scholarly journals Brief communication "Stratospheric winds, transport barriers and the 2011 Arctic ozone hole"

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 687-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Olascoaga ◽  
M. G. Brown ◽  
F. J. Beron-Vera ◽  
H. Koçak
Keyword(s):  
Maintenance Phase ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Ozone Hole ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Boreal Winter ◽  
Meridional Transport ◽  
Transport Barrier ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Ozone Loss

Abstract. The Arctic stratosphere throughout the late winter and early spring of 2011 was characterized by an unusually severe ozone loss, resulting in what has been described as an ozone hole. The 2011 ozone loss was made possible by unusually cold temperatures throughout the Arctic stratosphere. Here we consider the issue of what constitutes suitable environmental conditions for the formation and maintenance of a polar ozone hole. Our discussion focuses on the importance of the stratospheric wind field and, in particular, the importance of a high latitude zonal jet, which serves as a meridional transport barrier both prior to ozone hole formation and during the ozone hole maintenance phase. It is argued that stratospheric conditions in the boreal winter/spring of 2011 were highly unusual inasmuch as in that year Antarctic-like Lagrangian dynamics led to the formation of a boreal ozone hole.

Lagrangian analysis of the northern polar vortex split in April 2020 during development of the Arctic ozone hole

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jezabel Curbelo ◽  
Gang Chen ◽  
Carlos R. Mechoso
Keyword(s):  
Wave Train ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Ozone Hole ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Lagrangian Analysis ◽  
The North ◽  
Vortex Split

<div>The evolution of the Northern Hemisphere stratosphere during late winter and early spring of 2020 was punctuated by outstanding events both in dynamics and tracer evolution. It provides an ideal case for study of the Lagrangian properties of the evolving flow and its connections with the troposphere. The events ranged from an episode of polar warming at upper levels in March, a polar vortex split into two cyclonic vortices at middle and lower levels in April, and a remarkably deep and persistent mass of ozone poor air within the westerly circulation throughout the period. The latter feature was particularly remarkable during 2020, which showed the lowest values of stratospheric ozone on record.</div><div> </div><div>We focus on the vortex split in April 2020 and we examine this split at middle as well as lower stratospheric levels, and the interactions that occurred between the resulting two vortices which determined the distribution of ozone among them. We also examine the connections among stratospheric and tropospheric events during the period.</div><div> </div><div>Our approach for analysis will be based on the application of Lagrangian tools to the flow field, based on following air parcels trajectories, examining barriers to the flow, and the activity and propagation of planetary waves. Our findings confirm the key role for the split played by a flow configuration with a polar hyperbolic trajectory and associated manifolds. A trajectory analysis illustrates the transport of ozone between the vortices during the split. We argue that these stratospheric events were linked to strong synoptic scale disturbances in the troposphere forming a wave train from the north Pacific to North America and Eurasia.</div><div><strong> </strong></div><div><strong>Reference:</strong><strong> </strong>J. Curbelo, G. Chen,  C. R. Mechoso. Multi-level analysis of the northern polar vortex split in April 2020 during development of the Arctic ozone hole. Earth and Space Science Open Archive. doi: 10.1002/essoar.10505516.1</div><div> </div><div><strong>Acknowledgements:</strong> NSF Grant AGS-1832842, RYC2018-025169 and EIN2019-103087.</div>

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

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 3247-3276 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Analysis of Arctic Spring Ozone Anomaly in the Phases of QBO and 11-year Solar Cycle for 1979–2011

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousuke Yamashita ◽  
Hideharu Akiyoshi ◽  
Masaaki Takahashi
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cycle ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Negative Anomaly ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
Biennial Oscillation

Arctic ozone amount in winter to spring shows large year-to-year variation. This study investigates Arctic spring ozone in relation to the phase of quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO)/the 11-year solar cycle, using satellite observations, reanalysis data, and outputs of a chemistry climate model (CCM) during the period of 1979–2011. For this duration, we found that the composite mean of the Northern Hemisphere high-latitude total ozone in the QBO-westerly (QBO-W)/solar minimum (Smin) phase is slightly smaller than those averaged for the QBO-W/Smax and QBO-E/Smax years in March. An analysis of a passive ozone tracer in the CCM simulation indicates that this negative anomaly is primarily caused by transport. The negative anomaly is consistent with a weakening of the residual mean downward motion in the polar lower stratosphere. The contribution of chemical processes estimated using the column amount difference between ozone and the passive ozone tracer is between 10–20% of the total anomaly in March. The lower ozone levels in the Arctic spring during the QBO-W/Smin years are associated with a stronger Arctic polar vortex from late winter to early spring, which is linked to the reduced occurrence of sudden stratospheric warming in the winter during the QBO-W/Smin years.

scholarly journals Concentrations of Cadmium, Copper, Lead and Zinc in Snow from Near Dye 3 in South Greenland

1988 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 193-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.W. Wolff ◽  
David A. Peel
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Crustal Component ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Lead And Zinc ◽  
Gasoline Additive ◽  
Spring Maximum

Clean sampling and analysis procedures have been used to measure the concentrations of Al and four heavy metals in snow representing one year’s accumulation (1983-84) near Dye 3 in Greenland. Mean values were Al 17.5ng g−1, Cd 0.74 pg g−1, Cu 6.2 pg g−1, Pb 28 pg g−1 and Zn 27 pg g−1. Concentrations of the heavy metals are lower than previously reported at other Greenland sites for snowfall during the last 20 years. A distinct late-winter / early-spring maximum is seen for Al, Cu, Pb and Zn, in accord with other workers’ measurements of various species in the atmospheric aerosol in the Arctic. Cu appears to have a large crustal component, but Cd, Pb and Zn probably originate mainly from pollution. One explanation for the lower Pb values may be the considerable reduction in North American and European usage of Pb as a petrol (gasoline) additive during the last decade. These limited data emphasize the importance of obtaining a reliable century-long record of these metals in Greenland ice.

scholarly journals Comparison of Inorganic Chlorine in the Southern Hemispheric lowermost stratosphere during Late Winter 2019

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Jesswein ◽  
Heiko Bozem ◽  
Hans-Christoph Lachnitt ◽  
Peter Hoor ◽  
Thomas Wagenhäuser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Degradation Products ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Boundary Region ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Active Chlorine ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Annual Variations ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. Inorganic chlorine (Cly) is the sum of the degradation products of long-lived chlorinated source gases. These include the reservoir species (HCl and ClONO2) and active chlorine species (i.e. ClOx). The active chlorine species drive catalytic cycles that deplete ozone in the polar winter stratosphere. This work presents calculations of inorganic chlorine (Cly) derived from chlorinated source gas measurements on board the High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO) during the Southern hemisphere Transport, Dynamic and Chemistry (SouthTRAC) campaign in late winter and early spring 2019. Results are compared to Cly of the Northern Hemisphere derived from measurements of the POLSTRACC-GW-LCYCLE-SALSA (PGS) campaign in the Arctic winter of 2015/2016. A scaled correlation was used for PGS data, since not all source gases were measured. Cly from a scaled correlation was compared to directly determined Cly and agreed well. An air mass classification based on in situ N2O measurements allocates the measurements to the vortex, the vortex boundary region, and mid-latitudes. Although the Antarctic vortex was weakened in 2019 compared to previous years, Cly reached 1687 ± 20 ppt at 385 K, therefore up to around 50 % of total chlorine could be found in inorganic form inside the Antarctic vortex, whereas only 15 % of total chlorine could be found in inorganic form in the southern mid-latitudes. In contrast, only 40 % of total chlorine could be found in inorganic form in the Arctic vortex during PGS and roughly 20 % in the northern mid-latitudes. Differences inside the respective vortex reaches up to 565 ppt more Cly in the Antarctic vortex 2019 than in the Arctic vortex 2016 (at comparable distance to the local tropopause). As far as is known, this is the first comparison of inorganic chlorine within the respective polar vortex. Based on the results of these two campaigns, the difference of Cly inside the respective vortex is significant and larger than reported inter annual variations.

scholarly journals Local and remote response of ozone to Arctic stratospheric circulation extremes

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 1159-1171
Author(s):  
Hao-Jhe Hong ◽  
Thomas Reichler
Keyword(s):  
Natural Circulation ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Typical Feature ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Modern Era

Abstract. Intense natural circulation variability associated with stratospheric sudden warmings, vortex intensifications, and final warmings is a typical feature of the winter Arctic stratosphere. The attendant changes in transport, mixing, and temperature create pronounced perturbations in stratospheric ozone. Understanding these perturbations is important because of their potential feedbacks with the circulation and because ozone is a key trace gas of the stratosphere. Here, we use Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2), reanalysis to contrast the typical spatiotemporal structure of ozone during sudden warming and vortex intensification events. We examine the changes of ozone in both the Arctic and the tropics, document the underlying dynamical mechanisms for the observed changes, and analyze the entire life cycle of the stratospheric events – from the event onset in midwinter to the final warming in early spring. Over the Arctic and during sudden warmings, ozone undergoes a rapid and long-lasting increase of up to ∼ 50 DU, which only gradually decays to climatology before the final warming. In contrast, vortex intensifications are passive events, associated with gradual decreases in Arctic ozone that reach ∼ 40 DU during late winter and decay thereafter. The persistent loss in Arctic ozone during vortex intensifications is dramatically compensated by sudden warming-like increases after the final warming. In the tropics, the changes in ozone from Arctic circulation events are obscured by the influences from the quasi-biennial oscillation. After controlling for this effect, small but coherent reductions in tropical ozone can be seen during the onset of sudden warmings (∼ 2.5 DU) and also during the final warmings that follow vortex intensifications (∼ 2 DU). Our results demonstrate that Arctic circulation extremes have significant local and remote influences on the distribution of stratospheric ozone.

scholarly journals Large-scale transport into the Arctic: the roles of the midlatitude jet and the Hadley Cell

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 5511-5528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huang Yang ◽  
Darryn W. Waugh ◽  
Clara Orbe ◽  
Guang Zeng ◽  
Olaf Morgenstern ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Meridional Flow ◽  
Hadley Cell ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Boreal Winter ◽  
Meridional Transport ◽  
Fixed Lifetime

Abstract. Transport from the Northern Hemisphere (NH) midlatitudes to the Arctic plays a crucial role in determining the abundance of trace gases and aerosols that are important to Arctic climate via impacts on radiation and chemistry. Here we examine this transport using an idealized tracer with a fixed lifetime and predominantly midlatitude land-based sources in models participating in the Chemistry Climate Model Initiative (CCMI). We show that there is a 25 %–45 % difference in the Arctic concentrations of this tracer among the models. This spread is correlated with the spread in the location of the Pacific jet, as well as the spread in the location of the Hadley Cell (HC) edge, which varies consistently with jet latitude. Our results suggest that it is likely that the HC-related zonal-mean meridional transport rather than the jet-related eddy mixing is the major contributor to the inter-model spread in the transport of land-based tracers into the Arctic. Specifically, in models with a more northern jet, the HC generally extends further north and the tracer source region is mostly covered by surface southward flow associated with the lower branch of the HC, resulting in less efficient transport poleward to the Arctic. During boreal summer, there are poleward biases in jet location in free-running models, and these models likely underestimate the rate of transport into the Arctic. Models using specified dynamics do not have biases in the jet location, but do have biases in the surface meridional flow, which may result in differences in transport into the Arctic. In addition to the land-based tracer, the midlatitude-to-Arctic transport is further examined by another idealized tracer with zonally uniform sources. With equal sources from both land and ocean, the inter-model spread of this zonally uniform tracer is more related to variations in parameterized convection over oceans rather than variations in HC extent, particularly during boreal winter. This suggests that transport of land-based and oceanic tracers or aerosols towards the Arctic differs in pathways and therefore their corresponding inter-model variabilities result from different physical processes.

scholarly journals Evolution of stratospheric ozone during winter 2002/2003 as observed by a ground-based millimetre wave radiometer at Kiruna, Sweden

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1399-1407 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Raffalski ◽  
G. Hochschild ◽  
G. Kopp ◽  
J. Urban
Keyword(s):  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Space Physics ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Strong Mixing ◽  
Millimetre Wave ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Ozone Loss

Abstract. We present ozone measurements from the millimetre wave radiometer installed at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (Institutet för rymdfysik, IRF) in Kiruna (67.8° N, 20.4° E, 420 m asl). Nearly continuous operation in the winter of 2002/2003 allows us to give an overview of ozone evolution in the stratosphere between 15 and 55 km. In this study we present a detailed analysis of the Arctic winter 2002/2003. By means of a methodology using equivalent latitudes we investigate the meteorological processes in the stratosphere during the entire winter/spring period. During the course of the winter strong mixing into the vortex took place in the middle and upper stratosphere as a result of three minor and one major warming event, but no evidence was found for significant mixing in the lower stratosphere. Ozone depletion in the lower stratosphere during this winter was estimated by measurements on those days when Kiruna was well inside the Arctic polar vortex. The days were carefully chosen using a definition of the vortex edge based on equivalent latitudes. At the 475 K isentropic level a cumulative ozone loss of about 0.5 ppmv was found starting in January and lasting until mid-March. The early ozone loss is probably a result of the very cold temperatures in the lower stratosphere in December and the geographical extension of the vortex to lower latitudes where solar irradiation started photochemical ozone loss in the pre-processed air. In order to correct for dynamic effects of the ozone variation due to diabatic subsidence of air masses inside the vortex, we used N2O measurements from the Odin satellite for the same time period. The derived ozone loss in the lower stratosphere between mid-December and mid-March varies between 1.1±0.1 ppmv on the 150 ppbv N2O isopleth and 1.7±0.1 ppmv on the 50 ppbv N2O isopleth.

scholarly journals Sources of anions in aerosols in northeast Greenland during late winter

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 14813-14836 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fenger ◽  
L. L. Sørensen ◽  
K. Kristensen ◽  
B. Jensen ◽  
Q. T. Nquyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosols ◽  
Fine Particles ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late Winter

Abstract. The knowledge of climate effects of atmospheric aerosols is associated with large uncertainty, and a better understanding of their physical and chemical properties is needed, especially in the Arctic environment. The objective of the present study is to improve our understanding of the processes affecting the composition of the aerosols in the high Arctic. Therefore size-segregated aerosols were sampled at a high Arctic site, Station Nord (Northeast Greenland), in March 2009 using a Micro Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor. The aerosol samples were extracted in order to analyze the three water-soluble anions: chloride, nitrate and sulphate. The results are discussed based on possible chemical and physical transformations as well as transport patterns. The total concentrations of the ions at Station Nord were 53–507 ng m−3, 2–298 ng m−3 and 535–1087 ng m−3 for chloride (Cl−), nitrate (NO3-) and sulphate (SO42−), respectively. The aerosols in late winter/early spring, after polar sunrise, are found to be a mixture of long-range transported and regional to local originating aerosols. Fine particles, smaller than 1 μm, containing SO42−, Cl− and NO3−, are hypothesized to originate from long-range transport, where SO42− is by far the dominating anion accounting for 50–85% of the analyzed mass. The analysis suggests that Cl− and NO3− in coarser particles (>1.5 μm) originate from local/regional sources. Under conditions where the air mass is transported over sea-ice at high wind speeds, very coarse particles (>18 μm) are observed and it is hypothesized that frost flowers on the sea ice is a source of very coarse chloride particles in the Arctic.

scholarly journals Satellite observations of aerosol transport from East Asia to the Arctic: three case studies

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 25389-25433
Author(s):  
M. Di Pierro ◽  
L. Jaeglé ◽  
T. L. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Meridional Transport ◽  
Ice Clouds ◽  
Blocking Anticyclone ◽  
Dust Component

Abstract. Vertical profiles of aerosols obtained with the CALIOP lidar onboard CALIPSO are used in conjunction with the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model and NOAA's HYSPLIT trajectory model to document three aerosol export events from East Asia to the Arctic that occurred in the year 2007. During each of these events CALIOP sampled the pollution plumes multiple times over periods of five to seven days. Meridional transport to the Arctic was rapid, taking 3–4 days and was accompanied by net diabatic heating of ~5 °C/day and precipitation in its ascending stage. Once in the Arctic transport was nearly isentropic with slow subsidence and radiative cooling at a rate of 1–1.5 °C/day. We find close agreement between modeled and observed plume in terms of length, altitude, thickness and, within the measurement uncertainties, extinction coefficient. In one event the satellite algorithm misclassifies the aerosol layer as ice clouds as a result of the relatively high depolarization ratio (0.06), likely caused by a somewhat high dust component in the aerosol mixture. The misclassification is more severe at daytime (67% of layers are misclassified) than at nighttime (32%). The two most intense export events occurred in early spring within a three-week time span and are strongly related to a persisting blocking anticyclone that was located in the NW Pacific. Using 500 hPa geopotential height anomalies of these two events along with several others in 2007–2009 we develop a meteorological index that captures 40–60% of the variance of Asian transport events to the Arctic in winter and spring.

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