Seasonal features of quasi-biennial variations of NO2 stratospheric content derived from ground-based measurements

Abstract

Seasonal and latitudinal distributions of amplitudes of quasi-biennial variations in total NO2 content (NO2 TC), total ozone content (TOC), and stratospheric temperature are obtained. NO2 TC data from ground-based spectrometric measurements within the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC), TOC data from satellite measurements, and stratospheric temperature data from ERA-Interim reanalysis are used for the analysis. The differences in the NO2 TC diurnal cycles are identified between the westerly and easterly phases of the quasi-biennial oscillations (QBO) of equatorial stratospheric wind. The QBO effects in the NO2 TC, TOC, and stratospheric temperature in the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) hemispheres are most significant in the winter–spring periods, with essential differences between the NH and SH. The NO2 TC in the Antarctic is less for the westerly phase of the QBO than that for the easterly phase, and the NO2 TC quasi-biennial variations in the SH mid-latitudes are opposite of the variations in the Antarctic. In the NH, the winter values of the NO2 TC are generally less during the westerly QBO phase than during the easterly phase, whereas in spring, on the contrary, the values for the westerly QBO phase exceed those for the easterly phase. Along with NO2, the features of the quasi-biennial variations of TOC and stratospheric temperature are discussed. Possible mechanisms of the quasi-biennial variations of the analyzed parameters are considered for the different latitudinal zones.