Lidar measurements of variability of the vertical ozone distribution caused by the stratosphere-troposphere exchange in the Far East Region

Abstract

This paper covers the question of stratosphere-troposphere exchange in the transitional “oceancontinent” zone by means of lidar measurements of the vertical ozone distribution in 2007–2009. The simultaneous analysis of the vertical ozone distribution, weather and wind field parameters shows that the stratosphere-troposphere exchange over Vladivostok is caused generally by tropopause folds, which are formed due to stratospheric air motion from north to south and then into the troposphere to the southwest of the major cyclones. In this case, a positive trend of ozone concentration and a decrease in air humidity in the upper troposphere occur when polar air masses form the polar jet stream in the vicinity of the subtropical jet stream. Hence, the location of kernels of both jets becomes unstable and a tropopause inversion layer breaks down, which leads to a possibility of stratospheric air intrusion into the troposphere in the region of mutual influence of the jets.