Detailed Modeling and Evaluation of the Potential Impact of Blue Jet on the Atmospheric Chemistry

Abstract

To evaluate the impact of a blue jet (BJ) discharge on the chemical system in the whole stratosphere as a function of altitude, we developed a detailed ion‐neutral chemistry model. The BJ discharge is formed as a streamer discharge up to 50 km with a leader part up to 28 km associated with high‐temperature chemistry. The simulations are performed in a 2‐day duration to investigate diurnal variations of chemical perturbations at the altitudes of every 2 km from 20 to 50 km. The specific chemistry processes during the leader (considering the molecular diffusion) and streamer discharges react with the whole stratospheric chemical families (oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, and bromine). We systematically compare the simulations with and without the BJ discharge. The results obtained during the first 100 s indicate the ozone enhanced in the middle stratosphere, while no obvious change in the lower and close to the top of the stratosphere. After 2 days, simulations show that the entire neutral chemical stratospheric system is modified with the enhancement of nitrogen oxides, chlorine, and bromine reservoirs. As a consequence, ozone depletion appears in the middle and upper stratosphere due to the catalytic cycle associated with reactive NOx (=NO + NO2). Each chemical family results in a new equilibrium, and the ozone layer appears to be “shifted” to a lower altitude with its maximum less abundance. Due to the long lifetimes of the chlorine and bromine reservoirs in the stratosphere, the chemical perturbations caused by the BJ discharge at all studied altitudes are maintained.