A Multiscale Analysis of the Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Leading to the March 2016 Extreme Surface Ozone Event in Mexico City

Barrett, Bradford S.; Raga, Graciela B.; Retama, Armando; Leonard, Christopher

doi:10.1029/2018jd029918

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 76 publications

(107 reference statements)

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“…Barret and Raga [69] observed that the intraseasonal variability of surface O 3 , in both summer and winter, is driven by the variability in the cloud cover due to the upper-troposphere circulation modulated by the Madden-Julian oscillations (MJO). Also, stratospheric O 3 intrusions into the boundary layer were identified by Barret et al [70] during a stratosphere-troposphere exchange event linked to changes in the subtropical jet stream.…”

Section: Meteorologymentioning

confidence: 84%

Experience from Integrated Air Quality Management in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area and Singapore

Molina

Velasco²,

Retama³

et al. 2019

Atmosphere

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More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities as a result of unprecedented urbanization during the second half of the 20th century. The urban population is projected to increase to 68% by 2050, with most of the increase occurring in Asia and Africa. Population growth and increased energy consumption in urban areas lead to high levels of atmospheric pollutants that harm human health, cause regional haze, damage crops, contribute to climate change, and ultimately threaten the society’s sustainability. This article reviews the air quality and compares the policies implemented in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) and Singapore and offers insights into the complexity of managing air pollution to protect public health and the environment. While the differences in the governance, economics, and culture of the two cities greatly influence the decision-making process, both have made much progress in reducing concentrations of harmful pollutants by implementing comprehensive integrated air quality management programs. The experience and the lessons learned from the MCMA and Singapore can be valuable for other urban centers, especially in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region confronting similar air pollution problems.

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Section: Meteorologymentioning

confidence: 84%

Experience from Integrated Air Quality Management in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area and Singapore

Molina

Velasco²,

Retama³

et al. 2019

Atmosphere

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“…Quasi‐stationary anticyclones such as the Bermuda High can influence regional climate and O 3 (e.g., Zhu & Liang, 2013). Properties of the PBL, such as its height, or temperature inversions and mixing within the PBL, have also been suggested as transport‐related mechanisms that affect surface‐level O 3 (e.g., Barrett et al, 2019; Dawson et al, 2007; He et al, 2013; Reddy & Pfister, 2016). Winds near the Earth's surface or aloft can ventilate pollution away from its source region (e.g., Camalier et al, 2007; Hegarty et al, 2007; Sun et al, 2017; Tai et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surface Ozone‐Meteorology Relationships: Spatial Variations and the Role of the Jet Stream

et al. 2020

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We investigate the relationships among summertime ozone (O 3), temperature, and humidity on daily timescales across the Northern Hemisphere using observations and model simulations. Temperature and humidity are significantly positively correlated with O 3 across continental regions in the midlatitudes (∼35-60 • N). Over the oceans, the relationships are consistently negative. For continental regions outside the midlatitudes, the O 3-meteorology correlations are mixed in strength and sign but generally weak. Over some high latitude, low latitude, and marine regions, temperature and humidity are significantly anticorrelated with O 3. Daily variations in transport patterns linked to the position and meridional movement of the jet stream drive the relationships among O 3 , temperature, and humidity. Within the latitudinal range of the jet, there is an increase (decrease) in O 3 , temperature, and humidity over land with poleward (equatorward) movement of the jet, while over the oceans poleward movement of the jet results in decreases of these fields. Beyond the latitudes where the jet traverses, the meridional movement of the jet stream has variable or negligible effects on surface-level O 3 , temperature, and humidity. The O 3-meteorology relationships are largely the product of the jet-induced changes in the surface-level meridional flow acting on the background meridional O 3 gradient. Our results underscore the importance of considering the role of the jet stream and surface-level flow for the O 3-meteorology relationships, especially in light of expected changes to these features under climate change. Plain Language Summary The relationship of ozone (O 3) with meteorological variables such as temperature and humidity at the Earth's surface varies in strength and sign. Some regions, such as continental parts of the midlatitudes, experience increases in O 3 as the temperature or humidity rises. However, this is not the case over the entire Northern Hemisphere. We use detailed computer simulations of atmospheric chemistry to show that these relationships are primarily the result of changes in meteorology, not changes in emissions or chemistry. The relationship between O 3 and meteorological variables is related to the north-south movement of the jet stream, powerful eastward-flowing air currents located near the tropopause that can encircle the hemisphere. Specifically, we find that the jet stream influences the O 3-meteorology relationships due to its effect on the northward and southward advection of O 3 , temperature, and humidity and not due to cyclones and the associated frontal activity, as has been previously suggested. Our results are relevant for understanding the present-day O 3-meteorology relationships and how climate change may impact O 3 pollution.

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“…Because cold air in the middle and upper troposphere destabilizes the atmosphere, when cutoff lows reach midlatitudes they can be associated with a variety of weather phenomena. For instance, cutoff lows can bring unusually cold conditions to high-elevation regions (Vuille and Ammann 1997) and increase the ozone concentration in the lower troposphere (e.g., Davies and Schuepbach 1994;Ancellet et al 1994;Rondanelli et al 2002;Barrett et al 2019). Cutoff lows can also be associated with the initiation of convection and heavy precipitation (e.g., Griffiths et al 1998;Massacand et al 1998;Miky-Funatsu et al 2004;Singleton and Reason 2007;Porcù et al 2007;Hu et al 2010;Shepherd et al 2011), provided the ingredients are in place for the development of deep moist convection (instability, lift, and moisture;e.g., McNulty 1978;Doswell 1987;Johns and Doswell 1992;McNulty 1995;Doswell et al 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The 10%-40% of the annual precipitation associated with the arrival of cutoff lows might be explained by lower-tropospheric frontogenesis (e.g., Hoskins et al 1985) and the arrival of moisture plumes to the eastern edge of the cutoff low, a region of these lows where convective storms tend to form (e.g., Antonescu et al 2013;Vaughan et al 2017). If the adjacent southeastern Pacific Ocean is anomalously warm during the arrival of a cutoff low, convection is further favored and heavy-precipitation events are more likely to occur (Barrett et al 2016;Bozkurt et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cutoff Lows, Moisture Plumes, and Their Influence on Extreme-Precipitation Days in Central Chile

Muñoz

Schultz

2021

Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology

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A study of 500-hPa cut-off lows in central Chile during 1979–2017 was conducted to contrast cut-off lows associated with the lowest quartile of daily-precipitation amounts (LOW25) with cut-off lows associated with the highest quartile (HIGH25). To understand the differences between low- and high-precipitation cut-off lows, daily-precipitation records, radiosonde observations, and reanalyses were used to analyze the three ingredients necessary for deep moist convection (instability, lift, moisture) at the eastern and equatorial edge of these lows. Instability was generally small, if any, and showed no major differences between LOW25 and HIGH25 events. Synoptic-scale ascent associated with Q-vector convergence also showed little difference between LOW25 and HIGH25 events. In contrast, the moisture distribution around LOW25 and HIGH25 cut-off lows was different, with a moisture plume more defined and more intense equatorward of HIGH25 cut-off lows compared to LOW25 cut-off lows where the moisture plume occurred poleward of the cut-off low. The presence of the moisture plume equatorward of HIGH25 cut-off lows may have contributed to the shorter persistence of HIGH25 events by providing a source for latent-heat release when the moisture plume reached the windward side of the Andes. Indeed, whereas 48% of LOW25 cut-off lows persisted for longer than 72 h, only 25% of HIGH25 cut-off lows did, despite both systems occurring mostly during the rainy season (May to September). The occurrence of an equatorial moisture plume on the eastern and equatorial edge of cut-off lows is fairly common during high-impact precipitation events, and this mechanism could help explain high-impact precipitation where the occurrence of cut-off lows and moisture plumes is frequent.

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A Multiscale Analysis of the Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Leading to the March 2016 Extreme Surface Ozone Event in Mexico City

Cited by 16 publications

References 76 publications

Experience from Integrated Air Quality Management in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area and Singapore

Experience from Integrated Air Quality Management in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area and Singapore

Surface Ozone‐Meteorology Relationships: Spatial Variations and the Role of the Jet Stream

Cutoff Lows, Moisture Plumes, and Their Influence on Extreme-Precipitation Days in Central Chile

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