scholarly journals Stratospheric ozone depletion from future nitrous oxide increases

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 29447-29481
Author(s):  
W. Wang ◽  
W. Tian ◽  
S. Dhomse ◽  
F. Xie ◽  
J. Shu

Abstract. We have investigated the impact of assumed nitrous oxide (N2O) increases on stratospheric chemistry and dynamics by a series of idealized simulations. In a future cooler stratosphere the net yield of NOy from a changed N2O is known to decrease, but NOy can still be significantly increased by the increase of N2O. Results with a coupled chemistry-climate model (CCM) show that increases in N2O of 50%/100% between 2001 and 2050 result in more ozone destruction, causing a reduction in ozone mixing ratios of maximally 6%/10% in the middle stratosphere at around 10 hPa. This enhanced destruction could cause an ozone decline in the second half of this century in the middle stratosphere. However, the total ozone column still shows an increase in future decades, though the increase of 50%/100% in N2O caused a 2%/6% decrease in TCO compared with the reference simulation. N2O increases have significant effects on ozone trends at 20–10 hPa in the tropics and at northern high latitude, but have no significant effect on ozone trends in the Antarctic stratosphere. The ozone depletion potential for N2O in a future climate depends both on stratospheric temperature changes and tropospheric N2O changes, which have reversed effects on ozone in the middle and upper stratosphere. A 50% CO2 increase in conjunction with a 50% N2O increase cause significant ozone depletion in the middle stratosphere and lead to an increase of ozone in the upper stratosphere. Based on the multiple linear regression analysis and a series of sensitivity simulations, we find that the chemical effect of N2O increases dominates the ozone changes in the stratosphere while the dynamical and radiative effects of N2O increases are insignificant on average. However, the dynamical effect of N2O increases may cause large local changes in ozone mixing ratios, particularly, in the Southern Hemisphere lower stratosphere.

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 12967-12982 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Wang ◽  
W. Tian ◽  
S. Dhomse ◽  
F. Xie ◽  
J. Shu ◽  
...  

Abstract. We have investigated the impact of the assumed nitrous oxide (N2O) increases on stratospheric chemistry and dynamics using a series of idealized simulations with a coupled chemistry-climate model (CCM). In a future cooler stratosphere the net yield of NOy from N2O is shown to decrease in a reference run following the IPCC A1B scenario, but NOy can still be significantly increased by extra increases of N2O over 2001–2050. Over the last decade of simulations, 50% increases in N2O result in a maximal 6% reduction in ozone mixing ratios in the middle stratosphere at around 10 hPa and an average 2% decrease in the total ozone column (TCO) compared with the control run. This enhanced destruction could cause an ozone decline in the first half of this century in the middle stratosphere around 10 hPa, while global TCO still shows an increase at the same time. The results from a multiple linear regression analysis and sensitivity simulations with different forcings show that the chemical effect of N2O increases dominates the N2O-induced ozone depletion in the stratosphere, while the dynamical and radiative effects of N2O increases are overall insignificant. The analysis of the results reveals that the ozone depleting potential of N2O varies with the time period and is influenced by the environmental conditions. For example, carbon dioxide (CO2) increases can strongly offset the ozone depletion effect of N2O.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Winterstein ◽  
Patrick Jöckel ◽  
Martin Dameris ◽  
Michael Ponater ◽  
Fabian Tanalski ◽  
...  

<p>Methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) is the second most important greenhouse gas, which atmospheric concentration is influenced by human activities and currently on a sharp rise. We present a study with numerical simulations using a Chemistry-Climate-Model (CCM), which are performed to assess possible consequences of strongly enhanced CH<sub>4</sub> concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere for the climate.</p><p>Our analysis includes experiments with 2xCH<sub>4</sub> and 5xCH<sub>4</sub> present day (2010) lower boundary mixing ratios using the CCM EMAC. The simulations are conducted with prescribed oceanic conditions, mimicking present day tropospheric temperatures as its changes are largely suppressed. By doing so we are able to investigate the quasi-instantaneous chemical impact on the atmosphere. We find that the massive increase in CH<sub>4</sub> strongly influences the tropospheric chemistry by reducing the OH abundance and thereby extending the tropospheric CH<sub>4</sub> lifetime as well as the residence time of other chemical pollutants. The region above the tropopause is impacted by a substantial rise in stratospheric water vapor (SWV). The stratospheric ozone (O<sub>3</sub>) column increases overall, but SWV induced stratospheric cooling also leads to enhanced ozone depletion in the Antarctic lower stratosphere. Regional  patterns of ozone change are affected by modification of stratospheric dynamics, i.e. increased tropical up-welling and stronger meridional transport  towards the polar regions. We calculate the net radiative impact (RI) of the 2xCH<sub>4</sub> experiment to be 0.69 W m<sup>-2</sup> and for the 5xCH<sub>4</sub> experiment to be 1.79 W m<sup>-2</sup>. A substantial part of the RI is contributed by chemically induced O<sub>3</sub> and SWV changes, in line with previous radiative forcing estimates and is for the first time splitted and spatially asigned to its chemical contributors.</p><p>This numerical study using a CCM with prescibed oceanic conditions shows the rapid responses to significantly enhanced CH<sub>4</sub> mixing ratios, which is the first step towards investigating the impact of possible strong future CH<sub>4</sub> emissions on atmospheric chemistry and its feedback on climate.</p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1593) ◽  
pp. 1256-1264 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Portmann ◽  
J. S. Daniel ◽  
A. R. Ravishankara

The effects of anthropogenic emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ) and the halocarbons on stratospheric ozone (O 3 ) over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries are isolated using a chemical model of the stratosphere. The future evolution of ozone will depend on each of these gases, with N 2 O and CO 2 probably playing the dominant roles as halocarbons return towards pre-industrial levels. There are nonlinear interactions between these gases that preclude unambiguously separating their effect on ozone. For example, the CH 4 increase during the twentieth century reduced the ozone losses owing to halocarbon increases, and the N 2 O chemical destruction of O 3 is buffered by CO 2 thermal effects in the middle stratosphere (by approx. 20% for the IPCC A1B/WMO A1 scenario over the time period 1900–2100). Nonetheless, N 2 O is expected to continue to be the largest anthropogenic emission of an O 3 -destroying compound in the foreseeable future. Reductions in anthropogenic N 2 O emissions provide a larger opportunity for reduction in future O 3 depletion than any of the remaining uncontrolled halocarbon emissions. It is also shown that 1980 levels of O 3 were affected by halocarbons, N 2 O, CO 2 and CH 4 , and thus may not be a good choice of a benchmark of O 3 recovery.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Friedel ◽  
Gabriel Chiodo ◽  
Andrea Stenke ◽  
Daniela Domeisen ◽  
Stephan Fueglistaler ◽  
...  

Abstract Massive spring ozone loss due to anthropogenic emissions of ozone depleting substances is not limited to the austral hemisphere, but can also occur in the Arctic. Previous studies have suggested a link between springtime Arctic ozone depletion and Northern Hemispheric surface climate, which might add surface predictability. However, so far it has not been possible to isolate the role of stratospheric ozone from dynamical downward impacts. For the first time, we quantify the impact of springtime Arctic ozone depletion on surface climate using observations and targeted chemistry-climate model experiments to isolate the effects of ozone feedbacks. We find that springtime stratospheric ozone depletion is followed by surface anomalies in precipitation and temperature resembling a positive Arctic Oscillation. Most notably, we show that these anomalies, affecting large portions of the Northern Hemisphere, cannot be explained by dynamical variability alone, but are to a significant degree driven by stratospheric ozone. The surface signal is linked to reduced shortwave absorption by stratospheric ozone, forcing persistent negative temperature anomalies in the lower stratosphere and a delayed breakup of the polar vortex - analogous to ozone-surface coupling in the Southern Hemisphere.These results suggest that Arctic stratospheric ozone actively forces springtime Northern Hemispheric surface climate and thus provides a source of predictability on seasonal scales.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Smith ◽  
Sarah Maleska ◽  
John Virgin

<p>Stratospheric ozone depletion in the Antarctic is well known to cause changes in Southern Hemisphere tropospheric climate; however, because of its smaller magnitude in the Arctic, the effects of stratospheric ozone depletion on Northern Hemisphere tropospheric climate are not as obvious or well understood. Recent research using both global climate models and observational data has determined that the impact of ozone depletion on ozone extremes can affect interannual variability in tropospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere in spring. To further this work, we use a coupled chemistry–climate model to examine the difference in high cloud between years with anomalously low and high Arctic stratospheric ozone concentrations. We find that low ozone extremes during the late twentieth century, when ozone-depleting substances (ODS) emissions are higher, are related to a decrease in upper tropospheric stability and an increase in high cloud fraction, which may contribute to enhanced Arctic surface warming in spring through a positive longwave cloud radiative effect. A better understanding of how Arctic climate is affected by ODS emissions, ozone depletion, and ozone extremes will lead to improved predictions of Arctic climate and its associated feedbacks with atmospheric fields as ozone levels recover.</p>


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 9233-9268 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. von Hobe ◽  
S. Bekki ◽  
S. Borrmann ◽  
F. Cairo ◽  
F. D'Amato ◽  
...  

Abstract. The international research project RECONCILE has addressed central questions regarding polar ozone depletion, with the objective to quantify some of the most relevant yet still uncertain physical and chemical processes and thereby improve prognostic modelling capabilities to realistically predict the response of the ozone layer to climate change. This overview paper outlines the scope and the general approach of RECONCILE, and it provides a summary of observations and modelling in 2010 and 2011 that have generated an in many respects unprecedented dataset to study processes in the Arctic winter stratosphere. Principally, it summarises important outcomes of RECONCILE including (i) better constraints and enhanced consistency on the set of parameters governing catalytic ozone destruction cycles, (ii) a better understanding of the role of cold binary aerosols in heterogeneous chlorine activation, (iii) an improved scheme of polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) processes that includes heterogeneous nucleation of nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) and ice on non-volatile background aerosol leading to better model parameterisations with respect to denitrification, and (iv) long transient simulations with a chemistry-climate model (CCM) updated based on the results of RECONCILE that better reproduce past ozone trends in Antarctica and are deemed to produce more reliable predictions of future ozone trends. The process studies and the global simulations conducted in RECONCILE show that in the Arctic, ozone depletion uncertainties in the chemical and microphysical processes are now clearly smaller than the sensitivity to dynamic variability.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (20) ◽  
pp. 8869-8884
Author(s):  
Sarah Maleska ◽  
Karen L. Smith ◽  
John Virgin

AbstractStratospheric ozone depletion in the Antarctic is well known to cause changes in Southern Hemisphere tropospheric climate; however, because of its smaller magnitude in the Arctic, the effects of stratospheric ozone depletion on Northern Hemisphere tropospheric climate are not as obvious or well understood. Recent research using both global climate models and observational data has determined that the impact of ozone depletion on ozone extremes can affect interannual variability in tropospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere in spring. To further this work, we use a coupled chemistry–climate model to examine the difference in high cloud between years with anomalously low and high Arctic stratospheric ozone concentrations. We find that low ozone extremes during the late twentieth century, when ozone-depleting substances (ODS) emissions are higher, are related to a decrease in upper tropospheric stability and an increase in high cloud fraction, which may contribute to enhanced Arctic surface warming in spring through a positive longwave cloud radiative effect. A better understanding of how Arctic climate is affected by ODS emissions, ozone depletion, and ozone extremes will lead to improved predictions of Arctic climate and its associated feedbacks with atmospheric fields as ozone levels recover.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Smith ◽  
Sarah Maleska ◽  
John Virgin

<p>Stratospheric ozone depletion in the Antarctic is well known to cause changes in Southern Hemisphere tropospheric climate; however, due to its smaller magnitude in the Arctic, the effects of stratospheric ozone depletion on Northern Hemisphere tropospheric climate are not as obvious or well understood. Recent research using both global climate models and observational data has determined that the impact of ozone depletion on ozone extremes can affect interannual variability in tropospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere in spring. To further this work, we use a coupled chemistry-climate model to examine the difference in high cloud between years with anomalously low and high Arctic stratospheric ozone concentrations. We find that low ozone extremes during the late twentieth century, when ODS emissions are higher, are related to a decrease in upper tropospheric stability and an increase in high cloud fraction, which may have contributed to Arctic surface warming via a positive longwave cloud radiative effect in the past few decades compared to other regions. A better understanding of how Arctic climate is affected by ODS emissions, ozone depletion and ozone extremes will lead to improved predictions of Arctic climate and its associated feedbacks with atmospheric fields as ozone levels recover.</p>


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 291
Author(s):  
Jinpeng Lu ◽  
Fei Xie ◽  
Hongying Tian ◽  
Jiali Luo

Stratospheric water vapor (SWV) changes play an important role in regulating global climate change, and its variations are controlled by tropopause temperature. This study estimates the impacts of tropopause layer ozone changes on tropopause temperature by radiative process and further influences on lower stratospheric water vapor (LSWV) using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM4). It is found that a 10% depletion in global (mid-low and polar latitudes) tropopause layer ozone causes a significant cooling of the tropical cold-point tropopause with a maximum cooling of 0.3 K, and a corresponding reduction in LSWV with a maximum value of 0.06 ppmv. The depletion of tropopause layer ozone at mid-low latitudes results in cooling of the tropical cold-point tropopause by radiative processes and a corresponding LSWV reduction. However, the effect of polar tropopause layer ozone depletion on tropical cold-point tropopause temperature and LSWV is opposite to and weaker than the effect of tropopause layer ozone depletion at mid-low latitudes. Finally, the joint effect of tropopause layer ozone depletion (at mid-low and polar latitudes) causes a negative cold-point tropopause temperature and a decreased tropical LSWV. Conversely, the impact of a 10% increase in global tropopause layer ozone on LSWV is exactly the opposite of the impact of ozone depletion. After 2000, tropopause layer ozone decreased at mid-low latitudes and increased at high latitudes. These tropopause layer ozone changes at different latitudes cause joint cooling in the tropical cold-point tropopause and a reduction in LSWV. Clarifying the impacts of tropopause layer ozone changes on LSWV clearly is important for understanding and predicting SWV changes in the context of future global ozone recovery.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda C. Maycock ◽  
Katja Matthes ◽  
Susann Tegtmeier ◽  
Hauke Schmidt ◽  
Rémi Thiéblemont ◽  
...  

Abstract. The impact of changes in incoming solar irradiance on stratospheric ozone abundances should be included in climate model simulations to fully capture the atmospheric response to solar variability. This study presents the first systematic comparison of the solar-ozone response (SOR) during the 11 year solar cycle amongst different chemistry-climate models (CCMs) and ozone databases specified in climate models that do not include chemistry. We analyse the SOR in eight CCMs from the WCRP/SPARC Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative (CCMI-1) and compare these with three ozone databases: the Bodeker Scientific database, the SPARC/AC&C database for CMIP5, and the SPARC/CCMI database for CMIP6. The results reveal substantial differences in the representation of the SOR between the CMIP5 and CMIP6 ozone databases. The peak amplitude of theSOR in the upper stratosphere (1–5 hPa) decreases from 5 % to 2 % between the CMIP5 and CMIP6 databases. This difference is because the CMIP5 database was constructed from a regression model fit to satellite observations, whereas the CMIP6 database is constructed from CCM simulations, which use a spectral solar irradiance (SSI) dataset with relatively weak UV forcing. The SOR in the CMIP6 ozone database is therefore implicitly more similar to the SOR in the CCMI-1 models than to the CMIP5 ozone database, which shows a greater resemblance in amplitude and structure to the SOR in the Bodeker database. The latitudinal structure of the annual mean SOR in the CMIP6 ozone database and CCMI-1 models is considerably smoother than in the CMIP5 database, which shows strong gradients in the SOR across the midlatitudes owing to the paucity of observations at high latitudes. The SORs in the CMIP6 ozone database and in the CCMI-1 models show a strong seasonal dependence, including large meridional gradients at mid to high latitudes during winter; such seasonal variations in the SOR are not included in the CMIP5 ozone database. Sensitivity experiments with a global atmospheric model without chemistry (ECHAM6.3) are performed to assess the impact of changes in the representation of the SOR and SSI forcing between CMIP5 and CMIP6. The experiments show that the smaller amplitude of the SOR in the CMIP6 ozone database compared to CMIP5 causes a decrease in the modelled tropical stratospheric temperature response over the solar cycle of up to 0.6 K, or around 50 % of the total amplitude. The changes in the SOR explain most of the difference in the amplitude of the tropical stratospheric temperature response in the case with combined changes in SOR and SSI between CMIP5 and CMIP6. The results emphasise the importance of adequately representing the SOR in climate models to capture the impact of solar variability on the atmosphere. Since a number of limitations in the representation of the SOR in the CMIP5 ozone database have been identified, CMIP6 models without chemistry are encouraged to use the CMIP6 ozone database to capture the climate impacts of solar variability.


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