scholarly journals Odd hydrogen response thresholds for indication of solar proton and electron impact in the mesosphere and stratosphere

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuomas Häkkilä ◽  
Pekka T. Verronen ◽  
Luis Millán ◽  
Monika E. Szela̧g ◽  
Niilo Kalakoski ◽  
...  

Abstract. Understanding the atmospheric forcing from energetic particle precipitation (EPP) is important for climate simulations on decadal time scales. However, presently there are large uncertainties in energy-flux measurements of electron precipitation. One approach to narrow these uncertainties is by analyses of EPP direct atmospheric impacts and their relation to measured EPP fluxes. Here we use odd hydrogen observations from the Microwave Limb Sounder and Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model simulations, together with EPP fluxes from the GOES and POES satellites, to determine the response thresholds to solar proton events (SPEs) and radiation belt electron (RBE) precipitation. We consider a range of altitudes in the middle atmosphere, and all magnetic latitudes from pole to pole. We find that the lower flux limits for day-to-day EPP impact detection using OH and HO2 are of the order of 102 protons/cm2/s/sr (E > 10 MeV) and 104 electrons/cm2/s/sr (E = 100–300 keV). Based on the simulations, nighttime OH and HO2 are good EPP indicators in the polar regions, and provide best coverage in altitude and latitude. Due to larger background concentrations, daytime detection requires larger EPP fluxes and is possible in the mesosphere only. SPE detection is easier than RBE detection because a wider range of polar latitudes is affected. We also find that MLS OH observations indicate a clear nighttime response to SPE and RBE in the mesosphere, similar to the simulations, while HO2 data are overall too noisy for confident EPP detection.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1299-1312
Author(s):  
Tuomas Häkkilä ◽  
Pekka T. Verronen ◽  
Luis Millán ◽  
Monika E. Szeląg ◽  
Niilo Kalakoski ◽  
...  

Abstract. Understanding the atmospheric forcing from energetic particle precipitation (EPP) is important for climate simulations on decadal time scales. However, presently there are large uncertainties in energy flux measurements of electron precipitation. One approach to narrowing these uncertainties is by analyses of EPP direct atmospheric impacts and their relation to measured EPP fluxes. Here we use observations from the microwave limb sounder (MLS) and Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) simulations, together with EPP fluxes from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) to determine the OH and HO2 response thresholds to solar proton events (SPEs) and radiation belt electron (RBE) precipitation. Because of their better signal-to-noise ratio and extended altitude range, we utilize MLS HO2 data from an improved offline processing instead of the standard operational product. We consider a range of altitudes in the middle atmosphere and all magnetic latitudes from pole to pole. We find that the nighttime flux limits for day-to-day EPP impact detection using OH and HO2 are 50–130 protonscm-2s-1sr-1 (E>10 MeV) and 1.0–2.5×104 electronscm-2s-1sr-1 (E = 100–300 keV). Based on the WACCM simulations, nighttime OH and HO2 are good EPP indicators in the polar regions and provide best coverage in altitude and latitude. Due to larger background concentrations, daytime detection requires larger EPP fluxes and is possible in the mesosphere only. SPE detection is easier than RBE detection because a wider range of polar latitudes is affected, i.e., the SPE impact is rather uniform poleward of 60∘, while the RBE impact is focused at 60∘. Altitude-wise, the SPE and RBE detection are possible at ≈ 35–80 and ≈ 65–75 km, respectively. We also find that the MLS OH observations indicate a clear nighttime response to SPE and RBE in the mesosphere, similar to the simulations. However, the MLS OH data are too noisy for response detection in the stratosphere below 50 km, and the HO2 measurements are overall too noisy for confident EPP detection on a day-to-day basis.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Marke ◽  
W. Mauser ◽  
A. Pfeiffer ◽  
G. Zängl

Abstract. The present study investigates a statistical approach for the downscaling of climate simulations focusing on those meteorological parameters most commonly required as input for climate change impact models (temperature, precipitation, air humidity and wind speed), including the option to correct biases in the climate model simulations. The approach is evaluated by the utilization of a hydrometeorological model chain consisting of (i) the regional climate model MM5 (driven by reanalysis data at the boundaries of the model domain), (ii) the downscaling and model interface SCALMET, and (iii) the hydrological model PROMET. The results of four hydrological model runs are compared to discharge recordings at the gauge of the Upper Danube Watershed (Central Europe) for the historical period of 1972–2000 on a daily time basis. The comparison reveals that the presented approaches allow for a more accurate simulation of discharge for the catchment of the Upper Danube Watershed and the considered gauge at the outlet in Achleiten. The correction for subgrid-scale variability is shown to reduce biases in simulated discharge compared to the utilization of bilinear interpolation. Further enhancements in model performance could be achieved by a correction of biases in the RCM data within the downscaling process. Although the presented downscaling approach strongly improves the performance of the hydrological model, deviations from the observed discharge conditions persist that are not found when driving the hydrological model with spatially distributed meteorological observations.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. van den Berge ◽  
F. M. Selten ◽  
W. Wiegerinck ◽  
G. S. Duane

Abstract. In the current multi-model ensemble approach climate model simulations are combined a posteriori. In the method of this study the models in the ensemble exchange information during simulations and learn from historical observations to combine their strengths into a best representation of the observed climate. The method is developed and tested in the context of small chaotic dynamical systems, like the Lorenz 63 system. Imperfect models are created by perturbing the standard parameter values. Three imperfect models are combined into one super-model, through the introduction of connections between the model equations. The connection coefficients are learned from data from the unperturbed model, that is regarded as the truth. The main result of this study is that after learning the super-model is a very good approximation to the truth, much better than each imperfect model separately. These illustrative examples suggest that the super-modeling approach is a promising strategy to improve weather and climate simulations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 1547-1555 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. McLandress ◽  
D. A. Plummer ◽  
T. G. Shepherd

Abstract. This note describes a simple procedure for removing unphysical temporal discontinuities in ERA-Interim upper stratospheric global mean temperatures in March 1985 and August 1998 that have arisen due to changes in satellite radiance data used in the assimilation. The derived temperature adjustments (offsets) are suitable for use in stratosphere-resolving chemistry-climate models that are nudged (relaxed) to ERA-Interim winds and temperatures. Simulations using a nudged version of the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM) show that the inclusion of the temperature adjustments produces temperature time series that are devoid of the large jumps in 1985 and 1998. Due to its strong temperature dependence, the simulated upper stratospheric ozone is also shown to vary smoothly in time, unlike in a nudged simulation without the adjustments where abrupt changes in ozone occur at the times of the temperature jumps. While the adjustments to the ERA-Interim temperatures remove significant artefacts in the nudged CMAM simulation, spurious transient effects that arise due to water vapour and persist for about 5 yr after the 1979 switch to ERA-Interim data are identified, underlining the need for caution when analysing trends in runs nudged to reanalyses.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamadou Diallo ◽  
Hella Garny ◽  
Roland Eichinger ◽  
Valentina Aquila ◽  
Manfred Ern ◽  
...  

<p>The stratospheric Brewer--Dobson circulation (BDC) is an important element of climate system as it determines the concentration of radiatively active trace gases like water vapor, ozone and aerosol above the tropopause. Climate models predict that increasing greenhouse gas levels speed up the stratospheric circulation. BDC changes is substantially modulated by different modes of climate variability (QBO, ENSO, solar cycle), including the volcanic aerosols. However, such variability is often not reliably included or represented in current climate model simulations, challenging the evaluation of models’ behavior against observations and constituting a major uncertainty in current climate simulations. </p><p>Here, we investigate the main differences between the reanalysis and the CCMI/CMIP6 climate models’ response to stratospheric volcanic forcings regarding the depth/strength of the stratospheric BDC, with a focus on potential changes in the deep and shallow circulation branches. We also discuss the key reasons of the discrepancies (incl. uncertainties associated with volcanological forcing datasets and missing direct aerosol heating in the reanalysis) in the BDC response between reanalysis-driven and climate model simulations in the lower, mid and upper stratosphere. Finally, we assess the dynamical mechanisms involved in the volcanically-induced BDC changes to understand the opposite regime between lower, middle and upper stratosphere after the Mt Pinatubo eruption.</p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 919-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Dorado Liñán ◽  
U. Büntgen ◽  
F. González-Rouco ◽  
E. Zorita ◽  
J. P. Montávez ◽  
...  

Abstract. Past temperature variations are usually inferred from proxy data or estimated using general circulation models. Comparisons between climate estimations derived from proxy records and from model simulations help to better understand mechanisms driving climate variations, and also offer the possibility to identify deficiencies in both approaches. This paper presents regional temperature reconstructions based on tree-ring maximum density series in the Pyrenees, and compares them with the output of global simulations for this region and with regional climate model simulations conducted for the target region. An ensemble of 24 reconstructions of May-to-September regional mean temperature was derived from 22 maximum density tree-ring site chronologies distributed over the larger Pyrenees area. Four different tree-ring series standardization procedures were applied, combining two detrending methods: 300-yr spline and the regional curve standardization (RCS). Additionally, different methodological variants for the regional chronology were generated by using three different aggregation methods. Calibration verification trials were performed in split periods and using two methods: regression and a simple variance matching. The resulting set of temperature reconstructions was compared with climate simulations performed with global (ECHO-G) and regional (MM5) climate models. The 24 variants of May-to-September temperature reconstructions reveal a generally coherent pattern of inter-annual to multi-centennial temperature variations in the Pyrenees region for the last 750 yr. However, some reconstructions display a marked positive trend for the entire length of the reconstruction, pointing out that the application of the RCS method to a suboptimal set of samples may lead to unreliable results. Climate model simulations agree with the tree-ring based reconstructions at multi-decadal time scales, suggesting solar variability and volcanism as the main factors controlling preindustrial mean temperature variations in the Pyrenees. Nevertheless, the comparison also highlights differences with the reconstructions, mainly in the amplitude of past temperature variations and in the 20th century trends. Neither proxy-based reconstructions nor model simulations are able to perfectly track the temperature variations of the instrumental record, suggesting that both approximations still need further improvements.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (14) ◽  
pp. 9485-9494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavle Arsenovic ◽  
Alessandro Damiani ◽  
Eugene Rozanov ◽  
Bernd Funke ◽  
Andrea Stenke ◽  
...  

Abstract. Energetic particle precipitation (EPP) affects the chemistry of the polar middle atmosphere by producing reactive nitrogen (NOy) and hydrogen (HOx) species, which then catalytically destroy ozone. Recently, there have been major advances in constraining these particle impacts through a parametrization of NOy based on high-quality observations. Here we investigate the effects of low (auroral) and middle (radiation belt) energy range electrons, separately and in combination, on reactive nitrogen and hydrogen species as well as on ozone during Southern Hemisphere winters from 2002 to 2010 using the SOCOL3-MPIOM chemistry-climate model. Our results show that, in the absence of solar proton events, low-energy electrons produce the majority of NOy in the polar mesosphere and stratosphere. In the polar vortex, NOy subsides and affects ozone at lower altitudes, down to 10 hPa. Comparing a year with high electron precipitation with a quiescent period, we found large ozone depletion in the mesosphere; as the anomaly propagates downward, 15 % less ozone is found in the stratosphere during winter, which is confirmed by satellite observations. Only with both low- and middle-energy electrons does our model reproduce the observed stratospheric ozone anomaly.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Mendlik ◽  
Georg Heinrich ◽  
Andreas Gobiet ◽  
Armin Leuprecht

We present the R package wux, a toolbox to analyze projected climate change signals by numerical climate model simulations and the associated uncertainties. The focus of this package is to automatically process big amounts of climate model data from multi-model ensembles in a user-friendly and flexible way. For this purpose, climate model output in common binary format (NetCDF) is read in and stored in a data frame, after first being aggregated to a desired temporal resolution and then being averaged over spatial domains of interest. The data processing can be performed for any number of meteorological parameters at one go, which allows multivariate statistical analysis of the climate model ensemble.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 2039-2054
Author(s):  
Suzanne Alice Ghislaine Leroy ◽  
Klaus Arpe ◽  
Uwe Mikolajewicz ◽  
Jing Wu

Abstract. Publications on temperate deciduous tree refugia in Europe are abundant, but little is known about the patterns of temperate tree refugia in eastern Asia, an area where biodiversity survived Quaternary glaciations and which has the world's most diverse temperate flora. Our goal is to compare climate model simulations with pollen data in order to establish the location of glacial refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Limits in which temperate deciduous trees can survive are taken from the literature. The model outputs are first tested for the present by comparing climate models with published modern pollen data. As this method turned out to be satisfactory for the present, the same approach was used for the LGM. Climate model simulations (ECHAM5 T106), statistically further downscaled, are used to infer the temperate deciduous tree distribution during the LGM. These were compared with available fossil temperate tree pollen occurrences. The impact of the LGM on the eastern Asian climate was much weaker than on the European climate. The area of possible tree growth shifts only by about 2∘ to the south between the present and the LGM. This contributes to explaining the greater biodiversity of forests in eastern Asia compared to Europe. Climate simulations and the available, although fractional, fossil pollen data agree. Therefore, climate estimations can safely be used to fill areas without pollen data by mapping potential refugia distributions. The results show two important areas with population connectivity: the Yellow Sea emerged shelf and the southern Himalayas. These two areas were suitable for temperate deciduous tree growth, providing corridors for population migration and connectivity (i.e. less population fragmentation) in glacial periods. Many tree populations live in interglacial refugia, not glacial ones. The fact that the model simulation for the LGM fits so well with observed pollen distribution is another indication that the model used is good enough to also simulate the LGM period.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavle Arsenovic ◽  
Alessandro Damiani ◽  
Eugene Rozanov ◽  
Bernd Funke ◽  
Andrea Stenke ◽  
...  

Abstract. Energetic particle precipitation (EPP) affects the chemistry of the polar middle atmosphere by producing reactive nitrogen (NOy) and hydrogen (HOx) species, which then catalytically destroy ozone. Recently, there have been major advances in constraining these particle impacts through a parametrization based on high quality observations. Here we investigate the effects of low (auroral) and middle (radiation belt) energy range electrons, separately and in combination, on reactive nitrogen and hydrogen species as well as on ozone during Southern Hemisphere winters from 2002 to 2010 using the chemistry-climate model SOCOL3-MPIOM. Our results show that, in absence of solar proton events, low energy electrons produce the majority of NOy in the polar mesosphere and stratosphere. In the polar vortex, NOy subsides and affects ozone at lower altitudes, down to 10 hPa. Comparing a year with high electron precipitation with a quiescent period, we found large ozone depletion in the mesosphere; as the anomaly propagates downward, 15 % less ozone is found in the stratosphere during winter, which is confirmed by satellite observations. Only with both low and middle energy electrons, our model reproduces the observed stratospheric ozone anomaly.


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