The use of SMILES data to study ozone loss in the Arctic winter 2009/2010 and comparison with Odin/SMR data using assimilation techniques

Abstract. The Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) on board the International Space Station observed ozone profiles in the stratosphere with high sensitivity. Although SMILES measurements do not cover high latitudes, the combination of data assimilation methods and an isentropic advection model allows us to use SMILES measurements to investigate the ozone loss due to the instability of the polar vortex in the northern hemisphere. We quantified the ozone depletion in the 2009/2010 Arctic polar winter. Ozone data from both SMILES and Odin/SMR (Sub-Millimetre Radiometer) for the winter were assimilated into the Dynamical Isentropic Assimilation Model for OdiN Data (DIAMOND). DIAMOND is an off-line wind-driven transport model on isentropic surfaces. Wind data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) were used to drive the model. In this study, particular attention is paid to the cross isentropic transport of the tracer. The assimilated SMILES ozone fields agree with the SMR fields despite the limited latitude coverage. Ozone depletion has been derived by comparing the ozone field acquired by sequential assimilation with a passively transported ozone field initiated to 1 December 2009. Significant ozone loss was found in different periods and altitudes from using both SMILES and SMR data. The initial depletion occurred in the end of January below 500 K with a loss of 0.6–1.0 ppm (approximately 20%). The ensuing loss started from the end of February between 575 K and 650 K. Our estimation shows that 0.8 ppmv (15–20%) of O3 has been removed from the lower stratosphere by 1 April in VMR.

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The use of SMILES data to study ozone loss in the Arctic winter 2009/2010 and comparison with Odin/SMR data using assimilation techniques

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-14-12855-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (23) ◽

pp. 12855-12869 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

K. Sagi ◽

D. Murtagh ◽

J. Urban ◽

H. Sagawa ◽

Y. Kasai

Keyword(s):

Ozone Depletion ◽

Transport Model ◽

Space Station ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

The Arctic ◽

Mixing Ratio ◽

Weather Forecasts ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Medium Range ◽

Assimilation Model

Abstract. The Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) on board the International Space Station observed ozone in the stratosphere with high precision from October 2009 to April 2010. Although SMILES measurements only cover latitudes from 38° S to 65° N, the combination of data assimilation methods and an isentropic advection model allows us to quantify the ozone depletion in the 2009/2010 Arctic polar winter by making use of the instability of the polar vortex in the northern hemisphere. Ozone data from both SMILES and Odin/SMR (Sub-Millimetre Radiometer) for the winter were assimilated into the Dynamical Isentropic Assimilation Model for OdiN Data (DIAMOND). DIAMOND is an off-line wind-driven transport model on isentropic surfaces. Wind data from the operational analyses of the European Centre for Medium- Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) were used to drive the model. In this study, particular attention is paid to the cross isentropic transport of the tracer in order to accurately assess the ozone loss. The assimilated SMILES ozone fields agree well with the limitation of noise induced variability within the SMR fields despite the limited latitude coverage of the SMILES observations. Ozone depletion has been derived by comparing the ozone field acquired by sequential assimilation with a passively transported ozone field initialized on 1 December 2009. Significant ozone loss was found in different periods and altitudes from using both SMILES and SMR data: The initial depletion occurred at the end of January below 550 K with an accumulated loss of 0.6–1.0 ppmv (approximately 20%) by 1 April. The ensuing loss started from the end of February between 575 K and 650 K. Our estimation shows that 0.8–1.3 ppmv (20–25 %) of O3 has been removed at the 600 K isentropic level by 1 April in volume mixing ratio (VMR).

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Record springtime stratospheric ozone depletion at 80°N in 2020

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-8892 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ramina Alwarda ◽

Kristof Bognar ◽

Kimberly Strong ◽

Martyn Chipperfield ◽

Sandip Dhomse ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ozone Depletion ◽

Transport Model ◽

Stratospheric Ozone ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

The Arctic ◽

Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽

Chemical Transport Model ◽

Polar Stratospheric Clouds ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Stratospheric Clouds

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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Chemical ozone loss and ozone mini-hole event during the Arctic winter 2010/2011 as observed by SCIAMACHY and GOME-2

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-14-3247-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (7) ◽

pp. 3247-3276 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

R. Hommel ◽

K.-U. Eichmann ◽

J. Aschmann ◽

K. Bramstedt ◽

M. Weber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transport Model ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

The Arctic ◽

Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽

Late Winter ◽

Total Column Ozone ◽

Bromine Oxide ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Catalytic Cycles ◽

Total Column

Abstract. Record breaking loss of ozone (O3) in the Arctic stratosphere has been reported in winter–spring 2010/2011. We examine in detail the composition and transformations occurring in the Arctic polar vortex using total column and vertical profile data products for O3, bromine oxide (BrO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), chlorine dioxide (OClO), and polar stratospheric clouds (PSC) retrieved from measurements made by SCIAMACHY (Scanning Imaging Absorption SpectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartography) on-board Envisat (Environmental Satellite), as well as total column ozone amount, retrieved from the measurements of GOME-2 (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment) on MetOp-A (Meteorological Experimental Satellite). Similarly we use the retrieved data from DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) measurements made in Ny-Ålesund (78.55° N, 11.55° E). A chemical transport model (CTM) has been used to relate and compare Arctic winter–spring conditions in 2011 with those in the previous year. In late winter–spring 2010/2011 the chemical ozone loss in the polar vortex derived from SCIAMACHY observations confirms findings reported elsewhere. More than 70% of O3 was depleted by halogen catalytic cycles between the 425 and 525 K isentropic surfaces, i.e. in the altitude range ~16–20 km. In contrast, during the same period in the previous winter 2009/2010, a typical warm Arctic winter, only slightly more than 20% depletion occurred below 20 km, while 40% of O3 was removed above the 575 K isentrope (~23 km). This loss above 575 K is explained by the catalytic destruction by NOx descending from the mesosphere. In both Arctic winters 2009/2010 and 2010/2011, calculated O3 losses from the CTM are in good agreement to our observations and other model studies. The mid-winter 2011 conditions, prior to the catalytic cycles being fully effective, are also investigated. Surprisingly, a significant loss of O3 around 60%, previously not discussed in detail, is observed in mid-January 2011 below 500 K (~19 km) and sustained for approximately 1 week. The low O3 region had an exceptionally large spatial extent. The situation was caused by two independently evolving tropopause elevations over the Asian continent. Induced adiabatic cooling of the stratosphere favoured the formation of PSC, increased the amount of active chlorine for a short time, and potentially contributed to higher polar ozone loss later in spring.

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A three-dimensional model comparison of PSC processing during the Arctic winters of 1991/1992 and 1992/1993

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.1007/s00585-994-0342-7 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 342-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

M. P. Chipperfield

Keyword(s):

Model Comparison ◽

Transport Model ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

The Arctic ◽

Three Dimensional Model ◽

Polar Stratospheric Clouds ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Stratospheric Clouds ◽

Compare And Contrast

Abstract. A three-dimensional transport model has been used to compare and contrast the extent of processing by polar stratospheric clouds during the northern hemisphere winters of 1991/1992 and 1992/1993. The model has also been used to compare the potential for ozone loss between these two winters. The TOMCAT off-line model is forced using meteorological analyses from the ECMWF. During winter 1992/1993 polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) in the model persisted into late February/early March, which is much later than in 1991/1992. This persistence of PSCs should have resulted in much more ozone loss in the later winter. Interestingly, however, the extent of PSC processing and ozone loss was greater in January 1992 than January 1993. In January 1992 PSCs occurred at the edge of a distorted polar vortex whilst in January 1993 the PSCs were located at the centre of a much more zonally symmetrical vortex. In March 1993, distortions of the vortex led to the tearing off of vortex air and its mixing into midlatitudes.

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Modelling the effect of denitrification on polar ozone depletion for Arctic winter/spring 2004/05

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-11-3857-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 3857-3884 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

W. Feng ◽

M. P. Chipperfield ◽

S. Davies ◽

G. W. Mann ◽

K. S. Carslaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Standard Model ◽

Ozone Depletion ◽

Transport Model ◽

The Arctic ◽

Chemical Transport Model ◽

Particle Sedimentation ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

The Standard Model ◽

The Impact ◽

Polar Ozone

Abstract. A three-dimensional (3-D) chemical transport model (CTM), SLIMCAT, has been used to quantify the effect of denitrification on ozone loss for the Arctic winter/spring 2004/05. The simulated HNO3 is found to be highly sensitive to the polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) scheme used in the model. Here the standard SLIMCAT full chemistry model, which uses a thermodynamic equilibrium PSC scheme, overpredicts the Arctic ozone loss for Arctic winter/spring 2004/05 due to the overestimation of denitrification and stronger chlorine activation than observed. A model run with a detailed microphysical denitrification scheme, DLAPSE (Denitrification by Lagrangian Particle Sedimentation), is less denitrified than the standard model run and better reproduces the observed HNO3 as measured by Airborne SUbmillimeter Radiometer (ASUR) and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instruments. The overestimated denitrification causes a small overestimation of Arctic polar ozone loss (~5–10% at ~17 km) by the standard model. Use of the DLAPSE scheme improves the simulation of Arctic ozone depletion compared with the inferred partial column ozone loss from ozonesondes and satellite data. Overall, denitrification is responsible for a ~30% enhancement in O3 depletion for Arctic winter/spring 2004/05, suggesting that the successful simulation of the impact of denitrification on Arctic ozone depletion also requires the use of a detailed microphysical PSC scheme in the model.

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Mid-winter lower stratosphere temperatures in the Antarctic vortex: comparison between observations and ECMWF operational model.

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-6-7697-2006 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 7697-7714

Author(s):

M. C. Parrondo ◽

M. Yela ◽

M. Gil ◽

P. von der Gathen ◽

H. Ochoa

Keyword(s):

Ozone Depletion ◽

Lower Stratosphere ◽

Transport Model ◽

Temperature Fields ◽

Temperature Profiles ◽

Temperature Dependent ◽

Operational Model ◽

Weather Forecasts ◽

Medium Range ◽

The Antarctic

Abstract. Radiosonde temperature profiles from Belgrano (78° S) and other Antarctic stations have been compared with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) data during the winter of 2003. Results show a bias in the operational model which is height and temperature dependent, being too cold at layers peaking at 80 and 25–30 hPa, and hence resulting in an overestimation of the predicted potential PSC areas. Here we show the results of the comparison by considering the possibility of a bias in the sondes at extremely low temperatures and discuss the potential implications that this bias might have on the ozone depletion computed by Climate Transport Model based on ECMWF temperature fields.

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Spatial, temporal, and vertical variability of polar stratospheric ozone loss in the Arctic winters 2004/2005–2009/2010

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-10-9915-2010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 10 (20) ◽

pp. 9915-9930 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

J. Kuttippurath ◽

S. Godin-Beekmann ◽

F. Lefèvre ◽

F. Goutail

Keyword(s):

Transport Model ◽

Stratospheric Ozone ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

The Arctic ◽

Model Calculations ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Vertical Range ◽

Column Ozone ◽

Catalytic Cycles ◽

Good Agreement

Abstract. The polar stratospheric ozone loss during the Arctic winters 2004/2005–2009/2010 is investigated by using high resolution simulations from the chemical transport model Mimosa-Chim and observations from Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), by applying the passive tracer technique. The winter 2004/2005 shows the coldest temperatures, highest area of polar stratospheric clouds and strongest chlorine activation in 2004/2005–2009/2010. The ozone loss diagnosed from both simulations and measurements inside the polar vortex at 475 K ranges from 0.7 ppmv in the warm winter 2005/2006 to 1.5–1.7 ppmv in the cold winter 2004/2005. Halogenated (chlorine and bromine) catalytic cycles contribute to 75–90% of the ozone loss at this level. At 675 K the lowest loss of 0.3–0.5 ppmv is computed in 2008/2009, and the highest loss of 1.3 ppmv is estimated in 2006/2007 by the model and in 2004/2005 by MLS. Most of the ozone loss (60–75%) at this level results from nitrogen catalytic cycles rather than halogen cycles. At both 475 and 675 K levels the simulated ozone and ozone loss evolution inside the vortex is in reasonably good agreement with the MLS observations. The ozone partial column loss in 350–850 K deduced from the model calculations at the MLS sampling locations inside the polar vortex ranges between 43 DU in 2005/2006 and 109 DU in 2004/2005, while those derived from the MLS observations range between 26 DU and 115 DU for the same winters. The partial column ozone depletion derived in that vertical range is larger than that estimated in 350–550 K by 19±7 DU on average, mainly due to NOx chemistry. The column ozone loss estimates from both Mimosa-Chim and MLS in 350–850 K are generally in good agreement with those derived from ground-based ultraviolet-visible spectrometer total ozone observations for the respective winters, except in 2010.

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The spring 2011 final stratospheric warming above Eureka: anomalous dynamics and chemistry

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-12-20033-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 20033-20072

Author(s):

C. Adams ◽

K. Strong ◽

X. Zhao ◽

A. E. Bourassa ◽

W. H. Daffer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transport Model ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

The Arctic ◽

Lower Latitude ◽

Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽

Chemical Production ◽

Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Mixing Ratios ◽

Middle Stratosphere

Abstract. In spring 2011, the Arctic polar vortex was stronger than in any other year on record. As the polar vortex started to break up in April, ozone and NO2 columns were measured with UV-visible spectrometers above the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Canada (80.05° N, 86.42° W) using the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique. These ground-based column measurements were complemented by Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Optical Spectrograph and Infra-Red Imager System (OSIRIS) satellite measurements, Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) simulations, and dynamical parameters. On 8 April 2011, NO2 columns above PEARL from the DOAS, OMI, and GMI datasets were approximately twice as large as in previous years. On this day, temperatures and ozone volume mixing ratios above Eureka were high, suggesting enhanced chemical production of NO2 from NO. Additionally, GMI NOx and N2O fields suggest that downward transport along the vortex edge and horizontal transport from lower latitudes also contributed to the enhanced NO2. The anticyclone that transported lower-latitude NOx above PEARL became frozen-in and persisted in dynamical and GMI N2O fields until the end of the measurement period on 31 May 2011. Ozone isolated within this frozen-in anticyclone (FrIAC) in the middle stratosphere was depleted due to reactions with the enhanced NOx. Ozone loss was calculated using the passive tracer technique, with passive ozone profiles from the Lagrangian Chemistry and Transport Model, ATLAS. At 600 K, ozone losses between 1 December 2010 and 20 May 2011 reached 4.2 parts per million by volume (ppmv) (58%) and 4.4 ppmv (61%), when calculated using GMI and OSIRIS ozone profiles, respectively. This middle-stratosphere gas-phase ozone loss led to a more rapid decrease in ozone column amounts in April/May 2011 compared with previous years. Ground-based, OMI, and GMI ozone total columns within the FrIAC all decreased by more than 100 DU from 15 April to 20 May. Two lows in the ozone columns were also investigated and were attributed to a vortex remnant passing above Eureka at ~500 K on 12/13 May and an ozone mini-hole on 22/23 May.

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Reconciliation of essential process parameters for an enhanced predictability of Arctic stratospheric ozone loss and its climate interactions

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-12-30661-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 30661-30754 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

M. von Hobe ◽

S. Bekki ◽

S. Borrmann ◽

F. Cairo ◽

F. D'Amato ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ozone Depletion ◽

Stratospheric Ozone ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

The Arctic ◽

Synoptic Scale ◽

Ice Clouds ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

Process Studies ◽

Polar Ozone

Abstract. Significant reductions in stratospheric ozone occur inside the polar vortices each spring when chlorine radicals produced by heterogeneous reactions on cold particle surfaces in winter destroy ozone mainly in two catalytic cycles, the ClO dimer cycle and the ClO/BrO cycle. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are responsible for most of the chlorine currently present in the stratosphere, have been banned by the Montreal Protocol and its amendments, and the ozone layer is predicted to recover to 1980 levels within the next few decades. During the same period, however, climate change is expected to alter the temperature, circulation patterns and chemical composition in the stratosphere, and possible geo-engineering ventures to mitigate climate change may lead to additional changes. To realistically predict the response of the ozone layer to such influences requires the correct representation of all relevant processes. The European project RECONCILE has comprehensively addressed remaining questions in the context of polar ozone depletion, with the objective to quantify the rates of some of the most relevant, yet still uncertain physical and chemical processes. To this end RECONCILE used a broad approach of laboratory experiments, two field missions in the Arctic winter 2009/10 employing the high altitude research aircraft M55-Geophysica and an extensive match ozone sonde campaign, as well as microphysical and chemical transport modelling and data assimilation. Some of the main outcomes of RECONCILE are as follows: (1) vortex meteorology: the 2009/10 Arctic winter was unusually cold at stratospheric levels during the six-week period from mid-December 2009 until the end of January 2010, with reduced transport and mixing across the polar vortex edge; polar vortex stability and how it is influenced by dynamic processes in the troposphere has led to unprecedented, synoptic-scale stratospheric regions with temperatures below the frost point; in these regions stratospheric ice clouds have been observed, extending over >106km2 during more than 3 weeks. (2) Particle microphysics: heterogeneous nucleation of nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) particles in the absence of ice has been unambiguously demonstrated; conversely, the synoptic scale ice clouds also appear to nucleate heterogeneously; a variety of possible heterogeneous nuclei has been characterised by chemical analysis of the non-volatile fraction of the background aerosol; substantial formation of solid particles and denitrification via their sedimentation has been observed and model parameterizations have been improved. (3) Chemistry: strong evidence has been found for significant chlorine activation not only on polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) but also on cold binary aerosol; laboratory experiments and field data on the ClOOCl photolysis rate and other kinetic parameters have been shown to be consistent with an adequate degree of certainty; no evidence has been found that would support the existence of yet unknown chemical mechanisms making a significant contribution to polar ozone loss. (4) Global modelling: results from process studies have been implemented in a prognostic chemistry climate model (CCM); simulations with improved parameterisations of processes relevant for polar ozone depletion are evaluated against satellite data and other long term records using data assimilation and detrended fluctuation analysis. Finally, measurements and process studies within RECONCILE were also applied to the winter 2010/11, when special meteorological conditions led to the highest chemical ozone loss ever observed in the Arctic. In addition to quantifying the 2010/11 ozone loss and to understand its causes including possible connections to climate change, its impacts were addressed, such as changes in surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the densely populated northern mid-latitudes.

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Total ozone loss during the 2019/20 Arctic winter and comparison to previous years

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-3571 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Florence Goutail ◽

Jean-Pierre Pommereau ◽

Andrea Pazmino ◽

Franck Lefevre ◽

Cathy Clerbaux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ozone Depletion ◽

Total Ozone ◽

Transport Model ◽

The Arctic ◽

Chemical Transport Model ◽

Ozone Loss ◽

The North ◽

Daily Rate ◽

Large Vortex ◽

Better Than

The amplitude of ozone depletion in the Arctic is monitored every year since 1990 by comparison between total ozone measurements of SAOZ / NDACC UV-Vis spectrometers deployed in the Arctic and 3-D chemical transport model simulations in which ozone is considered as a passive tracer.When SAOZ measurements are missing for various reasons, lack of sunlight, station closed or instrument failure, they are replaced since 2017 by IASI/Metop overpasses above the station. These measurements in the thermal Infrared are available all year around, at all latitudes even in the polar night. IASI data have been compared to SAOZ and to 3-D CTM REPROBUS and the agreement is better than 3% at the latitude of the polar circle.The method allows determining the evolution of the daily rate of the ozone destruction and the amplitude of the cumulative loss at the end of the winter. The amplitude of the destruction varies between 0-10% in relatively warm and short vortex duration years up to 25-39% in colder and longer ones.Since a strong and large vortex centred at the North Pole, PSCs and activated chlorine are still present at all levels in the lower stratosphere on January 9, 2020, there is a good probability that a significant O3 loss may happen in 2020. But since, as shown by the unprecedented depletion of 39% in 2010/11, the loss depends on the vortex duration, strength and possible re-noxification, it is difficult to predict in advance the amplitude of the cumulative loss at the end of the winter.Shown in this presentation will be the evolution of ozone loss and re-noxification in the Arctic vortex during the winter 2019/20 compared to previous winters and REPROBUS and SLIMCAT CTM simulations.

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