The future ozone trends in changing climate simulated with SOCOLv4

Abstract

Abstract. This study evaluates the future evolution of atmospheric ozone simulated with the Earth system model (ESM) SOCOLv4. Simulations have been performed based on two potential shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs): the middle-of-the-road (SSP2-4.5) and fossil-fueled (SSP5-8.5) scenarios. The future changes in ozone, as well as in chemical drivers (NOx and CO) and temperature, were estimated between 2015 and 2099 and for several intermediate subperiods (i.e., 2015–2039, 2040–2069, and 2070–2099) via dynamic linear modeling. In both scenarios, the model projects a decline in tropospheric ozone in the future that starts in the 2030s in SSP2-4.5 and after the 2060s in SSP5-8.5 due to a decrease in concentrations of NOx and CO. The results also suggest a very likely ozone increase in the mesosphere and the upper and middle stratosphere, as well as in the lower stratosphere at high latitudes. Under SSP5-8.5, the ozone increase in the stratosphere is higher because of stronger cooling (>1 K per decade) induced by greenhouse gases (GHGs), which slows the catalytic ozone destruction cycles. In contrast, in the tropical lower stratosphere, ozone concentrations decrease in both experiments and increase over the middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres due to the speeding up of the Brewer–Dobson circulation, which is stronger in SSP5-8.5. No evidence was found of a decline in ozone levels in the lower stratosphere at mid-latitudes. In both future scenarios, the total column ozone is expected to be distinctly higher than present in middle to high latitudes and might be lower in the tropics, which causes a decrease in the mid-latitudes and an increase in the tropics in the surface level of ultraviolet radiation. The results of SOCOLv4 suggest that the stratospheric-ozone evolution throughout the 21st century is strongly governed not only by a decline in halogen concentration but also by future GHG forcing. In addition, the tropospheric-ozone column changes, which are mainly due to the changes in anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors, also have a strong impact on the total column. Therefore, even though the anthropogenic halogen-loading problem has been brought under control to date, the sign of future ozone column changes, globally and regionally, is still unclear and largely depends on diverse future human activities. The results of this work are, thus, relevant for developing future strategies for socioeconomic pathways.