Extreme pyroconvection events triggered by wildfires in northwest Canada and United States during August 2017 resulted in vast injection of combustion products into the stratosphere. The plumes of ...stratospheric smoke were observed by lidars at Observatoire de Haute‐Provence (OHP) for many weeks that followed the fires as distinct aerosol layers with backscatter reaching unprecedentedly high values for a nonvolcanic aerosol layer. We use spaceborne CALIOP lidar to track the spatiotemporal evolution of the smoke plumes before their detection at OHP. A remarkable agreement between ground‐ and spaced‐based lidars sampling the same smoke plume on a particular date allowed us to extrapolate the OHP observations to a regional scale, where CALIOP reported extreme aerosol optical depth values as high as 0.21. On a monthly time scale, the lidar observations indicate that boreal summer 2017 forest fires had a hemisphere‐scale impact on stratospheric aerosol load, similar to that of moderate volcanic eruptions.
Plain Language Summary
Stratospheric aerosol plays a large role in global climate through negative radiative forcing. Volcanic eruptions are considered the major source of stratospheric aerosol. In the absence of strong eruptions, the permanent stratospheric aerosol layer is commonly attributed to sulphuric gases emitted at the surface and lofted into the stratosphere by deep convection. Recent studies have put in evidence that biomass burning is an important contributor to stratospheric aerosol budget. During Summer 2017, severe forest wildfires raged in North America, resulting in pyrocumulonumbus firestorms injecting large amounts of smoke and combustion products into the stratosphere. The smoke has been dispersed throughout a large part of northern hemisphere in a few weeks. The observations using ground‐based and space‐borne laser radars (lidars) indicate that the smoke layer had an unprecedentedly high optical depth for a non‐volcanic aerosol layer. On a monthly time scale, the boreal summer 2017 forest fires had a hemisphere‐wide impact on stratospheric aerosol load, similar to that of moderate volcanic eruptions. This study emphasizes the significance of biomass burning as a source of stratospheric aerosol and provides an opportunity for re‐evaluating the potential of wildfires to pollute the stratosphere.
Key Points
North American wildfires during summer 2017 and intense pyroconvection pollute the stratosphere with smoke
Stratospheric smoke plumes detected by ground‐based and spaceborne lidars feature unprecedentedly high backscatter and aerosol optical depth
Summer 2017 wildfires had a hemisphere‐scale impact on stratospheric aerosol load similar to that of moderate volcanic eruptions
Recent research has provided evidence of the self-lofting capacity of smoke aerosols in the stratosphere and their self-confinement by persistent anticyclones, which prolongs their atmospheric ...residence time and radiative effects. By contrast, the volcanic aerosols-composed mostly of non-absorptive sulphuric acid droplets-were never reported to be subject of dynamical confinement. Here we use high-resolution satellite observations to show that the eruption of Raikoke volcano in June 2019 produced a long-lived stratospheric anticyclone containing 24% of the total erupted mass of sulphur dioxide. The anticyclone persisted for more than 3 months, circumnavigated the globe three times, and ascended diabatically to 27 km altitude through radiative heating of volcanic ash contained by the plume. The mechanism of dynamical confinement has important implications for the planetary-scale transport of volcanic emissions, their stratospheric residence time, and atmospheric radiation balance. It also provides a challenge or "out of sample test" for weather and climate models that should be capable of reproducing similar structures.
Temperature changes in the lower and middle stratosphere during 2001–2016 are evaluated using measurements from GPS Radio Occultation (RO) and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) aboard the Aqua ...satellite. After downsampling of GPS‐RO profiles according to the AMSU weighting functions, the spatially and seasonally resolved trends from the two data sets are in excellent agreement. The observations indicate that the middle stratosphere has cooled in the time period 2002–2016 at an average rate of −0.14 ± 0.12 to −0.36 ± 0.14 K/decade, while no significant change was found in the lower stratosphere. The meridionally and vertically resolved trends from high‐resolution GPS‐RO data exhibit a marked interhemispheric asymmetry and highlight a distinct boundary between tropospheric and stratospheric temperature change regimes matching the tropical thermal tropopause. The seasonal pattern of trend reveals significant opposite‐sign structures at high and low latitudes, providing indication of seasonally varying change in stratospheric circulation.
Plain Language Summary
Stratosphere is an important part of the Earth climate system. Long‐term change in stratospheric temperature is a key indicator of global climate change, reflecting both natural and anthropogenic forcings. A variety of long‐term observations and models indicate a cooling throughout the stratosphere in response to ozone depletion and growing emissions of greenhouse gases. This study exploits two independent sets of satellite observations by Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) and GPS radio occultation (RO). We find excellent agreement between spatially and seasonally resolved trends from the two data sets, which provides confidence in our estimates. The observations indicate a statistically significant global cooling in the middle stratosphere since 2001 at a mean rate of −0.14 to −0.36 K/decade and insignificant change in the lower stratosphere. The seasonal and spatial patterns of trend provide indication of seasonally varying change in stratospheric circulation. We argue that GPS‐RO technique, featuring certain advantages over other atmospheric observing systems, provides a more detailed view of the stratospheric temperature change thereby allowing a better understanding of the underlying forcing mechanisms. Future RO missions will continue the existing record, potentially becoming the primary source of information on the lower stratospheric temperature in the 21st century.
Key Points
Stratospheric temperature trends derived from GPS‐RO and Aqua AMSU observations 2002–2016 are in excellent agreement
Middle stratosphere has cooled in the time period 2002–2016 at an average rate of −0.14 to −0.36 K/decade
The spatially and seasonally resolved trends indicate changes in the stratospheric circulation
Drifts, trends and periodic variations were calculated from monthly zonally averaged ozone profiles. The ozone profiles were derived from level-1b data of the Michelson Interferometer for Passive ...Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) by means of the scientific level-2 processor run by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK). All trend and drift analyses were performed using a multilinear parametric trend model which includes a linear term, several harmonics with period lengths from 3 to 24 months and the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). Drifts at 2-sigma significance level were mainly negative for ozone relative to Aura MLS and Odin OSIRIS and negative or near zero for most of the comparisons to lidar measurements. Lidar stations used here include those at Hohenpeissenberg (47.8° N, 11.0° E), Lauder (45.0° S, 169.7° E), Mauna Loa (19.5° N, 155.6° W), Observatoire Haute Provence (43.9° N, 5.7° E) and Table Mountain (34.4° N, 117.7° W). Drifts against the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) were found to be mostly insignificant. The assessed MIPAS ozone trends cover the time period of July 2002 to April 2012 and range from −0.56 ppmv decade−1 to +0.48 ppmv decade−1 (−0.52 ppmv decade−1 to +0.47 ppmv decade−1 when displayed on pressure coordinates) depending on altitude/pressure and latitude. From the empirical drift analyses we conclude that the real ozone trends might be slightly more positive/less negative than those calculated from the MIPAS data, by conceding the possibility of MIPAS having a very small (approximately within −0.3 ppmv decade−1) negative drift for ozone. This leads to drift-corrected trends of −0.41 ppmv decade−1 to +0.55 ppmv decade−1 (−0.38 ppmv decade−1 to +0.53 ppmv decade−1 when displayed on pressure coordinates) for the time period covered by MIPAS Envisat measurements, with very few negative and large areas of positive trends at mid-latitudes for both hemispheres around and above 30 km (~10 hPa). Negative trends are found in the tropics around 25 and 35 km (~25 and 5 hPa), while an area of positive trends is located right above the tropical tropopause. These findings are in good agreement with the recent literature. Differences of the trends compared with the recent literature could be explained by a possible shift of the subtropical mixing barriers. Results for the altitude–latitude distribution of amplitudes of the quasi-biennial, annual and the semi-annual oscillation are overall in very good agreement with recent findings.
We present a detailed discussion of the chemical and dynamical processes in the Arctic winters 1996/1997 and 2010/2011 with high resolution chemical transport model (CTM) simulations and space-based ...observations. In the Arctic winter 2010/2011, the lower stratospheric minimum temperatures were below 195 K for a record period of time, from December to mid-April, and a strong and stable vortex was present during that period. Simulations with the Mimosa-Chim CTM show that the chemical ozone loss started in early January and progressed slowly to 1 ppmv (parts per million by volume) by late February. The loss intensified by early March and reached a record maximum of ~2.4 ppmv in the late March–early April period over a broad altitude range of 450–550 K. This coincides with elevated ozone loss rates of 2–4 ppbv sh−1 (parts per billion by volume/sunlit hour) and a contribution of about 30–55% and 30–35% from the ClO-ClO and ClO-BrO cycles, respectively, in late February and March. In addition, a contribution of 30–50% from the HOx cycle is also estimated in April. We also estimate a loss of about 0.7–1.2 ppmv contributed (75%) by the NOx cycle at 550–700 K. The ozone loss estimated in the partial column range of 350–550 K exhibits a record value of ~148 DU (Dobson Unit). This is the largest ozone loss ever estimated in the Arctic and is consistent with the remarkable chlorine activation and strong denitrification (40–50%) during the winter, as the modeled ClO shows ~1.8 ppbv in early January and ~1 ppbv in March at 450–550 K. These model results are in excellent agreement with those found from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder observations. Our analyses also show that the ozone loss in 2010/2011 is close to that found in some Antarctic winters, for the first time in the observed history. Though the winter 1996/1997 was also very cold in March–April, the temperatures were higher in December–February, and, therefore, chlorine activation was moderate and ozone loss was average with about 1.2 ppmv at 475–550 K or 42 DU at 350–550 K, as diagnosed from the model simulations and measurements.
A detailed analysis of the polar ozone loss processes during 10 recent Antarctic winters is presented with high-resolution MIMOSA-CHIM (Modele Isentrope du transport Meso-echelle de l'Ozone ...Stratospherique par Advection avec CHIMie) model simulations and high-frequency polar vortex observations from the Aura microwave limb sounder (MLS) instrument. The high-frequency measurements and simulations help to characterize the winters and assist the interpretation of interannual variability better than either data or simulations alone. Our model results for the Antarctic winters of 2004-2013 show that chemical ozone loss starts in the edge region of the vortex at equivalent latitudes (EqLs) of 65-67 degree S in mid-June-July. The loss progresses with time at higher EqLs and intensifies during August-September over the range 400-600 K. The loss peaks in late September-early October, when all EqLs (65-83 degree S) show a similar loss and the maximum loss (> 2 ppmv - parts per million by volume) is found over a broad vertical range of 475-550 K. In the lower stratosphere, most winters show similar ozone loss and production rates. In general, at 500 K, the loss rates are about 2-3 ppbv sh-1 (parts per billion by volume per sunlit hour) in July and 4-5 ppbv sh-1 in August-mid-September, while they drop rapidly to 0 by mid-October. In the middle stratosphere, the loss rates are about 3-5 ppbv sh-1 in July-August and October at 675 K. On average, the MIMOSA-CHIM simulations show that the very cold winters of 2005 and 2006 exhibit a maximum loss of ~ 3.5 ppmv around 550 K or about 149-173 DU over 350-850 K, and the warmer winters of 2004, 2010, and 2012 show a loss of ~ 2.6 ppmv around 475-500 K or 131-154 DU over 350-850 K. The winters of 2007, 2008, and 2011 were moderately cold, and thus both ozone loss and peak loss altitudes are between these two ranges (3 ppmv around 500 K or 150 plus or minus 10 DU). The modeled ozone loss values are in reasonably good agreement with those estimated from Aura MLS measurements, but the model underestimates the observed ClO, largely due to the slower vertical descent in the model during spring.
The Arctic polar vortex exhibited widespread regions of low temperatures during the winter of 2005, resulting in significant ozone depletion by chlorine and bromine species. We show that chemical ...loss of column ozone (ΔO3) and the volume of Arctic vortex air cold enough to support the existence of polar stratospheric clouds (VPSC) both exceed levels found for any other Arctic winter during the past 40 years. Cold conditions and ozone loss in the lowermost Arctic stratosphere (e.g., between potential temperatures of 360 to 400 K) were particularly unusual compared to previous years. Measurements indicate ΔO3 = 121 ± 20 DU and that ΔO3 versus VPSC lies along an extension of the compact, near linear relation observed for previous Arctic winters. The maximum value of VPSC during five to ten year intervals exhibits a steady, monotonic increase over the past four decades, indicating that the coldest Arctic winters have become significantly colder, and hence are more conducive to ozone depletion by anthropogenic halogens.
The trends and variability of ozone are assessed over a northern mid-latitude station, Haute-Provence Observatory (OHP: 43.93° N, 5.71° E), using total column ozone observations from the Dobson and ...Système d'Analyse par Observation Zénithale spectrometers, and stratospheric ozone profile measurements from light detection and ranging (lidar), ozonesondes, Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II, Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). A multivariate regression model with quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), solar flux, aerosol optical thickness, heat flux, North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and a piecewise linear trend (PWLT) or equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine (EESC) functions is applied to the ozone anomalies. The maximum variability of ozone in winter/spring is explained by QBO and heat flux in the ranges 15–45 km and 15–24 km, respectively. The NAO shows maximum influence in the lower stratosphere during winter, while the solar flux influence is largest in the lower and middle stratosphere in summer. The total column ozone trends estimated from the PWLT and EESC functions are of −1.47 ± 0.27 and −1.40 ± 0.25 DU yr−1, respectively, over the period 1984–1996 and about 0.55 ± 0.30 and 0.42 ± 0.08 DU yr−1, respectively, over the period 1997–2010. The ozone profiles yield similar and significant EESC-based and PWLT trends for 1984–1996, and are about −0.5 and −0.8% yr−1 in the lower and upper stratosphere, respectively. For 1997–2010, the EESC-based and PWLT estimates are of the order of 0.3 and 0.1% yr−1, respectively, in the 18–28 km range, and at 40–45 km, EESC provides significant ozone trends larger than the insignificant PWLT results. Furthermore, very similar vertical trends for the respective time periods are also deduced from another long-term satellite-based data set (GOZCARDS–Global OZone Chemistry And Related trace gas Data records for the Stratosphere) sampled at northern mid-latitudes. Therefore, this analysis unveils ozone recovery signals from total column ozone and profile measurements at OHP, and hence in the northern mid-latitudes.
Recent studies show that the ozone layer will recover by the middle part of this century. This is a significant result arising from the Montreal Protocol, and highlights the success of this ...environmental protection agreement. Climate change projections show that Total Ozone Content (TOC) levels will increase significantly by the end of this century, mainly at higher latitudes. This increase may result in a reduction of the adverse effects of UV radiation overexposure. By contrast, reduced UV radiation levels at the surface of the Earth can result in reduced levels of vitamin D synthesis among the inhabitants of these regions. In this study we provide estimates for the UVI, erythemal, and vitamin-D weighted daily doses for ten different locations in South America and Antarctica. Our calculations were based on ozone projections provided by climate models set forth in the last IPCC report. Results show that the increase of TOC levels in middle and high latitude regions may result in decreased UVI and UV doses throughout the century. In high latitudes, erythemal doses and vitamin D synthesis doses may be reduced by up to 22 and 39%, respectively, if anthropogenic emissions continue to rise throughout the century. Furthermore, there may be reductions of up to 9 and 12%, respectively, in mid-latitudes (20°S to 35°S). Significant variations at Equatorial sites were not observed. In most of South America, the attenuation in UVR caused by increases in TOC during the 21
century is neither enough to promote protective effects from this radiation, nor for the lack of UVR for vitamin D synthesis. The incidence of UVR in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the continent will continue to be a public health risk for the entire 21
century during all seasons, regardless of the climatic scenarios. Our results can be used as an important tool for health studies focusing on the excess and/or lack of sun exposure.
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