Trends in the vertical distribution of ozone are reported and compared for a number of new and recently revised data sets. The amount of ozone-depleting compounds in the stratosphere (as measured by ...equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine - EESC) was maximised in the second half of the 1990s. We examine the periods before and after the peak to see if any change in trend is discernible in the ozone record that might be attributable to a change in the EESC trend, though no attribution is attempted. Prior to 1998, trends in the upper stratosphere (~ 45 km, 4 hPa) are found to be -5 to -10 % per decade at mid-latitudes and closer to -5 % per decade in the tropics. No trends are found in the mid-stratosphere (28 km, 30 hPa). Negative trends are seen in the lower stratosphere at mid-latitudes in both hemispheres and in the deep tropics. However, it is hard to be categorical about the trends in the lower stratosphere for three reasons: (i) there are fewer measurements, (ii) the data quality is poorer, and (iii) the measurements in the 1990s are perturbed by aerosols from the Mt Pinatubo eruption in 1991. These findings are similar to those reported previously even though the measurements for the main satellite and ground-based records have been revised. There is no sign of a continued negative trend in the upper stratosphere since 1998: instead there is a hint of an average positive trend of ~ 2 % per decade in mid-latitudes and ~ 3 % per decade in the tropics. The significance of these upward trends is investigated using different assumptions of the independence of the trend estimates found from different data sets. The averaged upward trends are significant if the trends derived from various data sets are assumed to be independent (as in Pawson et al., 2014) but are generally not significant if the trends are not independent. This occurs because many of the underlying measurement records are used in more than one merged data set. At this point it is not possible to say which assumption is best. Including an estimate of the drift of the overall ozone observing system decreases the significance of the trends. The significance will become clearer as (i) more years are added to the observational record, (ii) further improvements are made to the historic ozone record (e.g. through algorithm development), and (iii) the data merging techniques are refined, particularly through a more rigorous treatment of uncertainties.
Volcanic emissions from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption on the Southern fringe of Iceland in April 2010 were detected at the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) station Zugspitze/Hohenpeissenberg ...(Germany) by means of in-situ measurements, ozone sondes and ceilometers. Information from the German Meteorological Service (DWD) ceilometer network (Flentje et al., 2010) aided identifying the air mass origin. We discuss ground level in-situ measurements of sulphur dioxide (SO2 ), sulphuric acid (H2 SO4 ) and particulate matter as well as ozone sonde profiles and column measurements of SO2 by a Brewer spectrometer. At Hohenpeissenberg, a number of reactive gases, e.g. carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, and particle properties, e.g. size distribution and ionic composition, were additionally measured during this period. Our results describe the arrival of the volcanic plume at Zugspitze and Hohenpeissenberg during 16 and 17 April 2010 and its residence in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) for several days thereafter. The ash plume was first seen in the ceilometer backscatter profiles at Hohenpeissenberg in about 6-7 km altitude. After entrainment into the PBL at noon of 17 April, largely enhanced values of sulphur dioxide, sulphuric acid and super-micron-particle number concentration were recorded at Zugspitze/Hohenpeissenberg till 21 April.
Mesospheric and stratospheric temperatures and winds from several stations in Germany are analyzed for long‐term trends in 1988–2008. Emphasis is on upper mesosphere (87 km) hydroxyl (OH) ...temperatures at Wuppertal (51°N, 7°E) that agree favorably with satellite‐borne observations from Sounding of the Atmosphere Using Broadband Emission Radiometry and a twin OH instrument at Hohenpeißenberg (48°N, 11°E) that is operational since 2003. The two twin stations yield a combined data set with 80% time coverage suitable for high time resolution analyses. Annual mean temperatures at Wuppertal show a long‐term trend of −0.23 K/yr and a solar flux sensitivity of 0.035 K/solar flux unit. Trend analysis of monthly mean temperatures yields substantial variations from one month to another, between 0 and −0.6 K/yr, hence questioning the value of seasonal mean trends. The OH temperatures have a well‐known characteristic form of seasonal variation. This form changes during the 21 years of observation. The changes are compared to modifications of the summer length in the stratosphere and are interpreted as dynamics/circulation changes extending to the uppermost parts of the middle atmosphere.
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.
In the framework of the SI2N (SPARC (Stratosphere-troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate)/IO3C (International Ozone Commission)/IGACO-O3 (Integrated Global Atmospheric Chemistry Observations ...- Ozone)/NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change)) initiative, several long-term vertically resolved merged ozone data sets produced from satellite measurements have been analysed and compared. This paper presents an overview of the methods, assumptions, and challenges involved in constructing such merged data sets, as well as the first thorough intercomparison of seven new long-term satellite data sets. The analysis focuses on the representation of the annual cycle, interannual variability, and long-term trends for the period 1984-2011, which is common to all data sets. Overall, the best agreement amongst data sets is seen in the mid-latitude lower and middle stratosphere, with larger differences in the equatorial lower stratosphere and the upper stratosphere globally. In most cases, differences in the choice of underlying instrument records that were merged produced larger differences between data sets than the use of different merging techniques. Long-term ozone trends were calculated for the period 1984-2011 using a piecewise linear regression with a change in trend prescribed at the end of 1997. For the 1984-1997 period, trends tend to be most similar between data sets (with largest negative trends ranging from -4 to -8% decade-1 in the mid-latitude upper stratosphere), in large part due to the fact that most data sets are predominantly (or only) based on the SAGE-II record. Trends in the middle and lower stratosphere are much smaller, and, particularly for the lower stratosphere, large uncertainties remain. For the later period (1998-2011), trends vary to a greater extent, ranging from approximately -1 to +5% decade-1 in the upper stratosphere. Again, middle and lower stratospheric trends are smaller and for most data sets not significantly different from zero. Overall, however, there is a clear shift from mostly negative to mostly positive trends between the two periods over much of the profile.
The three Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 instruments will provide unique and long data sets for atmospheric research and applications. The complete time period will be 2007–2022, including the ...period of ozone depletion as well as the beginning of ozone layer recovery. Besides ozone chemistry, the GOME-2 (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2) products are important e.g. for air quality studies, climate modelling, policy monitoring and hazard warnings. The heritage for GOME-2 is in the ERS/GOME and Envisat/SCIAMACHY instruments. The current Level 2 (L2) data cover a wide range of products such as ozone and minor trace gas columns (NO2, BrO, HCHO, H2O, SO2), vertical ozone profiles in high and low spatial resolution, absorbing aerosol indices, surface Lambertian-equivalent reflectivity database, clear-sky and cloud-corrected UV indices and surface UV fields with different weightings and photolysis rates. The Satellite Application Facility on Ozone and Atmospheric Chemistry Monitoring (O3M SAF) processes and disseminates data 24/7. Data quality is guaranteed by the detailed review processes for the algorithms, validation of the products as well as by a continuous quality monitoring of the products and processing. This paper provides an overview of the O3M SAF project background, current status and future plans for the utilisation of the GOME-2 data. An important focus is the provision of summaries of the GOME-2 products including product principles and validation examples together with sample images. Furthermore, this paper collects references to the detailed product algorithm and validation papers.
We present a comprehensive analysis of the trends of stratospheric ozone in the midlatitudes and subtropics. The analysis is performed using ground‐based and space‐based measurements over the light ...detection and ranging stations for the period 1985–2012. Also, trends are estimated for the zonal mean data made from a merged satellite data set, Global OZone Chemistry And Related trace gas Data records for the Stratosphere, over 1979–2012. The linear trends in stratospheric ozone are estimated using piecewise linear trend (PWLT) functions. The ozone trends during the increasing phase of halogens (before 1997) range from −0.2 ± 0.08 to −1 ± 0.07% yr−1 in the midlatitudes and −0.2 ± 0.06 to −0.7 ± 0.05 % yr−1 in the subtropics at 15–45 km, depending on altitude. In 1997–2012, the PWLT analyses show a positive trend, significantly different from zero at the 95% confidence intervals, toward ozone recovery in the middle‐ and low‐latitude upper stratosphere (35–45 km), and the trends are about +0.5 ± 0.07% yr−1 at midlatitudes and about +0.3 ± 0.05% yr−1 at subtropical latitudes. However, negative and insignificant trends are estimated in the lower stratosphere (15–20 km) over 1997–2012 in the midlatitudes, mainly due to the dynamics, as demonstrated by the large (50–60%) contributions from the quasi‐biennial oscillation, El Niño–Southern Oscillation, and planetary wave activity to recent ozone changes. This suggests that the ozone changes are governed by the interannual variations in meteorology and dynamics of the regions; these factors will influence the recovery detection time and the behavior of the recovery path to pre‐1980 levels.
Key Points
Presents the midlatitude and subtropical ozone trends
Shows clear recovery signal in the upper stratosphere
Lower stratospheric recovery is now masked by the dynamics
A multi-model study of the long-range transport of ozone and its precursors from major anthropogenic source regions was coordinated by the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (TF ...HTAP) under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). Vertical profiles of ozone at 12-h intervals from 2001 are available from twelve of the models contributing to this study and are compared here with observed profiles from ozonesondes. The contributions from each major source region are analysed for selected sondes, and this analysis is supplemented by retroplume calculations using the FLEXPART Lagrangian particle dispersion model to provide insight into the origin of ozone transport events and the cause of differences between the models and observations. In the boundary layer ozone levels are in general strongly affected by regional sources and sinks. With a considerably longer lifetime in the free troposphere, ozone here is to a much larger extent affected by processes on a larger scale such as intercontinental transport and exchange with the stratosphere. Such individual events are difficult to trace over several days or weeks of transport. This may explain why statistical relationships between models and ozonesonde measurements are far less satisfactory than shown in previous studies for surface measurements at all seasons. The lowest bias between model-calculated ozone profiles and the ozonesonde measurements is seen in the winter and autumn months. Following the increase in photochemical activity in the spring and summer months, the spread in model results increases, and the agreement between ozonesonde measurements and the individual models deteriorates further. At selected sites calculated contributions to ozone levels in the free troposphere from intercontinental transport are shown. Intercontinental transport is identified based on differences in model calculations with unperturbed emissions and emissions reduced by 20% by region. Intercontinental transport of ozone is finally determined based on differences in model ensemble calculations. With emissions perturbed by 20% per region, calculated intercontinental contributions to ozone in the free troposphere range from less than 1 ppb to 3 ppb, with small contributions in winter. The results are corroborated by the retroplume calculations. At several locations the seasonal contributions to ozone in the free troposphere from intercontinental transport differ from what was shown earlier at the surface using the same dataset. The large spread in model results points to a need of further evaluation of the chemical and physical processes in order to improve the credibility of global model results.
SABER temperature measurements from 2002 to 2012 are analyzed from 18 to 110km altitude in Middle Europe. Data are complemented by radiosonde measurements in the altitude range from 0 to 30km. Low ...frequency oscillations with periods of about 2.4–2.2 yr, 3.4 yr, and 5.5 yr are seen in either data set. Surprising vertical structures in amplitudes and phases are observed with alternating minima and maxima of amplitudes, steep phase changes (180°) at the altitudes of the minima, and constant phase values in between. HAMMONIA CCM simulations driven by boundary conditions for the years 1996–2006 are analyzed for corresponding features, and very similar structures are found. Data from another CCM, the CESM-WACCM model, are also analyzed and show comparable results.
Similar oscillation periods have been reported in the literature for the ocean. A possible forcing of the atmospheric oscillations from below was therefore tested with a special HAMMONIA run. Here, climatological boundary conditions were used, i.e. the boundaries in all eleven years were the same. Surprisingly also in this data set the same atmospheric oscillations are obtained. We therefore conclude that the oscillations are intrinsically forced, self-sustained in the atmosphere. The oscillations turned out to be quite robust as they are still found in a HAMMONIA run with strongly reduced vertical resolution. Here only the form of the vertical amplitude and phase profile of the 2.2 yr feature is lost but the oscillation itself is still there, and the two other oscillations are essentially unchanged.
Similar oscillations are seen in the earth surface temperatures. Global Land Ocean Temperature Index data (GLOTI) reaching back to 1880 show such oscillations during all that time. The oscillations are also seen in parameters other than atmospheric temperature. They are found in surface data such as the North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAO) and in zonal winds in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. The oscillations found are tentatively discussed in terms (of synchronization) of self-sustained non-linear oscillators, as many of their properties resemble such oscillators described in the literature.
•Oscillations with 2–5 yr periods are found in atmospheric temperatures from 0 to 100km.•They show very special amplitude and phase profiles.•They are found to be self-sustained.•They appear to show period and phase synchronization.
For the year 2010, both ground‐ and satellite‐based measurements have recorded unusually high annual mean total ozone columns over much of the Northern hemisphere. At the mid‐latitude station ...Hohenpeissenberg (48°N, 11°E), the 2010 annual mean reached 339 Dobson Units (DU), the highest value observed since 1982, and the 8th highest in the 43 year record at Hohenpeissenberg. The 45°N to 55°N annual zonal mean exceeded 360 DU, also one of the highest values observed in the last 20 to 25 years. The 2010 annual mean was about 12 DU higher than in 2009, and almost 35 DU higher than the long‐term minimum observed in 1992 and 1993. An unusually pronounced and persistent negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation in 2010, last seen in this magnitude in 1968 and 1969, and the co‐incidence of northern winter 2009/2010 with the easterly wind‐shear phase of the quasi biennial oscillation of stratospheric winds at the equator (QBO) have been major contributors to the high total ozone of 2010. Multiple linear regression analysis of the Hohenpeissenberg time series (since 1968) attributes about +8 DU ±2 DU (1σ) of the 2010 annual mean to the Arctic Oscillation, and about +4 DU ±1.3 DU (1σ) to the QBO. A small ozone increase since the ozone minimum of the mid 1990s might also be due to the recent decline of stratospheric chlorine and bromine.
Key Points
Total ozone was unusually high in 2010 over much of the Northern Hemisphere
Two thirds due to very pronounced negative phase of Arctic Oscillation
One third due to the phase of the quasibiennial oscillation
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