Aerosols and clouds in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere region detected by GOMOS and ACE: Intercomparison and analysis of the years 2004 and 2005

Satellite-based limb occultation measurements are well suited for the detection and mapping of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) and cirrus clouds. PSCs are of fundamental importance for the formation of the Antarctic ozone hole that occurs every year since the early 1980s in Southern Hemisphere spring. Despite progress in the observation, modeling and understanding of PSCs in recent years, there are still important questions which remain to be resolved, e.g. PSC microphysics, composition, formation mechanisms and long-term changes in occurrence. In addition, it has recently become clear that cirrus clouds significantly affect the global energy balance and climate, due to their influence on atmospheric thermal structure.     

Air depression over south pole during Antarctic spring and its possible influence on ozone content in this region

Air depression during Antarctic spring, its long-term behaviour and connection with ozone content has been investigated on base of rocket data for polar regions and total ozone data sets for South pole (TOMS data) for 1979–1990. It was shown, that air pressure depression near South polar region in September in the lower stratosphere has a visible (about 5% per decade) negative trend similar to the tendency which total ozone records reveal. Rather high correlation (+0.82) between air pressure in the stratosphere and total ozone content for spring in Antarctica was found.     

Ozone mini-hole observation over the Balkan Peninsula in March 2005

Areas with dimensions of 1000–3000 km in which the total ozone content (TOC) decreases fast are called ozone mini-holes. They are generated mainly dynamically in two ways, either by poor-ozone air mass transport from the tropics to higher latitudes by planetary wave activity or, they are connected with strong adiabatic uplifting of the tropopause height. An ozone mini-hole, generated by the second mechanism, was observed over the Balkan Peninsula on 19/21 March 2005. In the middle of March, the polar vortex was strongly disturbed by Rossby waves, reaching up to the lower stratosphere. Warming episodes over a geographical area, covering the Barents Sea and the Polar Sea north from Central Siberia, displaced a polar vortex fragment extremely southwards. However, the vorticity was weak and the stratospheric temperatures did not reach low values, providing conditions for ozone chemical destruction via heterogenic reactions. At the same time, a Rossby wave ridge was located below the European polar fragment. In the period from 13 to 19 March, the thermal tropopause over Sofia was uplifted almost by 3 km. Ozone distributions observed by the SCIAMACHY instrument on 18–21 March show a fast TOC decrease westwards from Ireland, which was moving eastwards during the next days, increasing the area in which the ozone content decreased. On 20/21 March low ozone content was observed above the Stara Zagora (42°N, 25°E) ground-based station by means of the GASCOD instrument, using DOAS technique. The TOMS Earth probe instrument detected 237 DU over Sofia. This is a record low March value from the beginning of the TOMS instrument measurements in 1978. In March/April the ozone distribution was characterized by its mean annual maximum of 360 DU at 42°N.     

Ozone variations observed during the International Ozone Rocket Sonde Intercomparison

The International Ozone Rocket Sonde Intercomparison (IORI) conducted at Wallops Island during October 1979 provided a unique opportunity to observe ozone variations in great detail from several observing systems. The measurement period lasted 15 days during which time ozone observations were taken by ground-based, balloon, rocket, and satellite instruments. These data provided a unique opportunity for diagnosing regional stratospheric variability over a 2 week period. Examination of NMC analyses indicated that during this period the stratospheric polar vortex moved southeastward bringing air from high latitudes to Wallops Island above 10 mb. A concurrent change was observed in the upper stratosphere ozone fields observed by Nimbus-7 SBUV and in the ozone vertical distribution measured by the rocket soundings. In this study the satellite and rocket measurements are compared. The agreement is good, certainly within the errors of the measurements.     

Stratospheric polar vortex as a possible reason for temporal variations of solar activity and galactic cosmic ray effects on the lower atmosphere circulation

Possible reasons for the temporal instability of long-term effects of solar activity (SA) and galactic cosmic ray (GCR) variations on the lower atmosphere circulation were studied. It was shown that the detected earlier ∼60-year oscillations of the amplitude and sign of SA/GCR effects on the troposphere pressure at high and middle latitudes (Veretenenko and Ogurtsov, Adv.Space Res., 2012) are closely related to the state of a cyclonic vortex forming in the polar stratosphere. The intensity of the vortex was found to reveal a roughly 60-year periodicity affecting the evolution of the large-scale atmospheric circulation and the character of SA/GCR effects. An intensification of both Arctic anticyclones and mid-latitudinal cyclones associated with an increase of GCR fluxes at minima of the 11-year solar cycles is observed in the epochs of a strong polar vortex. In the epochs of a weak polar vortex SA/GCR effects on the development of baric systems at middle and high latitudes were found to change the sign. The results obtained provide evidence that the mechanism of solar activity and cosmic ray influences on the lower atmosphere circulation involves changes in the evolution of the stratospheric polar vortex.     

Response of the extratropical middle atmosphere to the September 2002 major stratospheric sudden warming

The effects of a major stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) at extratropical latitudes have been investigated with wind and temperature observations over a Brazilian station, Cachoeira Paulista (22.7°S, 45°W) during September–October 2002. In response to the warming at polar latitudes a corresponding cooling at tropical and extratropical latitudes is prominent in the stratosphere. A conspicuous signature of latitudinal propagation of a planetary wave of zonal wavenumbers 1 and 2 from polar to low latitude has been observed during the warming period. The polar vortex which split into two parts of different size is found to travel considerably low latitude. Significant air mass mixing between low and high latitudes is caused by planetary wave breaking. The meridional wind exhibits oscillations of period 2–4 days during the warming period in the stratosphere. No wave feature is evident in the mesosphere during the warming period, although a 12–14 day periodicity is observed after 2 weeks of the warming event, indicating close resemblance to the results of other simultaneous investigations carried out from high latitude Antarctic stations. Convective activity over the present extratropical station diminishes remarkably during the warming period. This behavior is possibly due to destabilization and shift of equatorial convective active regions towards the opposite hemisphere in response to changes in the mean meridional circulation in concert with the SSW.     

Hemispheric asymmetry of chemical species and its effect on stratospheric ozone: Emphasis on halogen loading

Differences between the dynamical characteristics of the northern hemisphere (NH) and southern hemisphere (SH) stratosphere (e.g., the temperature, the strength of polar vortex, and the mean meridional circulation) produce hemispherically asymmetrical distributions of chemical species. In this paper, we use global models to briefly discuss various effects on chemical species caused by this asymmetrical distribution, especially on stratospheric ozone. The role of hemispheric asymmetries in chlorine and bromine loadings on mid- and high latitude ozone depletion is particularly discussed.     

Stratosphere-mesosphere coupling during stratospheric sudden warming events

In this review article we summarize recent results in the coupling of the stratosphere–mesosphere during stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) events. We focus on the role of planetary and gravity waves in driving the middle atmosphere circulation and illustrate the stratosphere–mesosphere coupling during undisturbed wintertime circulation, during an SSW event, and after an SSW event during the formation of an elevated stratopause using simulations of past Arctic and Antarctic winters from the Specified Dynamics version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (SD-WACCM). We illustrate the transition of the polar stratopause from being a gravity wave driven phenomena to a planetary wave driven phenomena during SSW events and its subsequent reestablishment and control by gravity waves. We also examine the synoptic structure of the stratosphere, mesosphere, and lower thermosphere using SD-WACCM data fields that show the structure of the vortex during specific dynamical events in both hemispheres. We illustrate the longitudinal asymmetry in the thermal structure in the stratosphere and mesosphere driven by differences in circulation over the polar cap regions during an SSW event. We complement this analysis of the middle atmosphere circulation with a classification of both the Arctic and Antarctic winters since 1979 into major, minor, elevated stratopause or quiet winters based on the level of disturbance using the Modern Era-Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis data. From the MERRA data we find that the combined occurrences of both major and minor warmings in the Arctic have remained constant over the past three decades while we find a minor increase in their occurrences in the Antarctic.     

On the quasi-biennial oscillation in equatorial stratospheric temperatures and total ozone

The results of a cross-spectral analysis between monthly mean temperatures at 100 mb, 50 mb and 30 mb over the equator and the corresponding monthly mean BUV total ozone at different latitude zones are presented for the period 1970–1977. Significant squared coherences between total ozone and 50 mb equatorial temperatures at 26 months are only found between 5 degrees on each side of the equator, between 45 deg N and 55 deg N and at 45 deg S. At latitudes were the QBO in stratospheric temperature diminishes so does the QBO in total ozone (i.e. close to 35 deg N and 15 deg S). Over subtropical latitudes there is a tendency towards a more biennial oscillation in total ozone (not correlated with the equatorial QBO in stratospheric temperatures) and at 65 deg N and 65 deg S total ozone oscillates at periods greater than the equatorial QBO.     

A simple model for the interhemispheric coupling of the middle atmosphere circulation

The interhemispheric coupling of the middle atmosphere general circulation is characterized by a global anomaly pattern of the zonal-mean temperature. This pattern reflects an anomalous stratospheric and mesospheric residual circulation, in which a weaker (stronger) stratospheric winter circulation is linked to an upward (downward) shift of its upper mesospheric branch reaching from the summer to the winter pole. This phenomenon is robust in observational data and several middle atmosphere general circulation models. In the present study, the recently proposed mechanism of the interhemispheric coupling is unequivocally proven within the framework of a zonally symmetric model that excludes any additional effects due to resolved waves and non-zonally propagating gravity waves. Two simulations are conducted that differ in the strength of the polar vortex. A weaker polar vortex results in a downward shift of the winter mesospheric gravity wave drag. This leads to changes also in the summer upper mesosphere via a feedback solely between gravity wave breaking and the zonal-mean state. The accompanying temperature anomaly reproduces the pattern of the interhemispheric coupling.     

Radiative and dynamical impacts of Arctic and Antarctic ozone holes: General circulation model experiments

Radiative and dynamical impacts of Arctic and Antarctic ozone holes on the general circulation are investigated with the aid of a general circulation model developed at Kyushu University. The model includes a simplified ozone photochemistry interactively coupled with radiation and dynamics. Resultant temperature structure consisting of a cooling in the polar lower stratosphere and a warming in the polar upper stratosphere brings about the intensification of the polar night jet. The cooling is caused by the decrease of solar ultraviolet heating due to the ozone depletion, while the warming is caused by adiabatic heating due to the enhancement of downward motion.     

南极GPS定位中的电离层延迟分析

基于南极地区国际GNSS服务组织(IGS,International GNSS Service)跟踪站的全球定位系统(GPS,Global Position System)双频实测数据,分析了南极地区电离层延迟的变化情况及其二阶项延迟对南极GPS定位结果的影响.结果表明:南极地区的总电子含量(TEC,Total Electron Content)日间波动频繁,其日间TEC最大值变化较中纬度地区剧烈;在南极地区夏季,电离层二阶项延迟对GPS定位结果的影响可达cm级.同时,由于欧洲定轨中心(CODE,The European Center for Orbit Determination)提供的全球电离层模型(GIM,Global Ionosphere Maps)在南极区域应用的局限性,通过选取南极地区6个IGS跟踪站作为基准站建立了区域电离层TEC模型(RIM,Regional Ionosphere Model).经实测数据计算证明,对于南极地区,RIM的定位精度在一定程度上优于全球电离层模型GIM.     

The influence of the several very large solar proton events in years 2000–2003 on the neutral middle atmosphere

Solar proton events (SPEs) are known to have caused changes in constituents in the Earth’s polar neutral middle atmosphere. The past four years, 2000–2003, have been replete with SPEs. Huge fluxes of high energy protons entered the Earth’s atmosphere in periods lasting 2–3 days in July and November 2000, September and November 2001 and October 2003. The highly energetic protons produce ionizations, excitations, dissociations and dissociative ionizations of the background constituents, which lead to the production of HO_x (H, OH, HO₂) and NO_y (N, NO, NO₂, NO₃, N₂O₅, HNO₃, HO₂NO₂, ClONO₂, BrONO₂). The HO_x increases lead to short-lived ozone decreases in the polar mesosphere and upper stratosphere due to the short lifetimes of the HO_x constituents. Large mesospheric ozone depletions (>70%) due to the HO_x enhancements were observed and modeled as a result of the very large July 2000 SPE. The NO_y increases lead to long-lived stratospheric ozone changes because of the long lifetime of the NO_y family in this region. Polar total ozone depletions >1% were simulated in both hemispheres for extended periods of time (several months) as a result of the NO_y enhancements due to the very large SPEs.     

Study of the seasonal ozone variations at European high latitudes

The geographic area at high latitudes beyond the polar circle is characterized with long darkness during the winter (polar night) and with a long summertime insolation (polar day). Consequentially, the polar vortex is formed and the surrounding strong polar jet is characterized by a strong potential vorticity gradient representing a horizontal transport barrier. The ozone dynamics of the lower and middle stratosphere is controlled both by chemical destruction processes and transport processes.     

利用WACCM-3模式对平流层动力、热力场及微量化学成分季节变化的数值模拟研究

利用美国NCAR最新的化学-气候耦合模式WACCM-3对平流层风场、温度场以及平流层臭氧等多种微量气体成分(O3, CH4, N2O, H2O, HCl, HNO3)的季节变化进行了数值模拟, 并使用ECMWF再分析资料与美国UARS卫星 搭载的HALOE, MLS, CLAES等探测器的观测资料, 对模式输出的动力、热力及化学成分浓度的气候平均值进行了验证. 结果表明, 在气候平均海表温度值驱动下, WACCM-3模式能够很好地再现ECMWF资料中平流层纬向平均风场与温度场的季节变化. 模拟结果中平流层化学成分的经向-垂直分布及其季节变化与卫星观测结果基本一致. 模式的动力、热力场在极地平流层以及热带对流层顶等区域存在一定的偏差. 这些偏差对于微量气体成分分布 的模拟具有一定影响, 特别是南半球冬(7月)、春(10月)季节南极平流层低层极夜 急流偏强, 造成极地地区附近的输送障碍增强, 从而导致CH4, N2O, H2O浓度比观测偏低. 此外, WACCM-3缺少热带平流层风场的准两年振荡(QBO) 机制, 这对于热带平流层东风急流以及低纬度平流层O3, CH4, N2O, H2O等成分经向输送的模拟结果也有一定影响.      

Atmospheric electrodynamics modulated by the solar wind

Variations of stratospheric temperature are connected with changes of the solar wind dynamic pressure. This effect could be explained in the framework of the global electric circuit concept. The energy of the solar wind modulates the energy balance of the global electric circuit where the stratosphere could be one of its other elements. The conductivity of the stratosphere in the polar region is equal to and sometimes more than the conductivity of the ground surface covered by ice or permafrost. Re-distribution of the global electric circuit currents between the stratosphere and the ground surface determines a different relation between solar wind dynamics and variations of the stratospheric temperature during different seasons.     

Assessment of the ozone and temperature variability during 1979–1993 with the chemistry-climate model SOCOL

The chemistry-climate model SOCOL has been applied for the study of ozone and temperature anomalies during 1979–1993. Temperature and ozone anomalies have been obtained for a set of model runs forced by all major stratospheric forcing mechanisms. Forcings have been prescribed separately and together to assess their individual influence on stratospheric ozone and temperature. The results of these simulations have been compared to available satellite data. The model captures well ozone depletion and cooling in the upper stratosphere due to increases in the abundance of greenhouse gases and ozone depleting substances in the atmosphere. In the lower stratosphere, the model reproduces the warming over tropical and middle latitudes caused by the El-Chichon and Pinatubo eruptions. However, the simulated ozone response is overestimated in comparison with SAGE data. The best agreement with observations has been obtained for the run with all forcings included. This emphasizes the importance of the volcanic and solar forcings for the correct reproduction of observed trends. Comparison of near-global total ozone anomalies confirms an overestimation of ozone depletion just after volcanic eruptions, while the overall agreement with the model is fairly good.     

中国不同地区剩余臭氧及臭氧探空订正因子

根据中国不同地点臭氧探空数据，研究气球炸点臭氧浓度定值（CMR）法、卫星（SBUV和MLS）纬向平均法确定的剩余臭氧Ω_res及其对订正因子C_ref的影响，同时检验臭氧垂直分布对C_ref的贡献.结果显示: CMR法对气球炸点高度依赖性明显，且易高估Ω_res使C_ref整体低于100%；卫星纬向平均Ω_res对气球炸点高度不敏感，但在中国东部的臭氧总量高值区或青藏高原及低纬度臭氧低值地区，Ω_res呈现近10DU以上低值，这是经向臭氧总量及其垂直分布差异在卫星遥感数据上的反映.地面到100hPa的对流层臭氧（Ω_tro），100~10hPa的平流层臭氧（Ω_str）以及10hPa以上的Ω_res对C_ref贡献平均分别为（16±3.4）%，（65±2.3）%，（19±3.3）%.表明基于C_ref评估或订正探空仪平流层臭氧测值时，需考虑对流层臭氧及确定Ω_res方法的影响.卫星纬向平均法，特别是近似实测的SBUV臭氧廓线的值适用于确定Ω_res.      

太阳光谱辐射强度变化对地球能量平衡的影响分析

目前太阳对地球能量平衡影响的研究大都是以太阳总辐射通量密度作为输入参数的. 本文以美国航空航天局（National Aeronautics and Space Administration,NASA）太阳辐射与气候实验项目的卫星实测数据为基础,对太阳上升相（2010年上半年）和下降相（2007年12月）期间太阳光谱变化对地球能量平衡的影响进行了研究. 结果表明,2010年上半年较强的太阳总辐射通量密度主要是由紫外及红外波段的能量增强引起的,其在200～400nm 和760～4000nm波段内的平均能量分别增加了0.11%和0.05%,而在 400～760nm可见光区的能量却呈减小趋势,平均减小量为0.05%. 通过对MLS2.2全球臭氧日数据进行再分析后发现,相对于2007年12月,2010年上半年平流层臭氧浓度也有所增加,其中在太阳紫外辐射呈现较大增强的2月和3月,其臭氧增量也相对较大,最大值分别出现在33km和40km处,值为0.6mL·m-3和0.62mL·m-3. 因此,可见光区能量减弱与平流层臭氧浓度增加的双重削弱作用致使虽然2010年上半年的太阳总辐射通量密度较大,但是到达对流层顶的太阳辐射却有所减小,最大减小量出现在3月,值为0.15W·m-2. 这一结果说明,太阳活动或总辐射通量密度的增强也有可能对地球对流层系统起到冷却作用.      

A survey over the PMP-1 winters 1978/79–1981/82 in comparison with earlier winters

The main features of the “PMP-1 Winters” are summarized and compared with information available on earlier winters, dating back partly till the winter 1951/52. The emphasis is put on a comparison of the stratospheric temperatures over the polar region and of the development of the planetary-scale waves 1 and 2. A possible modulation of these waves by the QBO (Quasi-Biennial Oscillation) and by the sunspot cycle is discussed briefly.