NAO phase. The model results are confirmed using remotely-sensed NO2 vertical atmospheric columns obtained from seven years of satellite measurements, which show enhanced northward NO2 transport and reduced NO2 outflow into the North Atlantic from Central Europe during NAO+ phases. Surface measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) and black carbon at high-latitude stations further corroborate the overall picture of enhanced Arctic pollution levels during NAO+ phases

scholarly journals Influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the Atmospheric Levels of Benzo[a]pyrene Over Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Jimenez-Guerrero ◽  
Nuno Ratola
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
The South ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract The atmospheric concentration of persistent organic pollutants (and of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, in particular) is closely related to climate change and climatic fluctuations, which are likely to influence contaminant transport pathways and transfer processes. Predicting how climate variability alters PAHs concentrations in the atmosphere still poses an exceptional challenge. In this sense, the main objective of this contribution is to assess the relationship between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and the mean concentration of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP, the most studied PAH congener) in a domain covering Europe, with an emphasis on the effect of regional-scale processes. A numerical simulation for a present climate period of 30 years was performed using a regional chemistry transport model with a 25 km spatial resolution (horizontal), higher than those commonly applied. The results show an important seasonal behaviour, with a remarkable spatial pattern of difference between the north and the south of the domain. In winter, higher BaP ground levels are found during the NAO+ phase for the Mediterranean basin, while the spatial pattern of this feature (higher BaP levels during NAO+ phases) moves northwards in summer. These results show deviations up to and sometimes over 100% in the BaP mean concentrations, but statistically significant signals (p<0.1) of lower changes (20 to 40% variations in the signal) are found for the north of the domain in winter and for the south in summer.

scholarly journals The North Atlantic Oscillation controls air pollution transport to the Arctic

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 3222-3240 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Eckhardt ◽  
A. Stohl ◽  
S. Beirle ◽  
N. Spichtinger ◽  
P. James ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Pollution Transport ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
Strong Control

Abstract. This paper studies the interannual variability of pollution pathways from northern hemisphere (NH) continents into the Arctic. Using a 1-year model simulation of the dispersion of passive tracers representative of anthropogenic emissions from NH continents, we show that the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) exerts a strong control on the pollution transport into the Arctic, particularly in winter and spring. For tracer lifetimes of 5 (30) days, surface concentrations in the Arctic winter are enhanced by about 70% (30%) during high phases of the NAO (in the following referred to as NAO+) compared to its low phases (NAO−). This is mainly due to great differences in the pathways of European pollution during NAO+ and NAO− phases, respectively, but reinforced by North American pollution, which is also enhanced in the Arctic during NAO+  phases. In contrast, Asian pollution in the Arctic does not significantly depend on the NAO phase. The model results are confirmed using remotely-sensed NO2 vertical atmospheric columns obtained from seven years of satellite measurements, which show enhanced northward NO2 transport and reduced NO2 outflow into the North Atlantic from Central Europe during NAO+ phases. Surface measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) and black carbon at high-latitude stations further corroborate the overall picture of enhanced Arctic pollution levels during NAO+ phases.

scholarly journals A Regime View of the North Atlantic Oscillation and Its Response to Anthropogenic Forcing

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1291-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Woollings ◽  
Abdel Hannachi ◽  
Brian Hoskins ◽  
Andrew Turner
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Anthropogenic Forcing ◽  
The Third ◽  
The North ◽  
Nao Index ◽  
Future Behavior ◽  
Real Change ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract The distribution of the daily wintertime North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index in the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) is significantly negatively skewed. Dynamical and statistical analyses both suggest that this skewness reflects the presence of two distinct regimes—referred to as “Greenland blocking” and “subpolar jet.” Changes in both the relative occurrence and in the structure of the regimes are shown to contribute to the long-term NAO trend over the ERA-40 period. This is contrasted with the simulation of the NAO in 100-yr control and doubled CO2 integrations of the third climate configuration of the Met Office Unified Model (HadCM3). The model has clear deficiencies in its simulation of the NAO in the control run, so its predictions of future behavior must be treated with caution. However, the subpolar jet regime does become more dominant under anthropogenic forcing and, while this change is small it is clearly statistically significant and does represent a real change in the nature of NAO variability in the model.

Polar motion and the North Atlantic Oscillation

1997 ◽  
Vol 42 (11) ◽  
pp. 927-931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonghong Zhou ◽  
Dawei Zheng ◽  
Benjamin Fong Chao
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Polar Motion ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation
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