On recent interannual variability of the Arctic winter mesosphere: Implications for tracer descent

Siskind, David E.; Eckermann, Stephen D.; Coy, L.; McCormack, J. P.; Randall, C. E.

doi:10.1029/2007gl029293

Cited by 141 publications

(207 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…H 2 O cannot be used as a tracer in the altitude region of the H 2 O volume mixing ratio (VMR) peak. For the stratosphere, we use N 2 O as an indicator of the polar vortex, because N 2 O has very low mixing ratios inside the stratospheric vortex and a strong gradient across the vortex edge (Sparling, 2000). Figure 1 shows ECMWF PV (upper panels) and Aura MLS H 2 O (lower panels) on the 3300 K isentropic surface (approximately 0.1 hPa) on five dates in the course of the major SSW.…”

Section: The Edge Of the Polar Vortexmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Middle atmospheric water vapor was also used as tracer for calculating the descent rate of polar mesospheric air during winter (e.g. Siskind et al, 2007;Orsolini et al, 2010;Lahoz et al, 2011;Straub et al, 2012). Manney et al (2008a and2008b) and Orsolini et al (2010) showed that after the major SSWs of 2004, 2006 and 2009, the stratopause and the eastward wind jet reformed at approximately 75 km altitude.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Observations of middle atmospheric H2O and O3 during the 2010 major sudden stratospheric warming by a network of microwave radiometers

et al. 2012

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Abstract. In this study, we present middle atmospheric water vapor (H 2 O) and ozone (O 3 ) measurements obtained by ground-based microwave radiometers at three European locations in Bern (47 • N), Onsala (57 • N) and Sodankylä (67 • N) during Northern winter 2009/2010. In January 2010, a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) occurred in the Northern Hemisphere whose signatures are evident in the ground-based observations of H 2 O and O 3 . The observed anomalies in H 2 O and O 3 are mostly explained by the relative location of the polar vortex with respect to the measurement locations. The SSW started on 26 January 2010 and was most pronounced by the end of January. The zonal mean temperature in the middle stratosphere (10 hPa) increased by approximately 25 Kelvin within a few days. The stratospheric vortex weakened during the SSW and shifted towards Europe. In the mesosphere, the vortex broke down, which lead to large scale mixing of polar and midlatitudinal air. After the warming, the polar vortex in the stratosphere split into two weaker vortices and in the mesosphere, a new, pole-centered vortex formed with maximum wind speed of 70 m s −1 at approximately 40 • N. The shift of the stratospheric vortex towards Europe was observed in Bern as an increase in stratospheric H 2 O and a decrease in O 3 . The breakdown of the mesospheric vortex during the SSW was observed at Onsala and Sodankylä as a sudden increase in mesospheric H 2 O. The following large-scale descent inside the newly formed mesospheric vortex was well captured by the H 2 O observations in Sodankylä. In order to combine the H 2 O observations from the three different locations, we applied the trajectory mapping technique on our H 2 O observations to derive synoptic scale maps of the H 2 O distribution. Based on our observations and the 3-D wind field, this method allows determining the approximate development of the stratospheric and mesospheric polar vortex and demonstrates the potential of a network of ground-based instruments.

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Section: The Edge Of the Polar Vortexmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observations of middle atmospheric H2O and O3 during the 2010 major sudden stratospheric warming by a network of microwave radiometers

et al. 2012

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“…The relative precision of the zonal averages is better than 10% with at least 100 samples at pressures ≥0.01 hPa (Pickett et al, 2008) In the right panels of Fig. 4 we show ozone zonal means in order to get at least qualitative information on the O 3 trend in the MLT region (see Smith and Marsh, 2005), where there exists a strong relationship between O 3 and OH. In this regard, a similar trend can be seen in the upper boundary of the OH layer (reported in mixing ratio units as black contours in the middle and right panels of Fig.…”

Section: Mls Data Usedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…in the ground vibrational state), ozone, carbon monoxide (CO) and temperature from January to March for the years 2005-2009, focused on times during and after SSW events. Special attention has been paid to periods of exceptional descent of polar air from the MLT region (i.e., February 2006 and February/March 2009; see, for instance, Siskind et al, 2007;Manney et al, 2008Manney et al, , 2009) characterized by very high (low) temperatures in the mesosphere (stratosphere) that followed the intense SSW events that occurred in January 2006 and 2009. MLS data show changes in the above chemical constituents that are consistent with previous observations but that provide new information and details that can help fill in the picture of the dynamical-chemical processes acting during these periods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability of the nighttime OH layer and mesospheric ozone at high latitudes during northern winter: influence of meteorology

et al. 2010

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“…These warmings were followed by long-lasting downwelling in the mesosphere and upper stratosphere enabled by a strong polar vortex re-forming after the event. It was shown from both observations (Siskind et al, 2007;Orsolini et al, 2010) and model results (Limpasuvan et al, 2016) that this period of enhanced downwelling was characterized by the formation of an elevated stratopause in the upper mesosphere.…”

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confidence: 99%

NOy production, ozone loss and changes in net radiative heating due to energetic particle precipitation in 2002–2010

Sinnhuber

Berger²,

Funke

et al. 2018

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. We analyze the impact of energetic particle precipitation on the stratospheric nitrogen budget, ozone abundances and net radiative heating using results from three global chemistry-climate models considering solar protons and geomagnetic forcing due to auroral or radiation belt electrons. Two of the models cover the atmosphere up to the lower thermosphere, the source region of auroral NO production. Geomagnetic forcing in these models is included by prescribed ionization rates. One model reaches up to about 80 km, and geomagnetic forcing is included by applying an upper boundary condition of auroral NO mixing ratios parameterized as a function of geomagnetic activity. Despite the differences in the implementation of the particle effect, the resulting modeled NOy in the upper mesosphere agrees well between all three models, demonstrating that geomagnetic forcing is represented in a consistent way either by prescribing ionization rates or by prescribing NOy at the model top.Compared with observations of stratospheric and mesospheric NOy from the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) instrument for the years 2002–2010, the model simulations reproduce the spatial pattern and temporal evolution well. However, after strong sudden stratospheric warmings, particle-induced NOy is underestimated by both high-top models, and after the solar proton event in October 2003, NOy is overestimated by all three models. Model results indicate that the large solar proton event in October 2003 contributed about 1–2 Gmol (109 mol) NOy per hemisphere to the stratospheric NOy budget, while downwelling of auroral NOx from the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere contributes up to 4 Gmol NOy. Accumulation over time leads to a constant particle-induced background of about 0.5–1 Gmol per hemisphere during solar minimum, and up to 2 Gmol per hemisphere during solar maximum. Related negative anomalies of ozone are predicted by the models in nearly every polar winter, ranging from 10–50 % during solar maximum to 2–10 % during solar minimum. Ozone loss continues throughout polar summer after strong solar proton events in the Southern Hemisphere and after large sudden stratospheric warmings in the Northern Hemisphere. During mid-winter, the ozone loss causes a reduction of the infrared radiative cooling, i.e., a positive change of the net radiative heating (effective warming), in agreement with analyses of geomagnetic forcing in stratospheric temperatures which show a warming in the late winter upper stratosphere. In late winter and spring, the sign of the net radiative heating change turns to negative (effective cooling). This spring-time cooling lasts well into summer and continues until the following autumn after large solar proton events in the Southern Hemisphere, and after sudden stratospheric warmings in the Northern Hemisphere.

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On recent interannual variability of the Arctic winter mesosphere: Implications for tracer descent

Cited by 141 publications

References 25 publications

Observations of middle atmospheric H<sub>2</sub>O and O<sub>3</sub> during the 2010 major sudden stratospheric warming by a network of microwave radiometers

Observations of middle atmospheric H<sub>2</sub>O and O<sub>3</sub> during the 2010 major sudden stratospheric warming by a network of microwave radiometers

Variability of the nighttime OH layer and mesospheric ozone at high latitudes during northern winter: influence of meteorology

NO<sub><i>y</i></sub> production, ozone loss and changes in net radiative heating due to energetic particle precipitation in 2002–2010

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On recent interannual variability of the Arctic winter mesosphere: Implications for tracer descent

Cited by 141 publications

References 25 publications

Observations of middle atmospheric H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O and O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; during the 2010 major sudden stratospheric warming by a network of microwave radiometers

Observations of middle atmospheric H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O and O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; during the 2010 major sudden stratospheric warming by a network of microwave radiometers

Variability of the nighttime OH layer and mesospheric ozone at high latitudes during northern winter: influence of meteorology

NO&lt;sub&gt;&lt;i&gt;y&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/sub&gt; production, ozone loss and changes in net radiative heating due to energetic particle precipitation in 2002–2010

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Observations of middle atmospheric H<sub>2</sub>O and O<sub>3</sub> during the 2010 major sudden stratospheric warming by a network of microwave radiometers

Observations of middle atmospheric H<sub>2</sub>O and O<sub>3</sub> during the 2010 major sudden stratospheric warming by a network of microwave radiometers

NO<sub><i>y</i></sub> production, ozone loss and changes in net radiative heating due to energetic particle precipitation in 2002–2010