scholarly journals Technical Note: A new global database of trace gases and aerosols from multiple sources of high vertical resolution measurements

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (17) ◽  
pp. 5403-5421 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Hassler ◽  
G. E. Bodeker ◽  
M. Dameris

Abstract. A new database of trace gases and aerosols with global coverage, derived from high vertical resolution profile measurements, has been assembled as a collection of binary data files; hereafter referred to as the "Binary DataBase of Profiles" (BDBP). Version 1.0 of the BDBP, described here, includes measurements from different satellite- (HALOE, POAM II and III, SAGE I and II) and ground-based measurement systems (ozonesondes). In addition to the primary product of ozone, secondary measurements of other trace gases, aerosol extinction, and temperature are included. All data are subjected to very strict quality control and for every measurement a percentage error on the measurement is included. To facilitate analyses, each measurement is added to 3 different instances (3 different grids) of the database where measurements are indexed by: (1) geographic latitude, longitude, altitude (in 1 km steps) and time, (2) geographic latitude, longitude, pressure (at levels ~1 km apart) and time, (3) equivalent latitude, potential temperature (8 levels from 300 K to 650 K) and time. In contrast to existing zonal mean databases, by including a wider range of measurement sources (both satellite and ozonesondes), the BDBP is sufficiently dense to permit calculation of changes in ozone by latitude, longitude and altitude. In addition, by including other trace gases such as water vapour, this database can be used for comprehensive radiative transfer calculations. By providing the original measurements rather than derived monthly means, the BDBP is applicable to a wider range of applications than databases containing only monthly mean data. Monthly mean zonal mean ozone concentrations calculated from the BDBP are compared with the database of Randel and Wu, which has been used in many earlier analyses. As opposed to that database which is generated from regression model fits, the BDBP uses the original (quality controlled) measurements with no smoothing applied in any way and as a result displays higher natural variability.

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 7657-7702
Author(s):  
B. Hassler ◽  
G. E. Bodeker ◽  
M. Dameris

Abstract. A new database of trace gases and aerosols with global coverage, derived from high vertical resolution profile measurements, has been assembled as a collection of binary data files; hereafter referred to as the "Binary DataBase of Profiles" (BDBP). Version 1.0 of the BDBP, described here, includes measurements from different satellite- (HALOE, POAM II and III, SAGE I and II) and ground-based measurement systems (ozonesondes). In addition to the primary product of ozone, secondary measurements of other trace gases, aerosol extinction, and temperature are included. All data are subjected to very strict quality control and for every measurement a percentage error on the measurement is included. To facilitate analyses, each measurement is added to 3 different instances (3 different grids) of the database where measurements are indexed by: (1) geographic latitude, longitude, altitude (in 1 km steps) and time, (2) geographic latitude, longitude, pressure (at levels ~1 km apart) and time, (3) equivalent latitude, potential temperature (8 levels from 300 K to 650 K) and time. In contrast to existing zonal mean databases, by including a wider range of measurement sources (both satellite and ozonesondes), the BDBP is sufficiently dense to permit calculation of changes in ozone by latitude, longitude and altitude. In addition, by including other trace gases such as water vapour, this database can be used for comprehensive radiative transfer calculations. By providing the original measurements rather than derived monthly means, the BDBP is applicable to a wider range of applications than databases containing only monthly mean data. Monthly mean zonal mean ozone concentrations calculated from the BDBP are compared with the database of Randel and Wu, which has been used in many earlier analyses. As opposed to that database which is generated from regression model fits, the BDBP uses the original (quality controlled) measurements with no smoothing applied in any way and as a result displays higher natural variability.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aman Gupta ◽  
Edwin Gerber ◽  
Peter Lauritzen

<p>Accurate representation of tracer transport --- the movement of trace constituents by the atmospheric flow --- continues to be a challenge for climate models. Differences in the resolved circulation, biases due to physical parameterizations, and differences in the numerical representation of trace gases result in large variations in transport, even among state-of-the-art climate models. These differences result in disagreement among model projections of the evolution of stratospheric ozone throughout the 21st century particularly in the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole. In addition to transport, the delicate momentum balance in the upper-troposphere and lower-stratosphere (UTLS) also presents a stiff challenge for model numerics, exposing the impacts of numerical dissipation, the resolution of waves, and the consequences of imperfect momentum conservation. Biases in this region impact the global circulation, e.g., influencing the extratropics jets and stratospheric polar vortices, and alter the transport and exchange of trace gases between and through the troposphere and stratosphere.</p><p> </p><p>In this study, we compare 2 modern dynamical cores (dycores) that employ very different numerics: the cubed sphere finite volume (CSFV) core from GFDL and the spectral element (SE) core from NCAR-CAM5. We force these dycores using identical Held-Suarez diabatic forcing in the troposphere and Polvani-Kushner diabatic forcing in the stratosphere, varying the horizontal and vertical resolution. We observe significant differences in circulation, between the two models at high vertical resolution in the lower and middle tropical stratosphere. While the finite volume core is relatively insensitive to any changes in vertical resolution, the PS and SE dycores resolve considerably different tropical stratospheric dynamics at high vertical resolution (80 levels). These models develop QBO-like westerly winds in the tropics and induce a secondary meridional circulation in the tropical stratosphere, which sets of transport between the models. Using the theoretical leaky pipe transport model we analyze and separate out the transport differences due to differences is diabatic circulation and isentropic mixing and infer that this secondary circulation strikingly modulates stratospheric tracer transport (age of air) by altering the tropical-extratropical mixing, and impacts the extratropical circulation through the subtropical jets. Implications for comprehensive atmospheric modeling are discussed.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 7153-7165
Author(s):  
Oscar S. Sandvik ◽  
Johan Friberg ◽  
Moa K. Sporre ◽  
Bengt G. Martinsson

Abstract. In this study we describe a methodology to create high-vertical-resolution SO2 profiles from volcanic emissions. We demonstrate the method's performance for the volcanic clouds following the eruption of Sarychev in June 2009. The resulting profiles are based on a combination of satellite SO2 and aerosol retrievals together with trajectory modelling. We use satellite-based measurements, namely lidar backscattering profiles from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) satellite instrument, to create vertical profiles for SO2 swaths from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard the Aqua satellite. Vertical profiles are created by transporting the air containing volcanic aerosol seen in CALIOP observations using the FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model (FLEXPART) while preserving the high vertical resolution using the potential temperatures from the MERRA-2 (Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Application) meteorological data for the original CALIOP swaths. For the Sarychev eruption, air tracers from 75 CALIOP swaths within 9 d after the eruption are transported forwards and backwards and then combined at a point in time when AIRS swaths cover the complete volcanic SO2 cloud. Our method creates vertical distributions for column density observations of SO2 for individual AIRS swaths, using height information from multiple CALIOP swaths. The resulting dataset gives insight into the height distribution in the different sub-clouds of SO2 within the stratosphere. We have compiled a gridded high-vertical-resolution SO2 inventory that can be used in Earth system models, with a vertical resolution of 1 K in potential temperature, 61 ± 56 m, or 1.8 ± 2.9 mbar.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar S. Sandvik ◽  
Johan Friberg ◽  
Moa K. Sporre ◽  
Bengt G. Martinsson

Abstract. In this study we describe a methodology to create high vertical resolution SO2 profiles from volcanic emissions. We demonstrate the method’s performance for the volcanic clouds following the eruption of Sarychev in June 2009. The resulting profiles are based on a combination of satellite SO2 and aerosol retrievals together with trajectory modelling. We use satellite-based measurements, namely lidar back-scattering profiles from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) satellite instrument to create vertical profiles for SO2 swaths from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard the Aqua satellite. Vertical profiles are created by transporting the air containing volcanic aerosol seen in CALIOP observations using the dispersion model FLEXPART, while preserving the high vertical resolution by using the potential temperatures from the MERRA-2 meteorological data for the original CALIOP swaths. For the Sarychev eruption, air tracers from 75 CALIOP swaths within 9 days after the eruption are transported forwards and backwards, and then combined at a point in time when AIRS swaths cover the complete volcanic SO2 cloud. Our method creates vertical distributions for column density observations of SO2 for individual AIRS swaths. The resulting dataset gives insight to the height distribution in the different sub-clouds of SO2 within the stratosphere. We have compiled a gridded high vertical resolution SO2 inventory that can be used in Earth system models, with vertical resolution of 1 K in potential temperature or 61 ± 56 m and 1.8 ± 2.9 mbar.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 2873-2890 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Y. Foucher ◽  
A. Chédin ◽  
G. Dufour ◽  
V. Capelle ◽  
C. D. Boone ◽  
...  

Abstract. Major limitations of our present knowledge of the global distribution of CO2 in the atmosphere are the uncertainty in atmospheric transport mixing and the sparseness of in situ concentration measurements. Limb viewing space-borne sounders, observing the atmosphere along tangential optical paths, offer a vertical resolution of a few kilometers for profiles, which is much better than currently flying or planned nadir sounding instruments can achieve. In this paper, we analyse the feasibility of obtaining CO2 vertical profiles in the 5–25 km altitude range from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS, launched in August 2003), high spectral resolution solar occultation measurements. Two main difficulties must be overcome: (i) the accurate determination of the instrument pointing parameters (tangent heights) and pressure/temperature profiles independently from an a priori CO2 profile, and (ii) the potential impact of uncertainties in the temperature knowledge on the retrieved CO2 profile. The first difficulty has been solved using the N2 collision-induced continuum absorption near 4 μm to determine tangent heights, pressure and temperature from the ACE-FTS spectra. The second difficulty has been solved by a careful selection of CO2 spectral micro-windows. Retrievals using synthetic spectra made under realistic simulation conditions show a vertical resolution close to 2.5 km and accuracy of the order of 2 ppm after averaging over 25 profiles. These results open the way to promising studies of transport mechanisms and carbon fluxes from the ACE-FTS measurements. First CO2 vertical profiles retrieved from real ACE-FTS occultations shown in this paper confirm the robustness of the method and applicability to real measurements.


2013 ◽  
Vol 559 ◽  
pp. L6 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Ziad ◽  
F. Blary ◽  
J. Borgnino ◽  
Y. Fanteï-Caujolle ◽  
E. Aristidi ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 13307-13321
Author(s):  
S. Ceccherini ◽  
C. Belotti ◽  
B. Carli ◽  
P. Raspollini ◽  
M. Ridolfi

Abstract. The retrieval of concentration vertical profiles of atmospheric constituents from spectroscopic measurements is often an ill-conditioned problem and regularization methods are frequently used to improve its stability. Recently a new method, that provides a good compromise between precision and vertical resolution, was proposed to determine analytically the value of the regularization parameter. This method is applied for the first time to real measurements with its implementation in the operational retrieval code of the satellite limb-emission measurements of the MIPAS instrument and its performances are quantitatively analyzed. The adopted regularization improves the stability of the retrieval providing smooth profiles without major degradation of the vertical resolution. In the analyzed measurements the retrieval procedure provides a vertical resolution that, in the troposphere and low stratosphere, is smaller than the vertical field of view of the instrument.


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