Abstract
AbstractEleven‐year solar cycle variations of nighttime ozone near the secondary ozone maximum layer in the mesosphere are analyzed with Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) observations since 2004, fully covering solar cycle 24. Produced primarily from the recombination of molecular oxygen (O2) with atomic oxygen (O) transported from the lower thermosphere, the mesospheric nighttime ozone concentration is proportional to atomic oxygen density [O], which itself is modulated by ultraviolet (UV) solar cycle variations. MLS nighttime ozone data and UV data at 240 nm from Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) Solar‐Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE) show a positive correlation over the solar cycle. Nighttime O3 and nighttime carbon monoxide (CO) distributions are highly correlated with each other with similar seasonal and solar cycle variations, because both [O3] and [CO] depend strongly on UV photolysis and are modulated by Eddy diffusion in this region. Nighttime ozone correlates strongly with temperature, with a generally positive correlation, except at high latitudes during boreal winter.
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