scholarly journals Carbon monoxide as a tracer for tropical troposphere to stratosphere transport in the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS)

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1185-1211 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Pommrich ◽  
R. Müller ◽  
J.-U. Grooß ◽  
P. Konopka ◽  
G. Günther ◽  
...  

Abstract. Variations in the mixing ratio of trace gases of tropospheric origin entering the stratosphere in the tropics are of interest for assessing both troposphere to stratosphere transport fluxes in the tropics and the impact on the composition of the tropical lower stratosphere of quasi-horizontal in-mixing into the tropical tropopause layer from the mid-latitude stratosphere. Here, we present a simplified chemistry scheme for the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS) for the simulation, at comparatively low numerical cost, of CO, ozone, and long-lived trace substances (CH4, N2O, CCl3F, and CO2) in the lower tropical stratosphere. The boundary conditions at the ground are represented for the long-lived trace substances CH4, N2O, CCl3F, and CO2 based on ground-based measurements. The boundary condition for CO in the free troposphere is deduced from MOPITT measurements. We find that the zonally averaged tropical CO anomaly patterns simulated by this model version of CLaMS are in good agreement with observations. The introduction of a new scheme in the ECMWF integrated forecast system (Tompkins et al., 2007) for the ice supersaturation after September 2006, results in a somewhat less good agreement between observed and simulated CO patterns in the tropical lower stratosphere after this date.

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 5087-5139 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Pommrich ◽  
R. Müller ◽  
J.-U. Grooß ◽  
P. Konopka ◽  
F. Ploeger ◽  
...  

Abstract. Variations in the mixing ratio of trace gases of tropospheric origin entering the stratosphere in the tropics are of interest for assessing both troposphere to stratosphere transport fluxes in the tropics and the impact of these transport fluxes on the composition of the tropical lower stratosphere. Anomaly patterns of carbon monoxide (CO) and long-lived tracers in the lower tropical stratosphere allow conclusions about the rate and the variability of tropical upwelling to be drawn. Here, we present a simplified chemistry scheme for the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS) for the simulation, at comparatively low numerical cost, of CO, ozone, and long-lived trace substances (CH4, N2O, CCl3F (CFC-11), CCl2F2 (CFC-12), and CO2) in the lower tropical stratosphere. For the long-lived trace substances, the boundary conditions at the surface are prescribed based on ground-based measurements in the lowest model level. The boundary condition for CO in the free troposphere is deduced from MOPITT measurements (at ≈ 700–200 hPa). Due to the lack of a specific representation of mixing and convective uplift in the troposphere in this model version, enhanced CO values, in particular those resulting from convective outflow are underestimated. However, in the tropical tropopause layer and the lower tropical stratosphere, there is relatively good agreement of simulated CO with in-situ measurements (with the exception of the TROCCINOX campaign, where CO in the simulation is biased low ≈ 10–20 ppbv). Further, the model results are of sufficient quality to describe large scale anomaly patterns of CO in the lower stratosphere. In particular, the zonally averaged tropical CO anomaly patterns (the so called "tape recorder" patterns) simulated by this model version of CLaMS are in good agreement with observations. The simulations show a too rapid upwelling compared to observations as a consequence of the overestimated vertical velocities in the ERA-interim reanalysis data set. Moreover, the simulated tropical anomaly patterns of N2O are in good agreement with observations. In the simulations, anomaly patterns for CH4 and CFC-11 were found to be consistent with those of N2O; for all long-lived tracers, positive anomalies are simulated because of the enhanced tropical upwelling in the easterly phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 2895-2916 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Pommrich ◽  
R. Müller ◽  
J.-U. Grooß ◽  
P. Konopka ◽  
F. Ploeger ◽  
...  

Abstract. Variations in the mixing ratio of trace gases of tropospheric origin entering the stratosphere in the tropics are of interest for assessing both troposphere to stratosphere transport fluxes in the tropics and the impact of these transport fluxes on the composition of the tropical lower stratosphere. Anomaly patterns of carbon monoxide (CO) and long-lived tracers in the lower tropical stratosphere allow conclusions about the rate and the variability of tropical upwelling to be drawn. Here, we present a simplified chemistry scheme for the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS) for the simulation, at comparatively low numerical cost, of CO, ozone, and long-lived trace substances (CH4, N2O, CCl3F (CFC-11), CCl2F2 (CFC-12), and CO2) in the lower tropical stratosphere. For the long-lived trace substances, the boundary conditions at the surface are prescribed based on ground-based measurements in the lowest model level. The boundary condition for CO in the lower troposphere (below about 4 km) is deduced from MOPITT measurements. Due to the lack of a specific representation of mixing and convective uplift in the troposphere in this model version, enhanced CO values, in particular those resulting from convective outflow are underestimated. However, in the tropical tropopause layer and the lower tropical stratosphere, there is relatively good agreement of simulated CO with in situ measurements (with the exception of the TROCCINOX campaign, where CO in the simulation is biased low ≈10–15 ppbv). Further, the model results (and therefore also the ERA-Interim winds, on which the transport in the model is based) are of sufficient quality to describe large scale anomaly patterns of CO in the lower stratosphere. In particular, the zonally averaged tropical CO anomaly patterns (the so called "tape recorder" patterns) simulated by this model version of CLaMS are in good agreement with observations, although the simulations show a too rapid upwelling compared to observations as a consequence of the overestimated vertical velocities in the ERA-Interim reanalysis data set. Moreover, the simulated tropical anomaly patterns of N2O are in good agreement with observations. In the simulations, anomaly patterns of CH4 and CFC-11 were found to be very similar to those of N2O; for all long-lived tracers, positive anomalies are simulated because of the enhanced tropical upwelling in the easterly shear phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 10565-10586
Author(s):  
Stephanie Evan ◽  
Jerome Brioude ◽  
Karen Rosenlof ◽  
Sean M. Davis ◽  
Holger Vömel ◽  
...  

Abstract. Balloon-borne measurements of cryogenic frost-point hygrometer (CFH) water vapor, ozone and temperature and water vapor lidar measurements from the Maïdo Observatory on Réunion Island in the southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) were used to study tropical cyclones' influence on tropical tropopause layer (TTL) composition. The balloon launches were specifically planned using a Lagrangian model and Meteosat-7 infrared images to sample the convective outflow from tropical storm (TS) Corentin on 25 January 2016 and tropical cyclone (TC) Enawo on 3 March 2017. Comparing the CFH profile to Aura's Microwave Limb Sounder's (MLS) monthly climatologies, water vapor anomalies were identified. Positive anomalies of water vapor and temperature, and negative anomalies of ozone between 12 and 15 km in altitude (247 to 121 hPa), originated from convectively active regions of TS Corentin and TC Enawo 1 d before the planned balloon launches according to the Lagrangian trajectories. Near the tropopause region, air masses on 25 January 2016 were anomalously dry around 100 hPa and were traced back to TS Corentin's active convective region where cirrus clouds and deep convective clouds may have dried the layer. An anomalously wet layer around 68 hPa was traced back to the southeast Indian Ocean where a monthly water vapor anomaly of 0.5 ppmv was observed. In contrast, no water vapor anomaly was found near or above the tropopause region on 3 March 2017 over Maïdo as the tropopause region was not downwind of TC Enawo. This study compares and contrasts the impact of two tropical cyclones on the humidification of the TTL over the SWIO. It also demonstrates the need for accurate balloon-borne measurements of water vapor, ozone and aerosols in regions where TTL in situ observations are sparse.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 6467-6486 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Frey ◽  
R. Schofield ◽  
P. Hoor ◽  
D. Kunkel ◽  
F. Ravegnani ◽  
...  

Abstract. In this study we examine the simulated downward transport and mixing of stratospheric air into the upper tropical troposphere as observed on a research flight during the SCOUT-O3 campaign in connection with a deep convective system. We use the Advanced Research Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model with a horizontal resolution of 333 m to examine this downward transport. The simulation reproduces the deep convective system, its timing and overshooting altitudes reasonably well compared to radar and aircraft observations. Passive tracers initialised at pre-storm times indicate the downward transport of air from the stratosphere to the upper troposphere as well as upward transport from the boundary layer into the cloud anvils and overshooting tops. For example, a passive ozone tracer (i.e. a tracer not undergoing chemical processing) shows an enhancement in the upper troposphere of up to about 30 ppbv locally in the cloud, while the in situ measurements show an increase of 50 ppbv. However, the passive carbon monoxide tracer exhibits an increase, while the observations show a decrease of about 10 ppbv, indicative of an erroneous model representation of the transport processes in the tropical tropopause layer. Furthermore, it could point to insufficient entrainment and detrainment in the model. The simulation shows a general moistening of air in the lower stratosphere, but it also exhibits local dehydration features. Here we use the model to explain the processes causing the transport and also expose areas of inconsistencies between the model and observations.


2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 2389-2475 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-P. Pommereau ◽  
A. Garnier ◽  
G. Held ◽  
A.-M. Gomes ◽  
F. Goutail ◽  
...  

Abstract. HIBISCUS was a field campaign for investigating the impact of deep convection on the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) and the Lower Stratosphere, which took place during the Southern Hemisphere summer in February–March 2004 in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Its objective was to provide a set of new observational data on meteorology, tracers of horizontal and vertical transport, water vapour, clouds, and chemistry in the tropical UT/LS from balloon observations at local scale over a land convective area, as well as at global scale using circumnavigating long-duration balloons. Overall, the composition of the TTL, the region between 14 and 19 km of intermediate lapse rate between the almost adiabatic upper troposphere and the stable stratosphere, appears highly variable. Tracers and ozone measurements performed at both the local and the global scale indicate a strong quasi-horizontal isentropic exchange with the lowermost mid-latitude stratosphere suggesting that the barrier associated to the tropical jet is highly permeable at these levels in summer. But the project also provides clear indications of strong episodic updraught of cold air, short-lived tracers, low ozone, humidity and ice particles across the lapse rate tropopause at about 15 km, up to 18 or 19 km at 420–440 K potential levels in the lower stratosphere, suggesting that, in contrast to oceanic convection penetrating little the stratosphere, fast daytime developing land convective systems could be a major mechanism in the troposphere-stratosphere exchange at the global scale. The present overview is meant to provide the background of the project, as well as overall information on the instrumental tools available, on the way they have been used within the highly convective context of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone, and a brief summary of the results, which will be detailed in several other papers of this special issue.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meike Rotermund ◽  
Ben Schreiner ◽  
Flora Kluge ◽  
Tilman Hüneke ◽  
Andreas Engel ◽  
...  

<p>Bromine greatly influences the UT/LS ozone concentrations, however the transport of bromine across the tropical tropopause layer and in particular across the extratropical tropopause is not well quantified. Air-borne measurements of atmospheric trace gases such as organic and inorganic bromine along the tropopause are studied during the WISE (Wave-driven ISentropic Exchange) research campaign over the northern Atlantic and western Europe from September 13 - October 21, 2017. The remote sensing instrument mini-DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) is mounted on the HALO (High Altitude and LOng range) aircraft and measures BrO (O<sub>3</sub>, NO<sub>2</sub> among other trace gases). The novel scaling method is applied to infer the target gas BrO mixing ratios from slant column densities using in-situ O<sub>3</sub> measurements from the FAIRO instrument (operated by KIT) as the scaling gas. For each flight, the inferred mixing ratios are directly compared with CLaMS (Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere) simulated curtains of the trace gases along the flight path. The partitioning coefficient of inorganic bromine from CLaMS and all relevant organic halogen species and air mass ages (SF<sub>6</sub>, CO<sub>2</sub>) from the GhOST-MS instrument (operated by UFra) are used to determine the total bromine budget along the UT/LS. A climatology of organic, inorganic and total bromine is constructed with respect to the extratropical tropopause as well as the air mass ages. This indicates the interplay of bromine transport across the extratropical tropopause and of the transport of air via the lower branch from the tropics as well as potential losses of inorganic bromine by uptake onto and sedimentation of ice particles.</p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1041-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Frey ◽  
R. Schofield ◽  
P. Hoor ◽  
D. Kunkel ◽  
F. Ravegnani ◽  
...  

Abstract. In this study we examine the simulated downward transport and mixing of stratospheric air into the upper tropical troposphere as observed on a research flight during the SCOUT-O3 campaign in connection to a deep convective system. We use the Advanced Research Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model with a horizontal resolution of 333 m to examine this downward transport. The simulation reproduces the deep convective system, its timing and overshooting altitudes reasonably well compared to radar and aircraft observations. Passive tracers initialised at pre-storm times indicate the downward transport of air from the stratosphere to the upper troposphere as well as upward transport from the boundary layer into the cloud anvils and overshooting tops. For example, a passive ozone tracer (i.e. a tracer not undergoing chemical processing) shows an enhancement in the upper troposphere of up to about 30 ppbv locally in the cloud, while the in situ measurements show an increase of 50 ppbv. However, the passive carbon monoxide tracer exhibits an increase, while the observations show a decrease of about 10 ppbv, indicative of an erroneous model representation of the transport processes in the tropical tropopause layer. Furthermore, it could point to insufficient entrainment and detrainment in the model. The simulation shows a general moistening of air in the lower stratosphere but it also exhibits local dehydration features. Here we use the model to explain the processes causing the transport and also expose areas of inconsistencies between the model and observations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 589-605
Author(s):  
Zane Martin ◽  
Adam Sobel ◽  
Amy Butler ◽  
Shuguang Wang

AbstractThe stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) induces temperature anomalies in the lower stratosphere and tropical tropopause layer (TTL) that are cold when lower-stratospheric winds are easterly and warm when winds are westerly. Recent literature has indicated that these QBO temperature anomalies are potentially important in influencing the tropical troposphere, and particularly in explaining the relationship between the QBO and the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). The authors examine the variability of QBO temperature anomalies across several time scales using reanalysis and observational datasets. The authors find that, in boreal winter relative to other seasons, QBO temperature anomalies are significantly stronger (i.e., colder in the easterly phase of the QBO and warmer in the westerly phase of the QBO) on the equator, but weaker off the equator. The equatorial and subtropical changes compensate such that meridional temperature gradients and thus (by thermal wind balance) equatorial zonal wind anomalies do not vary in amplitude as the temperature anomalies do. The same pattern of stronger on-equatorial and weaker off-equatorial QBO temperature anomalies is found on decadal time scales: stronger anomalies are seen for 1999–2019 compared to 1979–99. The causes of these changes to QBO temperature anomalies, as well as their possible relevance to the MJO–QBO relationship, are not known.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 615-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunihiko Kodera ◽  
Nawo Eguchi ◽  
Hitoshi Mukougawa ◽  
Tomoe Nasuno ◽  
Toshihiko Hirooka

Abstract. Stratosphere–troposphere coupling is investigated in relation to middle atmospheric subtropical jet (MASTJ) variations in boreal winter. An exceptional strengthening of the MASTJ occurred in association with a sudden equatorward shift of the stratospheric polar night jet (PNJ) in early December 2011. This abrupt transformation of the MASTJ and PNJ had no apparent relation to the upward propagation of planetary waves from the troposphere. The impact of this stratospheric event penetrated into the troposphere in two regions: in the northern polar region and the tropics. Due to the strong MASTJ, planetary waves at higher latitudes were deflected and trapped in the northern polar region. Trapping of the planetary waves resulted in amplification of zonal wave number 1 component, which appeared in the troposphere as the development of a trough over the Atlantic sector and a ridge over the Eurasian sector. A strong MASTJ also suppressed the equatorward propagation of planetary waves, which resulted in weaker tropical stratospheric upwelling and produced anomalous warming in the tropical stratosphere. In the tropical tropopause layer (TTL), however, sublimation of ice clouds kept the temperature change minor. In the troposphere, an abrupt termination of a Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) event occurred following the static stability increase in the TTL. This termination suggests that the stratospheric event affected the convective episode in the troposphere.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 8295-8352 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.-U. Eichmann ◽  
L. Lelli ◽  
C. von Savigny ◽  
H. Sembhi ◽  
J. P. Burrows

Abstract. Cloud top heights (CTH) were retrieved for the period 1 January 2003 to 7 April 2012 using height-resolved limb spectra measured with the Scanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) on board ENVISAT (ENVIronmental SATellite). In this study, we tested the sensitivity of the colour index method used in the retrieval code SCODA (SCIAMACHY Cloud Detection Algorithm) and the accuracy of the retrieved CTHs in comparison to other methods. Sensitivity studies using the radiative transfer model SCIATRAN showed that the method is capable of generally detecting cloud tops down to about 5 km and very thin cirrus clouds even up to the tropopause. Volcanic particles can also be detected that occasionally reach the lower stratosphere. Low clouds at 2–3 km can only be retrieved under very clean atmospheric conditions, as light scattering of aerosols interferes with the cloud retrieval. Upper tropospheric ice clouds are detectable for cloud optical depths down to about τN = 0.005, which is in the subvisual range. The detection sensitivity decreases towards the surface. An optical thickness of roughly 0.1 was the lower detection limit for water cloud top heights at 5 km. This value is much lower than thresholds reported for the passive cloud detection in nadir viewing direction. Comparisons with SCIAMACHY nadir cloud top heights, calculated with the Semi-Analytical CloUd Retrieval Algorithm (SACURA), showed a good agreement in the global cloud field distribution. But only opaque clouds (τN > 5) are detectable with the nadir passive retrieval technique in the UV-visible and infrared wavelength range. So due to the frequent occurrence of thin and sub-visual cirrus clouds in the tropics, large cloud top height deviations were detected between both viewing geometries. Also the land/sea contrast seen in nadir retrievals was not detected in limb mode. Co-located cloud top height measurements of the limb viewing Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) on ENVISAT for the period from January 2008 to March 2012 were compared, showing good agreement to within 1 km, which is smaller than the vertical field of view of both instruments. Lower stratospheric aerosols from volcanic eruptions occasionally interfered with the cloud retrieval and inhibited detection of tropospheric clouds. Examples of the impact of these events are shown for the volcanoes Kasatochi in August 2008, Sarychev Peak in June 2009, and Nabro in June 2010. Long-lasting aerosol layers were detected after these events in the Northern Hemisphere down to the tropics. Particle top heights up to about 22 km were retrieved in 2009, when the enhanced lower stratospheric aerosol layer persisted for about 7 months. Up to about 82 % of the Northern hemispheric lower stratosphere between 30° and 70° was covered by scattering particles in August 2009 and nearly half in October 2008.


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