Comparison of mesopause region meteor radar winds,medium frequency radar winds and low frequency drifts over Germany

During 2004 and 2005 measurements of mesospheric/lower thermospheric (80–100 km) winds have been carried out in Germany using three different ground-based systems, namely a meteor radar (36.2 MHz) at the Collm Observatory (51.3°N, 13°E), a MF radar (3.18 MHz) at Juliusruh (54.6°N, 13.4°E) and the LF D1 measurements using a transmitter (177 kHz) at Zehlendorf near Berlin and receivers at Collm with the reflection point at 52.1°N, 13.2°E. This provides the possibility of comparing the results of different radar systems in nearly the same measuring volume. Meteor radar winds are generally stronger than the winds observed by MF and especially by LF radars. This difference is small near 80 km but increases with height. The difference between meteor radar and medium frequency radar winds is larger during winter than during summer, which might indicate an indirect influence of gravity waves on spaced antenna measurements.     

The role of volcanic aerosols and relativistic electrons in modulating winter storm vorticity

Small changes in the vorticity of winter storms, responding to solar wind variations, are found in winters from 1957 to 2011, and are greater for winters with higher levels of stratospheric volcanic aerosols. Using 1993–2011 data, the response of the vorticity area index (VAI) is shown to be of larger amplitude when the days of minima in the relativistic electron flux (REF) precipitating from the radiation belts are used, instead of heliospheric current sheet (HCS) crossings, as key days in superposed epoch analyses. The HCS crossings mostly occur within a few days of the REF minima. The VAI is an objective measure of the area of high cyclonic vorticity, and for the present work is derived from ERA-40 and ERA-Interim reanalyses of global meteorological data. The VAI dependencies on the stratospheric aerosol content (SAC) and the REF are consistent with a model in which the ionosphere-earth current density (J_z) affects cloud microphysics. One of the ways in which J_z is modulated is by changes in stratospheric column resistance (S), which is increased by stratospheric aerosols. Because S is in series with the tropospheric column resistance (T), J_z modulation by REF requires that S be not negligible with respect to T. So the J_z modulation and the VAI response appear when the SAC is very high, or the REF reductions (which also increase S) are very deep, and when the product of the SAC and the reciprocal of the REF exceeds a threshold value dependent on T.     

Effect of the continental shelf in seasonal oceanographic conditions at the Northern edge of the Eastern Tropical Pacific

The continental shelf in front of Nayarit is located in the northern limit of the tropical Eastern Pacific, characterized by constituting a convergence zone of different masses of water, forming an area of significant hydrographic variability. Based on satellite remote sensing data and reanalysis between 2003 and 2019 of sea surface temperature (SST), wind stress, Ekman velocity, and geostrophic velocity, the contribution of the seasonal cycle to the variability of the study area were analyzed through climatological means, Hovmöhler diagrams, and Empirical Orthogonal Functions. The results show that in the zone in front of Matanchén Bay (21.5 °N) and the adjacent continental shelf, there is a core of warm surface water. The distribution of the SST is explained by the seasonal pattern of meridional/zonal variability in the thermal gradient, where the EOFs show the influence of the annual scale in both modes, with the only difference being that the first describes the meridional gradient as the dominant signal (66.2%), and the second shows the zonal behavior of the thermal gradient (16.6%). The summer weakening of the wind stress and Ekman speed is the product of the irregular shape of the coastline, the extension of the continental shelf, and the divergence of the North American monsoon around 21°N, whereas during the rest of the year an intensification of these parameters prevailed in front of Cabo Corrientes. On the other hand, the intense geostrophic flow in summer does not contribute to the increase in SST on the continental shelf because it diverges around 22.5°N. Likewise, during the winter, the formation of a cyclonic geostrophic gyre located inside the continental shelf, between the coast and the Marías Islands, stands out.     

The structure of the solar cycle maximum phase in the galactic cosmic ray 11-year variation

Two phenomena connected with the maximum phase of the 11-year solar cycle in the galactic cosmic ray intensity – the change in the energy dependence of the intensity variations and the double-peak structure in the intensity modulation time profile – are considered for the last five solar cycles (Nos. 19–23). The distinct 22-year cycle in the magnitude of the so called energy hysteresis is observed.The periods of the solar cycle maximum phase in the galactic cosmic ray intensity, characterized by the specific energy dependence of the intensity, are estimated. It is found that the double-peak structures belonging to the solar cycle maximum phase and those around it are very similar both in the amplitude and in its energy dependence.     

Study of satellite retrieved CO2 and CH4 concentration over India

This paper reports a study of spatial and temporal variations of columnar averaged concentration of CO₂ and CH₄ over India using SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) and Greenhouse gas Observing SATellite (GOSAT) data. Comparison of these data with the global view National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) land data and also location specific flask data is made. The temporal variation in column averaged global CO₂ is similar to that over India and it is also similar to the NOAA surface flask data and global view. The variation in NOAA surface CH₄ is location dependent and its global view appears to vary seasonally in opposite phase with the column averaged CH₄ values from satellites, reflecting the limited comparability of surface and column averaged data. Over India the CO₂ maximum is in May and minimum in August/September while for CH₄ the maximum is in September and minimum in February/March. The seasonal variation of CH₄ over India is correlated with the eastern coastal rice cultivation.     

Study of atmospheric air pollutants during the partial solar eclipse on 15 January 2010 over Udaipur: A semi-arid location in Western India

The paper describes behavior of surface ozone, its precursor gases, BC along with TOCC, TWVC, AOT1020 nm as well as UV and IR radiation intensities observed during the partial solar eclipse of 15th January, 2010 over Udaipur, where 52% solar disc is obscured due to the moon’s shadow. During the beginning to main eclipse phase, the deviation values of several air pollutants concentrations from eclipse to control day values vary in a small range from −9 to −2 ppb in case of surface ozone and −180 to −80 ppb for CO. The corresponding change in the values of BC observed from −3.3 to −.5 μg/m³. No significant change is found in NO₂, NO or in ratio of NO₂/NO values during the partial eclipse time. TOCC values decrease from 3 to 5 DU along with a reduction in UV radiation intensity from 20 to 35% from starting to the main eclipse phase. The AOT1020 nm values are found to increase from .2 to 1.0 along with a reduction in IR radiation intensity order of 50%. However, TWVC values decrease from .22 to .1 cm during the eclipse hours. The low level of dilution in surface ozone in eclipse period may be attributed with change in local atmospheric boundary layer dynamic conditions or limited air pollutants dispersion, in term of decreases in planetary boundary layer height, wind speed and hence ventilation coefficient in the same eclipse hours. Thus, present studies support the argument for the leading roles of photochemical reactions with its precursor gases under presence of solar radiation in surface ozone variability. Other possible controlling factors are advection of air pollutants from the polluted region as evident from backward wind trajectories and altering the local meteorological conditions.