Observational evidence of polar mesospheric ozone loss following substorm events

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keeta Chapman-Smith ◽  
Annika Seppälä ◽  
Craig Rodger ◽  
Aaron Hendry
Keyword(s):  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Energetic Particles ◽  
Observational Evidence ◽  
Electron Precipitation ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Ozone Loss ◽  
Mesospheric Ozone ◽  
Ozone Monitoring ◽  
The Impact

<p>Ozone in the polar middle atmosphere is known to be affected by charged energetic particles precipitating into the atmosphere from the magnetosphere. In recent years there has been increased interest in the sources and consequences of electron precipitation into the atmosphere. Substorms are an important source of electron precipitation. They occur hundreds of times a year and drive processes which cause electrons to be lost into our atmosphere. The electrons ionise neutrals in the atmosphere resulting in the production of HO<sub>x</sub> and NO<sub>x</sub>, which catalytically destroy ozone. Simulations have examined substorm driven ozone loss and shown it is likely to be significant. However, this has not previously been verified from observations. Here we use polar mesospheric ozone observations from the Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instruments to investigate the impact of substorms. Using the superposed epoch technique we find consistent 10-20% reduction in mesospheric ozone in both data sets. This provides the first observational evidence that substorms are important to the ozone balance within the atmosphere.<span> </span></p>

Observational evidence of solar activity interaction with chlorine chemistry curbing Antarctic ozone loss

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Seppälä ◽  
Emily Gordon ◽  
Bernd Funke ◽  
Johanna Tamminen ◽  
Kaley Walker
Keyword(s):  
Solar Activity ◽  
Observational Evidence ◽  
High Solar Activity ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
Ozone Loss ◽  
Reservoir Species ◽  
Antarctic Ozone ◽  
Catalytic Ozone Destruction ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
The Impact

<p>We present the impact of the so-called energetic particle precipitation (EPP), part of natural solar forcing on the atmosphere, on polar stratospheric NO<sub>x</sub>, ozone, and chlorine chemistry in the Antarctic springtime, using multi-satellite observations covering the overall period of 2005–2017. We find consistent ozone increases when high solar activity occurs during years with easterly phase of the quasi biennial oscillation. These ozone enhancements are also present in total O<sub>3</sub> column observations. We find consistent decreases in springtime active chlorine following winters of elevated solar activity. Further analysis shows that this is accompanied by increase of chemically inactive chlorine reservoir species, explaining the observed ozone increase. This provides the first observational evidence supporting the previously proposed mechanism relating to EPP modulating chlorine driven ozone loss. Our findings suggest that solar activity via EPP has played an important role in modulating Antarctic ozone depletion in the last 15 years. As chlorine loading in the polar stratosphere continues to decrease in the future, this buffering mechanism will become less effective and catalytic ozone destruction by EPP produced NO<sub>x</sub> will likely become a major contributor to Antarctic ozone loss.</p>

scholarly journals Evaluation of CLaMS, KASIMA and ECHAM5/MESSy1 simulations in the lower stratosphere using observations of Odin/SMR and ILAS/ILAS-II

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1977-2020
Author(s):  
F. Khosrawi ◽  
R. Müller ◽  
M. H. Proffitt ◽  
R. Ruhnke ◽  
O. Kirner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Lagrangian Model ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. 1-year data sets of monthly averaged nitrous oxide (N2O) and ozone (O3) derived from satellite measurements were used as a tool for the evaluation of atmospheric photochemical models. Two 1-year data sets, one derived from the Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS and ILAS-II) and one from the Odin Sub-Millimetre Radiometer (Odin/SMR) were employed. Here, these data sets are used for the evaluation of two Chemical Transport Models (CTMs), the Karlsruhe Simulation Model of the Middle Atmosphere (KASIMA) and the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS) as well as for one Chemistry-Climate Model (CCM), the atmospheric chemistry general circulation model ECHAM5/MESSy1 (E5M1) in the lower stratosphere with focus on the Northern Hemisphere. Since the Odin/SMR measurements cover the entire hemisphere, the evaluation is performed for the entire hemisphere as well as for the low latitudes, midlatitudes and high latitudes using the Odin/SMR 1-year data set as reference. To assess the impact of using different data sets for such an evaluation study we repeat the evaluation for the polar lower stratosphere using the ILAS/ILAS-II data set. Only small differences were found using ILAS/ILAS-II instead of Odin/SMR as a reference, thus, showing that the results are not influenced by the particular satellite data set used for the evaluation. The evaluation of CLaMS, KASIMA and E5M1 shows that all models are in good agreement with Odin/SMR and ILAS/ILAS-II. Differences are generally in the range of ±20%. Larger differences (up to −40%) are found in all models at 500±25 K for N2O mixing ratios greater than 200 ppb. Generally, the largest differences were found for the tropics and the lowest for the polar regions. However, an underestimation of polar winter ozone loss was found both in KASIMA and E5M1 both in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.

scholarly journals Climate Impact of Polar Mesospheric and Stratospheric Ozone Losses due to Energetic Particle Precipitation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Meraner ◽  
Hauke Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Energetic Particle ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Energetic Particles ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Particle Precipitation ◽  
Ozone Loss ◽  
Mesospheric Ozone ◽  
Energetic Particle Precipitation

Abstract. Energetic particles enter the polar atmosphere and enhance the production of nitrogen oxides and hydrogen oxides in the winter stratosphere and mesosphere. Both components are powerful ozone destroyers. Recently, it has been inferred from observations that the direct effect of energetic particle precipitation (EPP) causes significant long-term mesospheric ozone variability. Satellites observe a decrease in mesospheric ozone by up to 34 % between EPP maximum and EPP minimum. Here, we analyze the climate impact of polar mesospheric and polar stratospheric ozone losses due to EPP in the coupled climate model MPI-ESM. Using radiative transfer modeling, we find that the radiative forcing of a mesospheric ozone loss during polar night is small. Hence, climate effects of a mesospheric ozone loss due to energetic particles seem unlikely. A stratospheric ozone loss due to energetic particles warms the winter polar stratosphere and subsequently weakens the polar vortex. However, those changes are small, and few statistically significant changes in surface climate are found.

scholarly journals Quasi 18 h wave activity in ground-based observed mesospheric H<sub>2</sub>O over Bern, Switzerland

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 14905-14917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lainer ◽  
Klemens Hocke ◽  
Rolf Rüfenacht ◽  
Niklaus Kämpfer
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Pressure Range ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Microwave Radiometer ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Wave Interaction ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Wave Signature ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Observations of oscillations in the abundance of middle-atmospheric trace gases can provide insight into the dynamics of the middle atmosphere. Long-term, high-temporal-resolution and continuous measurements of dynamical tracers within the strato- and mesosphere are rare but would facilitate better understanding of the impact of atmospheric waves on the middle atmosphere. Here we report on water vapor measurements from the ground-based microwave radiometer MIAWARA (MIddle Atmospheric WAter vapor RAdiometer) located close to Bern during two winter periods of 6 months from October to March. Oscillations with periods between 6 and 30 h are analyzed in the pressure range 0.02–2 hPa. Seven out of 12 months have the highest wave amplitudes between 15 and 21 h periods in the mesosphere above 0.1 hPa. The quasi 18 h wave signature in the water vapor tracer is studied in more detail by analyzing its temporal evolution in the mesosphere up to an altitude of 75 km. Eighteen-hour oscillations in midlatitude zonal wind observations from the microwave Doppler wind radiometer WIRA (WInd RAdiometer) could be identified within the pressure range 0.1–1 hPa during an ARISE (Atmospheric dynamics Research InfraStructure in Europe)-affiliated measurement campaign at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (355 km from Bern) in France in 2013. The origin of the observed upper-mesospheric quasi 18 h oscillations is uncertain and could not be determined with our available data sets. Possible drivers could be low-frequency inertia-gravity waves or a nonlinear wave–wave interaction between the quasi 2-day wave and the diurnal tide.

scholarly journals Glyoxal tropospheric column retrievals from TROPOMI – multi-satellite intercomparison and ground-based validation

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 7775-7807
Author(s):  
Christophe Lerot ◽  
François Hendrick ◽  
Michel Van Roozendael ◽  
Leonardo M. A. Alvarado ◽  
Andreas Richter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽  
Retrieval Algorithm ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
Monitoring Instrument ◽  
Error Characterization ◽  
Ozone Monitoring ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. We present the first global glyoxal (CHOCHO) tropospheric column product derived from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on board the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite. Atmospheric glyoxal results from the oxidation of other non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) and from direct emissions caused by combustion processes. Therefore, this product is a useful indicator of VOC emissions. It is generated with an improved version of the BIRA-IASB scientific retrieval algorithm relying on the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) approach. Among the algorithmic updates, the DOAS fit now includes corrections to mitigate the impact of spectral misfits caused by scene brightness inhomogeneity and strong NO2 absorption. The product comes along with a full error characterization, which allows for providing random and systematic error estimates for every observation. Systematic errors are typically in the range of 1 ×1014–3 ×1014 molec. cm−2 (∼30 %–70 % in emission regimes) and originate mostly from a priori data uncertainties and spectral interferences with other absorbing species. The latter may be at the origin, at least partly, of an enhanced glyoxal signal over equatorial oceans, and further investigation is needed to mitigate them. Random errors are large (>6×1014 molec. cm−2) but can be reduced by averaging observations in space and/or time. Benefiting from a high signal-to-noise ratio and a large number of small-size observations, TROPOMI provides glyoxal tropospheric column fields with an unprecedented level of detail. Using the same retrieval algorithmic baseline, glyoxal column data sets are also generated from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on Aura and from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) on board Metop-A and Metop-B. Those four data sets are intercompared over large-scale regions worldwide and show a high level of consistency. The satellite glyoxal columns are also compared to glyoxal columns retrieved from ground-based Multi-AXis DOAS (MAX-DOAS) instruments at nine stations in Asia and Europe. In general, the satellite and MAX-DOAS instruments provide consistent glyoxal columns both in terms of absolute values and variability. Correlation coefficients between TROPOMI and MAX-DOAS glyoxal columns range between 0.61 and 0.87. The correlation is only poorer at one mid-latitude station, where satellite data appear to be biased low during wintertime. The mean absolute glyoxal columns from satellite and MAX-DOAS generally agree well for low/moderate columns with differences of less than 1×1014 molec. cm−2. A larger bias is identified at two sites where the MAX-DOAS columns are very large. Despite this systematic bias, the consistency of the satellite and MAX-DOAS glyoxal seasonal variability is high.

scholarly journals Variability of NO<sub>x</sub> in the polar middle atmosphere from October 2003 to March 2004: vertical transport versus local production by energetic particles

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sinnhuber ◽  
B. Funke ◽  
T. von Clarmann ◽  
M. Lopez-Puertas ◽  
G. P. Stiller
Keyword(s):  
Geomagnetic Activity ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
Solar Proton ◽  
Electron Precipitation ◽  
Proton Event ◽  
Local Production ◽  
Altitude Range ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. We use NO, NO2 and CO from MIPAS/ENVISAT to investigate the impact of energetic particle precipitation onto the NOx budget from the stratosphere to the lower mesosphere in the period from October 2003 to March 2004, a time of high solar and geomagnetic activity. We find that in the winter hemisphere the indirect effect of auroral electron precipitation due to downwelling of upper mesospheric/lower thermospheric air into the stratosphere prevails. Its effect exceeds even the direct impact of the very large solar proton event in October/November 2003 by nearly one order of magnitude. Correlations of NOx and CO show that the unprecedented high NOx values observed in the Northern Hemisphere lower mesosphere and upper stratosphere in late January and early February are fully consistent with transport from the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere and subsequent mixing at lower altitudes; an additional source of NOx due to local production by precipitating electrons at altitudes below 70 km as discussed in previous publications appears unlikely. In the polar summer Southern Hemisphere, we observed an enhanced variability of NO and NO2 on days with enhanced geomagnetic activity but they seem to indicate enhanced instrument noise rather than a direct increase due to electron precipitation. A direct effect of electron precipitation onto NOx can not be ruled out, but if any, it is lower than 3 ppb in the altitude range 40–56 km and lower than 6 ppb in the altitude range 56–70 km.

scholarly journals Will climate change increase ozone depletion from low-energy-electron precipitation?

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 9647-9656 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. G. Baumgaertner ◽  
P. Jöckel ◽  
M. Dameris ◽  
P. J. Crutzen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Geomagnetic Activity ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Energetic Electron ◽  
Electron Precipitation ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Residual Circulation ◽  
Ozone Loss ◽  
Winter Time

Abstract. We investigate the effects of a strengthened stratospheric/mesospheric residual circulation on the transport of nitric oxide (NO) produced by energetic particle precipitation. During periods of high geomagnetic activity, energetic electron precipitation (EEP) is responsible for winter time ozone loss in the polar middle atmosphere between 1 and 6 hPa. However, as climate change is expected to increase the strength of the Brewer-Dobson circulation including extratropical downwelling, the enhancements of EEP NOx concentrations are expected to be transported to lower altitudes in extratropical regions, becoming more significant in the ozone budget. Changes in the mesospheric residual circulation are also considered. We use simulations with the chemistry climate model system EMAC to compare present day effects of EEP NOx with expected effects in a climate change scenario for the year 2100. In years of strong geomagnetic activity, similar to that observed in 2003, an additional polar ozone loss of up to 0.4 μmol/mol at 5 hPa is found in the Southern Hemisphere. However, this would be approximately compensated by an ozone enhancement originating from a stronger poleward transport of ozone from lower latitudes caused by a strengthened Brewer-Dobson circulation, as well as by slower photochemical ozone loss reactions in a stratosphere cooled by risen greenhouse gas concentrations. In the Northern Hemisphere the EEP NOx effect appears to lose importance due to the different nature of the climate-change induced circulation changes.

scholarly journals Climate impact of idealized winter polar mesospheric and stratospheric ozone losses as caused by energetic particle precipitation

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1079-1089 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Meraner ◽  
Hauke Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Energetic Particle ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Energetic Particles ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Max Planck ◽  
Particle Precipitation ◽  
Ozone Loss ◽  
Mesospheric Ozone ◽  
Energetic Particle Precipitation

Abstract. Energetic particles enter the polar atmosphere and enhance the production of nitrogen oxides and hydrogen oxides in the winter stratosphere and mesosphere. Both components are powerful ozone destroyers. Recently, it has been inferred from observations that the direct effect of energetic particle precipitation (EPP) causes significant long-term mesospheric ozone variability. Satellites observe a decrease in mesospheric ozone up to 34 % between EPP maximum and EPP minimum. Stratospheric ozone decreases due to the indirect effect of EPP by about 10–15 % observed by satellite instruments. Here, we analyze the climate impact of winter boreal idealized polar mesospheric and polar stratospheric ozone losses as caused by EPP in the coupled Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM). Using radiative transfer modeling, we find that the radiative forcing of mesospheric ozone loss during polar night is small. Hence, climate effects of mesospheric ozone loss due to energetic particles seem unlikely. Stratospheric ozone loss due to energetic particles warms the winter polar stratosphere and subsequently weakens the polar vortex. However, those changes are small, and few statistically significant changes in surface climate are found.

scholarly journals Will climate change increase ozone depletion from low-energy-electron precipitation?

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 9895-9916
Author(s):  
A. J. G. Baumgaertner ◽  
P. Jöckel ◽  
M. Dameris ◽  
P. J. Crutzen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Geomagnetic Activity ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Energy Electron ◽  
Electron Precipitation ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Ozone Loss ◽  
Low Energy Electron

Abstract. We investigate the effects of a strengthened Brewer-Dobson circulation on the transport of nitric oxide (NO) produced by energetic particle precipitation. During periods of high geomagnetic activity, low-energy-electron precipitation is responsible for winter time ozone loss in the polar middle atmosphere between 1 and 6 hPa. However, as climate change is expected to increase the strength of the Brewer-Dobson circulation, the enhancements of NOx concentrations are expected to be transported to lower altitudes in extra-tropical regions, becoming even more significant in the ozone budget. We use simulations with the chemistry climate model system ECHAM5/MESSy to compare present day effects of low-energy-electron precipitation with expected effects in a climate change scenario for the year 2100. In years of strong geomagnetic activity, similar to that observed in 2003, an additional polar ozone loss of up to 0.5 μmol/mol at 5 hPa is found. However, this would be approximately compensated by an ozone enhancement originating from a stronger poleward transport of ozone from lower latitudes caused by a strengthened Brewer-Dobson circulation, as well as by slower photochemical ozone loss reactions in a stratosphere cooled by risen greenhouse gas concentrations.

scholarly journals Glyoxal tropospheric column retrievals from TROPOMI, multi-satellite intercomparison and ground-based validation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Lerot ◽  
François Hendrick ◽  
Michel Van Roozendael ◽  
Leonardo M. A. Alvarado ◽  
Andreas Richter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Optical Absorption Spectroscopy ◽  
Retrieval Algorithm ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
Monitoring Instrument ◽  
Error Characterization ◽  
Ozone Monitoring ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. We present the first global glyoxal (CHOCHO) tropospheric column product derived from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) on board of the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite. Atmospheric glyoxal results from the oxidation of other non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) and from direct emissions caused by combustion processes. Therefore, this product is a useful indicator of VOC emissions. It is generated with an improved version of the BIRA-IASB scientific retrieval algorithm relying on the Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) approach. Among the algorithmic updates, the DOAS fit now includes corrections to mitigate the impact of spectral misfits caused by scene brightness inhomogeneity and strong NO2 absorption. The product comes along with a full error characterization, which allows providing random and systematic error estimates for every observation. Systematic errors are typically in the range of 1–3 × 1014 molec/cm2 (~30–70 % in emission regimes). Random errors are larger (> 6 × 1014 molec/cm2) but can be reduced by averaging observations in space and/or time. Benefiting from a high signal-to-noise ratio and a large number of small-size observations, TROPOMI provides glyoxal tropospheric column fields with an unprecedented level of details. Using the same retrieval algorithmic baseline, glyoxal column data sets are also generated from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on Aura and from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) on board of Metop-A and Metop-B. Those four data sets are intercompared over large-scale regions worldwide and show a high level of consistency. The satellite glyoxal columns are also compared to glyoxal columns retrieved from ground-based Multi-Axis (MAX-) DOAS instruments at nine stations in Asia and Europe. In general, the satellite and MAX-DOAS instruments provide consistent glyoxal columns both in terms of absolute values and variability. Correlation coefficients between TROPOMI and MAX-DOAS glyoxal columns range between 0.61 and 0.87. The correlation is only poorer at one mid-latitude station, where satellite data appears low biased during wintertime. The mean absolute glyoxal columns from satellite and MAX-DOAS generally agree well for low/moderate columns with differences less than 1 × 1014 molec/cm2. A larger bias is identified at two sites where the MAX-DOAS columns are very large. Despite this systematic bias, the consistency of the satellite and MAX-DOAS glyoxal seasonal variability is excellent.

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