Generation of layering in the upper arctic troposphere away from the jet stream

Abstract. Ozone sounding databases for two stations, So-dankylä (67° N, 27° E) and Ny-Ålesund (79° N, 12° E) were used in order to investigate the generation of layering in the upper and middle troposphere of the Arctic. We concentrated on dry, ozone-rich and stable layers observed below the thermal tropopause under light wind conditions. This condition ensures that the observed layer is not a tropopause fold, a well-known phenomenon that develops within frontal zones near the jet stream. Selection criteria for ozone, humidity and stability anomalies of the tropopause fold detection algorithm were used here to pick out for detailed studies the most pronounced examples of laminae. For all these cases the meteorological situations were investigated in order to establish the origin of the observed layers. We found that layers could be classified into two groups. Laminae of the first group were observed equatorward of the jet stream and those of a second group were observed poleward of the jet. The meteorological situation for the first group resembles that for equatorward stratospheric streamer propagation. It was found that this group accounts for only a small fraction of the layers observed at Sodankylä and for none of those observed at Ny-Ålesund during the period investigated. A large case-to-case variability in the synoptic situation was observed for the second group of laminae, which were detected northward of the jet stream. Nevertheless, in about half of the cases, streamers of tropospheric air were found in the vicinity of the stations on the isentropic surfaces just above the detected stratospheric layers. Back trajectory analyses showed that these layers originated in the vicinity of the polar jet stream. We suppose that laminae-like structures in the troposphere were caused, in both groups, by equatorward (poleward) advection of the stratospheric (tropospheric) air, together with differential vertical shear. Forward-trajectory calculations suggest that, subsequently, a part of the stratospheric layers can mix irreversibly into the troposphere.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (pressure, density, and temperature; troposphere-composition and chemistry)

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<i>Letter to the Editor:</i> A strange cloud in the Arctic summer stratosphere 1998 above Esrange (68°N), Sweden

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.1007/s00585-000-0505-0 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 505-509 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. Siebert ◽

C. Timmis ◽

G. Vaughan ◽

K. H. Fricke

Keyword(s):

Potential Temperature ◽

Atmospheric Dynamics ◽

Atmospheric Composition ◽

The Arctic ◽

Back Trajectory ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Middle Atmospheric Dynamics ◽

Thin Cloud ◽

The University

Abstract. When the University of Bonn lidar on the Esrange (68°N, 21°E), Sweden, was switched on in the evening of July 18, 1998, a geometrically and optically thin cloud layer was present near 14 km altitude or 400 K potential temperature, where it persisted for two hours. The tropopause altitude was 4 km below the cloud altitude. The cloud particles depolarized the lidar returns, thus must they have been aspherical and hence solid. Atmospheric temperatures near 230 K were approximately 40 K too high to support ice particles at stratospheric water vapour pressures of a few ppmv. The isentropic back trajectory on 400 K showed the air parcels to have stayed clear of active major rocket launch sites. The air parcels at 400 K had traveled from the Aleutians across Canada and the Atlantic Ocean arriving above central Europe and then turned northward to pass over above the lidar station. Parcels at levels at ±25 K from 400 K had come from the pole and joined the 400 K trajectory path above eastern Canada. Apparently the cloud existed in a filament of air with an origin different from those filaments both above and below. Possibly the 400 K level air parcels had carried soot particles from forest wild fires in northern Canada or volcanic ash from the eruption of the Korovin Volcano in the Aleutian Islands.Key words: Atmospheric composition and structure (aerosols and particles; biosphere-atmosphere interactions) · Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmospheric dynamics)

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Observation of an unusual mid-stratospheric aerosol layer in the Arctic: possible sources and implications for polar vortex dynamics

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.5194/angeo-21-1057-2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 1057-1069 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

M. Gerding ◽

G. Baumgarten ◽

U. Blum ◽

J. P. Thayer ◽

K.-H. Fricke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle Atmosphere ◽

Water Solution ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

Atmospheric Temperature ◽

Stratospheric Aerosol ◽

Atmospheric Composition ◽

The Arctic ◽

Aerosol Layer ◽

Particle Sedimentation ◽

Composition And Structure

Abstract. By the beginning of winter 2000/2001, a mysterious stratospheric aerosol layer had been detected by four different Arctic lidar stations. The aerosol layer was observed first on 16 November 2000, at an altitude of about 38 km near Søndre Strømfjord, Greenland (67° N, 51° W) and on 19 November 2000, near Andenes, Norway (69° N, 16° E). Subsequently, in early December 2000, the aerosol layer was observed near Kiruna, Sweden (68° N, 21° E) and Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen (79° N, 12° E). No mid-latitude lidar station observed the presence of aerosols in this altitude region. The layer persisted throughout the winter 2000/2001, at least up to 12 February 2001. In November 2000, the backscatter ratio at a wavelength of 532 nm was up to 1.1, with a FWHM of about 2.5 km. By early February 2001, the layer had sedimented from an altitude of 38 km to about 26 km. Measurements at several wavelengths by the ALOMAR and Koldewey lidars indicate the particle size was between 30 and 50 nm. Depolarisation measurements reveal that the particles in the layer are aspherical, hence solid. In the mid-stratosphere, the ambient atmospheric temperature was too high to support in situ formation or existence of cloud particles consisting of ice or an acid-water solution. Furthermore, in the year 2000 there was no volcanic eruption, which could have injected aerosols into the upper stratosphere. Therefore, other origins of the aerosol, such as meteoroid debris, condensed rocket fuel, or aerosols produced under the influence of charged solar particles, will be discussed in the paper. Trajectory calculations illustrate the path of the aerosol cloud within the polar vortex and are used to link the observations at the different lidar sites. From the descent rate of the layer and particle sedimentation rates, the mean down-ward motion of air within the polar vortex was estimated to be about 124 m/d between 35 and 30 km, with higher values at the edge of the vortex.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (aerosols and particles; middle atmosphere composition and chemistry) – meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics)

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Cloud microphysical characteristics versus temperature for three Canadian field projects

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.5194/angeo-20-1891-2002 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 20 (11) ◽

pp. 1891-1898 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

I. Gultepe ◽

G. A. Isaac ◽

S. G. Cober

Keyword(s):

General Circulation ◽

Research Study ◽

Liquid Water Content ◽

Atmospheric Composition ◽

The Arctic ◽

Bay Of Fundy ◽

Arctic Clouds ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

In Situ Observations

Abstract. The purpose of this study is to better understand how cloud microphysical characteristics such as liquid water content (LWC) and droplet number concentration (Nd) change with temperature (T). The in situ observations were collected during three research projects including: the Radiation, Aerosol, and Cloud Experiment (RACE) which took place over the Bay of Fundy and Central Ontario during August 1995, the First International Regional Arctic Cloud Experiment (FIRE.ACE) which took place in the Arctic Ocean during April 1998, and the Alliance Icing Research Study (AIRS) which took place in the Ontario region during the winter of 1999–2000. The RACE, FIRE.ACE, and AIRS projects represent summer mid-latitude clouds, Arctic clouds, and mid-latitude winter clouds, respectively. A LWC threshold of 0.005 g m-3 was used for this study. Similar to other studies, LWC was observed to decrease with decreasing T. The LWC-T relationship was similar for all projects, although the range of T conditions for each project was substantially different, and the variability of LWC within each project was considerable. Nd also decreased with decreasing T, and a parameterization for Nd versus T is suggested that may be useful for modeling studies.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (cloud physics and chemistry) – Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (climatology; general circulation)

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Stratospheric background aerosol and polar cloud observations by laser backscattersonde within the framework of the European project "Stratospheric Regular Sounding"

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.1007/s00585-999-1352-2 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 1352-1360 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

A. Adriani ◽

F. Cairo ◽

L. Pulvirenti ◽

F. Cardillo ◽

M. Viterbini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lower Stratosphere ◽

Middle Atmosphere ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

Atmospheric Composition ◽

The Arctic ◽

Tropical Regions ◽

Convective Systems ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Different Seasons ◽

Stratospheric Clouds

Abstract. The Stratospheric Regular Sounding project was planned to measure regularly the vertical profiles of several tracers like ozone, water vapor, NOx, ClOx and BrOx radicals, aerosol, pressure and temperature, at three latitudes, to discriminate between the transport and photochemical terms which control their distribution. As part of this project, the "Istituto di Fisica dell'Atmosfera" launched nine laser backscattersondes (LABS) on board stratospheric balloons to make observations of background aerosol and PSCs. LABS was launched with an optical particle counter operated by the University of Wyoming. Observations have been performed in the arctic, mid-latitudes and tropical regions in different seasons. Polar stratospheric clouds have been observed in areas inside and outside the polar vortex edge. A background aerosol was observed both in mid-latitudes and in arctic regions with a backscattering ratio of 1.2 at 692 nm. Very stratified aerosol layers, possibly transported into the lower stratosphere by deep convective systems, have been observed in the lower stratosphere between 20 and 29 km in the tropics in the Southern Hemisphere. Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (aerosols and particles; middle atmosphere – composition and chemistry; instruments and techniques)

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Detection and attribution of wildfire pollution in the Arctic and northern midlatitudes using a network of Fourier-transform infrared spectrometers and GEOS-Chem

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-20-12813-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (21) ◽

pp. 12813-12851

Author(s):

Erik Lutsch ◽

Kimberly Strong ◽

Dylan B. A. Jones ◽

Thomas Blumenstock ◽

Stephanie Conway ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Fourier Transform ◽

Standard Deviation ◽

Biomass Burning ◽

Fourier Transform Infrared ◽

Atmospheric Composition ◽

The Arctic ◽

Back Trajectory ◽

Pollution Events ◽

Emission Ratios

Abstract. We present a multiyear time series of column abundances of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and ethane (C2H6) measured using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers at 10 sites affiliated with the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). Six are high-latitude sites: Eureka, Ny-Ålesund, Thule, Kiruna, Poker Flat, and St. Petersburg, and four are midlatitude sites: Zugspitze, Jungfraujoch, Toronto, and Rikubetsu. For each site, the interannual trends and seasonal variabilities of the CO time series are accounted for, allowing background column amounts to be determined. Enhancements above the seasonal background were used to identify possible wildfire pollution events. Since the abundance of each trace gas emitted in a wildfire event is specific to the type of vegetation burned and the burning phase, correlations of CO to the long-lived wildfire tracers HCN and C2H6 allow for further confirmation of the detection of wildfire pollution. A GEOS-Chem tagged CO simulation with Global Fire Assimilation System (GFASv1.2) biomass burning emissions was used to determine the source attribution of CO concentrations at each site from 2003 to 2018. For each detected wildfire pollution event, FLEXPART back-trajectory simulations were performed to determine the transport times of the smoke plume. Accounting for the loss of each species during transport, the enhancement ratios of HCN and C2H6 with respect to CO were converted to emission ratios. We report mean emission ratios with respect to CO for HCN and C2H6 of 0.0047 and 0.0092, respectively, with a standard deviation of 0.0014 and 0.0046, respectively, determined from 23 boreal North American wildfire events. Similarly, we report mean emission ratios for HCN and C2H6 of 0.0049 and 0.0100, respectively, with a standard deviation of 0.0025 and 0.0042, respectively, determined from 39 boreal Asian wildfire events. The agreement of our emission ratios with literature values illustrates the capability of ground-based FTIR measurements to quantify biomass burning emissions. We provide a comprehensive dataset that quantifies HCN and C2H6 emission ratios from 62 wildfire pollution events. Our dataset provides novel emission ratio estimates, which are sparsely available in the published literature, particularly for boreal Asian sources.

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Total ozone decrease in the Arctic after REP events

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.1007/s00585-000-0332-3 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 332-336 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

V. C. Roldugin ◽

M. I. Beloglazov ◽

G. F. Remenets

Keyword(s):

Total Ozone ◽

Middle Atmosphere ◽

Atmospheric Composition ◽

The Arctic ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Longitudinal Sector ◽

The Mean ◽

Polar Meteorology ◽

The Difference ◽

Daily Total

Abstract. Eight periods of relativistic electron precipitation (REP) with electron energies of more than 300 keV are identified from VLF data (10-14 kHz) monitored along the Aldra (Norway) - Apatity (Kola peninsula) radio trace. In these cases, anomalous ionization below 55-50 km occurred without disturbing the higher layers of the ionosphere. The daily total ozone values in Murmansk for six days before and six days after the REP events are compared. In seven of eight events a decrease in the total ozone of about 20 DU is observed. In one event of 25 March, 1986, the mean total ozone value for six days before the REP is bigger than that for six days after, but this a case of an extremely high ozone increase (144 DU during the six days). However, on days 3 and 4 there was a minimum of about 47 DU with regard to REP days, so this case also confirms the concept of the ozone decrease after REP. The difference between mean ozone values for periods six days before and six days after the REPs was found also for 23 points in Arctic on TOMS data. The difference was negative only in Murmansk longitudinal sector. Along the meridian of the trace it was negative at high latitudes in both hemispheres and was near zero at low latitudes.Key words: Atmospheric composition and structure (middle atmosphere - composition and chemistry) - Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (polar meteorology)

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Spatial variations in the warming trend and the transition to more severe weather in midlatitudes

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-80701-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Francisco Estrada ◽

Dukpa Kim ◽

Pierre Perron

Keyword(s):

Radiative Forcing ◽

Warming Trend ◽

Severe Weather ◽

Montreal Protocol ◽

The Arctic ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Jet Stream ◽

Atmospheric Blocking ◽

Regional Warming ◽

Weather Events

AbstractDue to various feedback processes called Arctic amplification, the high-latitudes’ response to increases in radiative forcing is much larger than elsewhere in the world, with a warming more than twice the global average. Since the 1990’s, this rapid warming of the Arctic was accompanied by no-warming or cooling over midlatitudes in the Northern Hemisphere in winter (the hiatus). The decrease in the thermal contrast between Arctic and midlatitudes has been connected to extreme weather events in midlatitudes via, e.g., shifts in the jet stream towards the equator and increases in the probability of high-latitude atmospheric blocking. Here we present an observational attribution study showing the spatial structure of the response to changes in radiative forcing. The results also connect the hiatus with diminished contrast between temperatures over regions in the Arctic and midlatitudes. Recent changes in these regional warming trends are linked to international actions such as the Montreal Protocol, and illustrate how changes in radiative forcing can trigger unexpected responses from the climate system. The lesson for climate policy is that human intervention with the climate is already large enough that even if stabilization was attained, impacts from an adjusting climate are to be expected.

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The Diurnal Variation in Stratospheric Ozone from MACC Reanalysis, ERA-Interim, WACCM, and Earth Observation Data: Characteristics and Intercomparison

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12050625 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 625

Author(s):

Ansgar Schanz ◽

Klemens Hocke ◽

Niklaus Kämpfer ◽

Simon Chabrillat ◽

Antje Inness ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diurnal Variation ◽

Climate Model ◽

Stratospheric Ozone ◽

Polar Vortex ◽

Model Systems ◽

Atmospheric Composition ◽

The Arctic ◽

Observation Data ◽

High Latitudes ◽

Free Running

In this study, we compare the diurnal variation in stratospheric ozone of the MACC (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate) reanalysis, ECMWF Reanalysis Interim (ERA-Interim), and the free-running WACCM (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model). The diurnal variation of stratospheric ozone results from photochemical and dynamical processes depending on altitude, latitude, and season. MACC reanalysis and WACCM use similar chemistry modules and calculate a similar diurnal cycle in ozone when it is caused by a photochemical variation. The results of the two model systems are confirmed by observations of the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) experiment and three selected sites of the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) at Mauna Loa, Hawaii (tropics), Bern, Switzerland (midlatitudes), and Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (high latitudes). On the other hand, the ozone product of ERA-Interim shows considerably less diurnal variation due to photochemical variations. The global maxima of diurnal variation occur at high latitudes in summer, e.g., near the Arctic NDACC site at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. The local OZORAM radiometer observes this effect in good agreement with MACC reanalysis and WACCM. The sensed diurnal variation at Ny-Ålesund is up to 8% (0.4 ppmv) due to photochemical variations in summer and negligible during the dynamically dominated winter. However, when dynamics play a major role for the diurnal ozone variation as in the lower stratosphere (100–20 hPa), the reanalysis models ERA-Interim and MACC which assimilate data from radiosondes and satellites outperform the free-running WACCM. Such a domain is the Antarctic polar winter where a surprising novel feature of diurnal variation is indicated by MACC reanalysis and ERA-Interim at the edge of the polar vortex. This effect accounts for up to 8% (0.4 ppmv) in both model systems. In summary, MACC reanalysis provides a global description of the diurnal variation of stratospheric ozone caused by dynamics and photochemical variations. This is of high interest for ozone trend analysis and other research which is based on merged satellite data or measurements at different local time.

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On the fast movements of the thermosphere: an interpretation

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.1007/s00585-001-1651-8 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 18 (12) ◽

pp. 1651-1656

Author(s):

J. Lilensten ◽

P. O. Amblard

Keyword(s):

Rotation Velocity ◽

Atmospheric Composition ◽

Neutral Wind ◽

Typical Size ◽

F Region ◽

Optical Experiment ◽

Atmospheric Composition And Structure ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Eiscat Radar

Abstract. We examine the oscillations of the meridional neutral wind in the F region as seen by the EISCAT radar. We propose an interpretation in term of eddies (tourbillons) of typical size of a few tens to a few hundreds of kilometers. The observed rotation velocity is a few hundreds of meters per second. We suggest that the tourbillons are a common feature of thermospheric movements. We propose an optical experiment to check the validity of this assumption.Key words: Atmospheric composition and structure (thermosphere · composition and chemistry) · Ionosphere (ionosphere · atmosphere interactions)

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Rarefied gas flows through meshes and implications for atmospheric measurements

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.5194/angeo-19-563-2001 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 19 (5) ◽

pp. 563-569 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

J. Gumbel

Keyword(s):

Middle Atmosphere ◽

Rarefied Gas ◽

Direct Simulation Monte Carlo ◽

Atmospheric Composition ◽

Gas Flows ◽

Atmospheric Measurements ◽

Rarefied Gas Flows ◽

Flow Disturbances ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Compression Effects

Abstract. Meshes are commonly used as part of instruments for in situ atmospheric measurements. This study analyses the aerodynamic effect of meshes by means of wind tunnel experiments and numerical simulations. Based on the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method, a simple mesh parameterisation is described and applied to a number of representative flow conditions. For open meshes freely exposed to the flow, substantial compression effects are found both upstream and downstream of the mesh. Meshes attached to close instrument structures, on the other hand, cause only minor flow disturbances. In an accompanying paper, the approach developed here is applied to the quantitative analysis of rocket-borne density measurements in the middle atmosphere.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (instruments and techniques; middle atmosphere – composition and chemistry)

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