Ozone Valley Research Articles

Comparison of the Climatic Characteristics of Ozone Valley Over the Tibetan Plateau and the Rocky Mountains

AbstractThis study compares the ozone valleys over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the Rocky Mountains (RM) using the ERA5 reanalysis data set. The dynamical transport of the ozone over these two regions is analyzed using the Lorenz circulation decomposition method. The ozone content valley over TP is observed around 200–50 hPa (upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, or UTLS), and that over RM is around 300–100 hPa. It is shown that the TP ozone content is smaller than that over RM. By analyzing the spatiotemporal distribution of the ozone content and the general circulation, the anticyclone over Southern Asian (SAH) plays a significant role in existence of the TP ozone valley, and the ozone content flux reaches its maximum in July. Large‐scale terrain and related general circulation determine the ozone valley appearance. Further analysis suggests that stationary transport has a larger impact on the ozone valley formation than the transient transport. The transport by the zonal circulation nearly cancels out most of that by the meridional circulation, due to the fact that the zonal transport magnitude is nearly equal to the meridional transport. The transport center over the RM is much weaker than that over the TP. Furthermore, the contrasts between transient and stationary transports are less evident over RM than over TP. The eddy‐driven stationary ozone transport flux significantly impacts the development of the two low ozone centers across these large terrains.

Impact of a gravity wave process on the upper stratospheric ozone valley on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Atmospheric gravity waves are essential meso-small-scale oscillations that facilitate material exchange within the atmosphere. These waves can significantly affect the ozone layer in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. However, the influence of gravity wave dynamic processes on upper stratospheric ozone has rarely been studied. This paper identifies the gravity waves on the Tibetan Plateau based on ECMWF Reanalysis 5 (ERA5) data, analyzes the response of the upper stratospheric ozone to the event, and simulates the dynamic propagation mechanism of gravity waves by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. This analysis reveals that between 15:00 and 21:00 UTC on July 29, 2015, gravity waves propagated from the surface of Tibetan Plateau (450 hPa) up to the upper stratosphere (20 − 3 hPa) in an arc-shaped structure and tilted to the east with height. The gravity wave signals started to weaken at 21:00 UTC on the same day. Influenced by the easterly rapids, gravity waves partially broke near 3 hPa at 02:30 UTC on July 30, but gravity wave signals were still present, and gravity waves completely broke and released energy at 04:00 UTC. During this process, ozone in the 20–3 hPa region (upper stratosphere) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau responds well to gravity waves, and the ozone mixing ratio began to drop in ozone concentration 30 min after the partial breakup (03:00 UTC). The ozone dropped drastically by about 0.014 ppmv from 04:00 to 05:00 UTC. The WRF simulation results agree well with ERA5 and accurately capture the intricate characteristics of gravity waves. Furthermore, the breakup of gravity waves caused a total drop in ozone of 0.024 ppmv.

Impact of Lightning‐Induced Nitrogen Oxides Over and Around the Tibetan Plateau on the Tibetan Plateau Ozone Valley

AbstractLightning‐induced nitrogen oxides (LNOx) can affect ozone (O3) through photochemical processes. However, the impact of LNOx on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) O3 valley, an area with a lower O3 column compared to surrounding areas, remains controversial. Prior to this study, the impact of monsoonal transport on LNOx and related effects on the TP O3 valley has been overlooked. The objectives of this study are to differentiate between locally generated LNOx and monsoon‐transported LNOx over the TP and to evaluate their impacts on tropospheric NOx vertical column density, tropospheric column O3, and O3 at different altitudes. The Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry model was used to replicate LNOx, NOx, and O3 over the TP during July 2010, for which nesting techniques and sensitivity experiments were implemented. The findings emphasize the importance of LNOx as a source of NOx in this region, with nonlocal lightning activity being the primary source. Conversely, the influence of locally generated LNOx on NOx levels over the TP is comparatively minor. Overall, LNOx contributes to an increase in O3 over the TP, but one order lower than the O3 depletion. The impact of LNOx on O3 varies across different altitude ranges; it is broadly “C” shaped, reflecting increase in O3 at near‐surface and in upper troposphere–lower stratosphere (UTLS) regions and decrease in the middle troposphere. The increase in surface‐level O3 over the TP is mainly caused by monsoon‐transported LNOx, while locally generated LNOx also plays a crucial role in O3 formation in the UTLS region.

The effects of gravity waves on ozone over the Tibetan Plateau

The ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has an important effect on global weather and climate. As a significant source of atmospheric gravity waves (GWs), TP is also a key area of global stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE), yet the exploration of the causes of low ozone values over the TP has been scarce from the perspective of GW. In this paper, we used the hyperspectral Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) data to extract GWs and deep convection over the TP and analyzed the statistical characteristics of ozone for corresponding events. The results show that: (1) The GWs observed by AIRS mainly occur in the mid-latitude region, with a maximum frequency of >10%, and their intensity varies with longitude. Three large-value regions have been identified on the coast of Southeast Asia, Central America, and Central Africa. (2) Most deep convection occurs in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), with three large value centers in the East Asian monsoon region, Central America and Central Africa. Among them, the Indian monsoon region, the Northwest Pacific region to the east of the Philippines, and the western side of the South China Sea (SCS) are the large-value areas within the East Asian monsoon region, with the maximum occurrence frequency exceeding 15%. (3) TP is a region with a large frequency of convective gravity waves. In most areas of the southern foothills of the TP, the frequency of GWs related to convection is 30%–50%. Almost all deep convection over the TP and its adjacent areas are accompanied by GWs, with a frequency of 60–90%. (4) The composite analysis results show that the occurrence of GWs or deep convection is accompanied by negative anomalies of ozone in most areas of the southern foothills of the TP, indicating a decrease in the integrated column amount of ozone. (5) By analyzing the anomaly distribution of meteorological elements such as cloud fraction, cloud top height, tropopause height, and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), the results show a dual effect in the presence of GWs or deep convection. The effect involves not only an increased generation of clouds, conducive to convection but also elevated cloud top height, promoting the formation of high clouds, some even beyond the tropopause. In addition, the occurrence of GW or deep convection can also affect the tropopause height, strengthen convective activity, and facilitate the upward transfer of low-concentration ozone from the lower layer to the upper layer, thereby causing a decrease in the integrated column amount of ozone.

To what extent can the ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau influence the East Asian summer precipitation?

The ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau (OVTP) has experienced significant interannual variations during the past decades. Previous studies have primarily focused on the origins of OVTP rather than its climate impact. This study reveals that OVTP during its peak season (May–July) explains up to 15% of the summer precipitation variability in East Asia. The results suggest that the surface temperature (Ts) anomaly over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) acts as a link between OVTP and East Asian precipitation. Through the positive land-atmosphere feedback, the Ts anomaly over the TP is amplified. The anomalous Ts pattern persists into summer (June–August) due to the land memory effect and impacts the East Asian precipitation by modulating the local circulation. The Specified-Chemistry version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model is employed to validate that MJJ OVTP results in a substantial increase of Ts over TP and induces an anomalous anti-cyclone centered over the Yangtze-Huaihe River Basin during summer. Consequently, negative precipitation anomalies are observed in the Yangtze River Basin, while positive precipitation anomalies occur in Southern China. The linear baroclinic model further demonstrates that the diabatic heating over the TP serves as the link between MJJ OVTP and East Asian summer precipitation patterns. Our analysis of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 models reveals that a more accurate prediction of East Asian precipitation requires an improved understanding of the relationship between OVTP and TP Ts.

Aerosol Effects on Clear‐Sky Shortwave Heating in the Asian Monsoon Tropopause Layer

AbstractThe Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL) has emerged in recent decades with aerosol accumulation near tropopause above Asian Summer Monsoon region. Although ATAL effects on surface and top‐of‐atmosphere (TOA) radiation budgets are well established, the magnitude and variability of ATAL effects on radiative transfer within the tropopause layer remain poorly constrained. Here, we investigate the impacts of various aerosol types and layer structures on clear‐sky shortwave radiative heating in the Asian monsoon tropopause layer using reanalysis products and offline radiative transfer simulations. ATAL effects on shortwave radiative heating based on the Modern‐Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 aerosol reanalysis are on the order of 15% of mean clear‐sky radiative heating within the tropopause layer, although discrepancies among recent reanalysis and forecast products suggest that this ratio could be as small as ∼10% or as large as ∼70%. Uncertainties in surface and TOA flux effects are also large, with values spanning one order of magnitude at the TOA. ATAL effects on radiative heating peak between 150 and 80 hPa (360–400 K potential temperature) along the southern flank of the anticyclone. Clear‐sky and all‐sky shortwave heating are at local minima in this vertical range, which is situated between the positive influences of monsoon‐enhanced water vapor and the negative influence of the “ozone valley” in the monsoon lower stratosphere. ATAL effects also extend further toward the west, where diabatic vertical velocities remain upward despite descent in pressure coordinates.

Effect of ENSO on the Ozone Valley over the Tibetan Plateau Based on the WACCM4 Model

El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the most significant global ocean–atmosphere coupled signal in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and it can affect the stratosphere. However, the ENSO-related dynamical processes that influence the ozone valley during summer are still not well understood and are under-investigated. In this study, we used the ERA5 and MERRA-2 reanalysis data from 1979 to 2021 combined with numerical simulations to analyze the mechanisms through which ENSO affects the ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau in the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere (UTLS) in summer. The results showed that the two cores of the ozone valley in UTLS were more evident in the summer following La Niña than in the summer following El Niño. At low latitudes, negative O3 anomalies in UTLS were observed in the summer following El Niño and positive O3 anomalies were observed in the summer following La Niña. At middle latitudes, negative O3 anomalies in UTLS were found near 60°E in the summer following El Niño, while negative anomalies were found at 40°E and 120°E in the summer following La Niña. The analysis of the flow and vorticity fields suggested that the field anomalies can cause vertical motion, which in turn leads to the mixing of different ozone concentrations and affects the ozone valley in UTLS over the Tibetan Plateau. In particular, the warming of the Indian Ocean sea-surface temperature (SST) in the summer following El Niño enhances the South Asian High (SAH) through two-stage thermal adaptation, leading to ozone anomalies at low latitudes in the ozone-valley region. These conclusions were verified by a simulation using the WACCM4 model, the results of which were consistent with the original observations.

Combined Effects of the ENSO and the QBO on the Ozone Valley over the Tibetan Plateau

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) are two major interannual variations observed in the tropics, yet the joint modulation of the ENSO and QBO on the ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) in summer has not been performed. This study investigates the combined effects of the ENSO and the QBO on the interannual variations of the ozone valley over the TP using the ERA5 reanalysis data from 1979 to 2021. The results show that the ENSO leads the zonal deviation of the total column ozone (TCO*) over the TP by about 6 months. This means the TCO* in the summer of the following year is affected by the ENSO in the current year. This is consistent with the theory of recharge oscillation. In terms of dynamic conditions, the anomalous circulation resulting from the combined effect of El Niño and the easterly phase of the QBO (EQBO) lead to strengthened and upward anomalies of the South Asian high (SAH) over the TP, followed by reduced ozone valley with more negative anomalies over the TP in summer. As to thermodynamic conditions, affected by both El Niño and the EQBO, the atmospheric stability shows positive anomalies from the lower troposphere to the upper troposphere, and the positive anomaly areas are larger than those in other conditions. These findings indicate an unstable atmosphere, where convection is more likely to cause ozone exchange. The turbulent mixing of ozone at low levels and high levels leads to the ozone valley over the TP, with more negative anomalies in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS).

Influence of NOX, Cl, and Br on the upper core of the ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau during summer: Simulations with a box model

The ozone valley (OV) in the upper troposphere-lower stratosphere (UTLS) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has been identified since the 1990s during boreal summer. Recent studies have shown that another upper core of the OV appeared in the middle and upper stratosphere (10–2 hPa); however, the formation mechanism of the OV in the upper stratosphere remains unclear. In this paper, Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) data from the Aura satellite and the stratospheric heterogeneous chemical reaction box model are used to investigate the impact of chemical substances, including NO, NO2, Cl and Br, on the ozone valley in the middle and upper stratosphere over the TP. The results show that the formation mechanism of the diurnal and nighttime variation in the upper core of the OV over the TP in the summer may be related to the different daytime and nighttime distributions of NO2 and the difference in daytime and nighttime average temperatures between the TP and the same latitude regions.

Effects of Stationary and Transient Transport of Ozone on the Ozone Valley Over the Tibetan Plateau in Summer

We studied the effects of the stationary and transient transport of ozone in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) on the ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau (OVTP) in summer using the daily ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset for the time period 1979–2016. We used the Lorenz circulation decomposition method to separate the stationary and transient transport of ozone into terms related to either the mean flow or eddies. The decrease in the total ozone concentration in summer is associated with the transport of ozone, which, in turn, reinforces the OVTP. The zonal (meridional) transport of ozone, which combines stationary and transient transport, strengthens (weakens) the ozone valley. The stationary zonal (meridional) transport of ozone strengthens (weakens) the ozone valley. The transient zonal (meridional) transport of ozone weakens (strengthens) the ozone valley, but this effect is weaker than that of stationary transport. The mean flow has the dominant role, especially in the stationary component. The effect of eddies on the zonal transient transport of ozone is as strong as that of the mean flow. For stationary transport, the zonal deviation of ozone transported by the zonal mean flow in the zonal (meridional) direction C(O3∗¯ [u]¯)(C(O3∗¯ [v]¯)) dominates total zonal (meridional) change of ozone C(O3¯ u¯)(C(O3¯ v¯)), which strengthens (weakens) the ozone valley. The transient transport of the zonal mean ozone by eddies (C([O3]′u∗′¯)), the zonal deviation of ozone by the zonal mean flow (C(O3∗′[u]′¯)) and the zonal deviation of ozone by eddies (C(O3∗′u∗′¯)) all have a strong effect on the ozone valley. By contrast, the transient transport of the zonal mean ozone by eddies in the meridional direction (C([O3]′v∗′¯)) has a much weaker and the smallest effect. Both the zonal deviation of ozone by the zonal mean flow and by eddies in the meridional direction (C(O3∗′[v]′¯) and C(O3∗′v∗′¯)) have major roles in transient meridional transport, but their roles are the opposite of each other. The contributions of stationary and transient transport to zonal transport are consistent, whereas their contributions to meridional transport are the opposite of each other. The influence of transient transport on the formation and maintenance of OVTP is not negligible.

Attribution of the Principal Components of the Summertime Ozone Valley in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere

The key factors affecting the variation of the ‘ozone valley’, which appears during the boreal summer in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) over the South Asian High (SAH) and its adjacent areas, have not been determined. This study has performed statistical analysis to improve the understanding of the roles of the sea surface temperature (SST), tropopause height, and the West Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) on the ozone valley. Based on the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Re-Analysis (ERA5), Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications dataset version 2 (MERRA2), and the Stratospheric Water and Ozone Satellite Homogenized (SWOOSH) observation dataset, we examined the principal components of the zonal deviation of the total column ozone (TCO*) in the UTLS by applying the empirical orthogonal function (EOF), Liang-Kleeman information flow method, regression analysis, and composite analysis. The variations of the TCO* anomalies show three dominant modes, namely the east-west dipole mode in the low latitude region, the east-west tripole mode in the middle latitude region, and the south-north mode. According to the regression analysis and information flow, the three leading principal components of TCO* variations are related to the SST near Indonesia and the western Pacific Ocean in low latitudes, the tropopause height over the Iranian Plateau (IP), and the strength of the SAH over the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau (TP), which is linked to the synchronousness between the SAH and the WPSH. For the east-west dipole mode in the low latitude region, composite analysis shows the interaction between the atmosphere and ocean causes the strengthening of the southern trough at 850 hPa and the divergence at 200 hPa, resulting in a decrease of the TCO* in the UTLS near the low latitude region around the TP. For the east-west tripole mode in the middle latitude region, the composite analysis shows obvious negative anomalies over the IP, where the TCO* reduces and the extent of the ozone valley over the IP increases with the rise of the tropopause. Comparatively, the south-north mode shows obvious positive anomalies over the TP, where the TCO* increases and the extent of the ozone valley over the TP decreases with a weak SAH. This mode is closely related to the location of the WPSH. In summary, the leading factors affecting the three dominant modes for the variations of the TCO* anomalies are SST, tropopause height, and the WPSH.

Study on the Sensitivity of Summer Ozone Density to the Enhanced Aerosol Loading over the Tibetan Plateau

The existence of the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL) and the influence of the heterogeneous chemistry of aerosols on the summer ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau have received continuous attention. In this paper, based on the established box model of the heterogeneous chemical reactions of stratospheric ozone and comparative simulation and sensitivity tests, the influence of heterogeneous chemical reactions of possible aerosols over the Tibetan Plateau on the ozone valley is analyzed and evaluated. The preliminary results show that from May to August, the change in the temperature and pressure field has little effect on the ozone valley, and the lower the temperature is, the higher the ozone concentration. The temperature itself has a negative correlation with ozone chemistry. The influence ratio of heterogeneous chemical reactions on the ozone valley from May to August is approximately 0.5–17%, and the maximum in June is approximately 5%. With the decrease in monsoon convection, the influence ratio of heterogeneous chemical reactions increases.

Transport of Asian surface pollutants to the global stratosphere from the Tibetan Plateau region during the Asian summer monsoon.

Due to its surrounding strong and deep Asian summer monsoon (ASM) circulation and active surface pollutant emissions, surface pollutants are transported to the stratosphere from the Tibetan Plateau region, which may have critical impacts on global climate through chemical, microphysical and radiative processes. This article reviews major recent advances in research regarding troposphere–stratosphere transport from the region of the Tibetan Plateau. Since the discovery of the total ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau in summer from satellite observations in the early 1990s, new satellite-borne instruments have become operational and have provided significant new information on atmospheric composition. In addition, in situ measurements and model simulations are used to investigate deep convection and the ASM anticyclone, surface sources and pathways, atmospheric chemical transformations and the impact on global climate. Also challenges are discussed for further understanding critical questions on microphysics and microchemistry in clouds during the pathway to the global stratosphere over the Tibetan Plateau.

Interdecadal Variations of the Midlatitude Ozone Valleys in Summer

Using the ERA-Interim total column ozone data, the spatial distributions of the long-term mean of the global total ozone in summer are analyzed. The results demonstrate that there are three midlatitude ozone “valleys” on earth—they are centered over the Tibetan Plateau (TIP), the Rocky Mountains (ROM), and the Southwest Pacific (SWP), respectively. The interdecadal variations of the three ozone valleys are positively modulated by the solar radiation, and the TIP ozone’s correlation with the solar radiation gets maximized with a two-year lag. The interdecadal variation of the SWP ozone valley has a significantly negative relationship with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the South Pacific quadrupole (SPQ). Warm sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) associated with the SPQ strengthen the vertical ascending motion, which dilutes the high concentration ozone at high altitudes. The interdecadal variation of the ROM ozone valley is positively correlated with the PDO, leading by three years. The ROM ozone content is also modulated by SSTAs in the Indian Ocean basin (IOB) by the circumglobal teleconnection (CGT). The observed regional SSTAs can exert a significant impact on the regional and even global circulation, via which the ozone content in midlatitudes also varies.

Triple oxygen isotopic evidence for atmospheric nitrate and its application in source identification for river systems in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Nitrate source identification in river systems is important for water quality management. Recently, the oxygen isotopic anomaly of nitrate in atmospheric deposition (Δ17Oatm) is used to identify unprocessed atmospheric nitrate in river systems to reduce the uncertainty caused by the wide range of δ18O. In high-elevation regions, such as the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) featured with lower temperature and pressure as well as strong radiation, the Δ17Oatm might be different from that in low-elevation regions, but no relevant studies have been reported. In this work, Δ17Oatm in the QTP was studied, and the fingerprints of nitrate isotopes in synthetic fertilizer, livestock manure, domestic sewage, and soil organic nitrogen (SON) were identified and used to quantify various source contributions to riverine nitrate in the Yellow River and Changjiang River source regions located in the QTP during 2016–2017. The results showed that the average of Δ17Oatm in the QTP was 16.4‰, lower than the range (19–30‰) reported for the low-elevation regions. The possible mechanism is decreased O3 as well as increased hydroxyl and peroxy radical levels in the troposphere caused by the climate condition and ozone valley in the QTP will affect the production pathways of atmospheric nitrate. By combining the sewage discharge data with the output results of the SIAR (stable isotope analysis in R) model based on the stable isotope data, manure was determined to be one of the major sources to riverine nitrate for both rivers. The contributions of various sources to riverine nitrate were 47 ± 10% for manure, 30 ± 5% for SON, 10 ± 4% for atmospheric precipitation, 9 ± 2% for synthetic fertilizer, and 4 ± 0% for sewage in the Yellow River source region. This study indicates that the unique atmospheric conditions in the QTP have led to a lower Δ17Oatm value, and atmospheric source makes a considerable contribution to riverine nitrate in the QTP.

Singular spectrum analysis, harmonic regression and El-Nino effect on total ozone (1979–1993) over India and surrounding regions

The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) is a satellite instrument that records Total Column Ozone (TCO) concentration (in DB) of the atmosphere in the form of different overpass files. We have selected 23 sites over India (15), Pakistan (4), Bangladesh (1) and adjoining China (3) to investigate the TCO scenario over this region. About 114,000 historical records (1979M1–1992M12) from 23 overpass files were processed to generate 23 monthly mean time series (TS) of TCO. Statistical analysis followed by singular spectrum analysis (SSA), harmonic regression (HR) and spatial interpolation have been used to accomplish the investigation. Four dominant signals; quasi-biennial signal (QBI, \(\hbox {T} = 30.12\) months), quasi-annual signal (QAN, \(\hbox {T} = 19.69\) months), annual signal (ANN, \(\hbox {T} = 12\) months) and semi-annual signal (SAN, \(\hbox {T} = 6\) months) were discerned to explain the variability. Direct latitudinal effect on the TCO distribution was observed. The variance was limited between 80.53 and 90.13%; ANN contributes 65.93–93.22% followed by SAN 0.58–5.69%, QAN 0.33–5.48%, and QBI 0.06–5.94%. Peak values of the oscillations are estimated from phasor diagrams: QBI, March to May in the mid-latitude; QAN, April, and May; ANN, February to April; SAN, March to May. Incisive pictures of the average distribution and variability of four sinusoids were investigated from contour plots. Two ozone valley were discerned from Spatial interpolation; one over Deccan Plateau in low and other over Tibetan Plateau in high latitude. 179 outliers from \(23 \times 168\) observations have been identified after harmonic regression. The appearance of the outliers is highly consistent with extreme phases of multivariate ENSO Index and Dipole Mode Index.

The Third Atmospheric Scientific Experiment for Understanding the Earth–Atmosphere Coupled System over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Effects

AbstractThis paper presents the background, scientific objectives, experimental design, and preliminary achievements of the Third Tibetan Plateau (TP) Atmospheric Scientific Experiment (TIPEX-III) for 8–10 years. It began in 2013 and has expanded plateau-scale observation networks by adding observation stations in data-scarce areas; executed integrated observation missions for the land surface, planetary boundary layer, cloud–precipitation, and troposphere–stratosphere exchange processes by coordinating ground-based, air-based, and satellite facilities; and achieved noticeable progress in data applications. A new estimation gives a smaller bulk transfer coefficient of surface sensible heat over the TP, which results in a reduction of the possibly overestimated heat intensity found in previous studies. Summer cloud–precipitation microphysical characteristics and cloud radiative effects over the TP are distinguished from those over the downstream plains. Warm rain processes play important roles in the development of cloud and precipitation over the TP. The lower-tropospheric ozone maximum over the northeastern TP is attributed to the regional photochemistry and long-range ozone transports, and the heterogeneous chemical processes of depleting ozone near the tropopause might not be a dominant mechanism for the summer upper-tropospheric–lower-stratospheric ozone valley over the southeastern TP. The TP thermodynamic function not only affects the local atmospheric water maintenance and the downstream precipitation and haze events but also modifies extratropical atmospheric teleconnections like the Asia–Pacific Oscillation, subtropical anticyclones over the North Pacific and Atlantic, and temperature and precipitation over Africa, Asia, and North America. These findings provide new insights into understanding land–atmosphere coupled processes over the TP and their effects, improving model parameterization schemes, and enhancing weather and climate forecast skills.

Comparison of Electrochemical Concentration Cell Ozonesonde and Microwave Limb Sounder Satellite Remote Sensing Ozone Profiles for the Center of the South Asian High

To further verify the ozone profile reliability of satellite remote sensing for the ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau in the core area of the South Asian high in summer, we validate the ozone products from the microwave limb sounder (MLS) onboard the Aura satellite over the Tibetan plateau using electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesonde data of 2016 for Ngari, Tibet. The MLS version four ozone profiles have lower standard deviation in the middle stratosphere (38–10 hPa), whereas the ozonesonde profiles have lower standard deviation in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere region (200–83 hPa). There are statistically significant differences between these two datasets in most of the stratosphere (10–83 hPa). The mean value of MLS ozone is about 0.8–1.5 mPa greater than that of ECC ozone, which corresponds to a relative deviation of 59 ± 24% at 83 hPa, 24 ± 13% at 68 hPa, 20 ± 5% at 56 hPa, 14 ± 4% at 46 hPa and 38 hPa, and 9 ± 4% in the layers between 32 and 10 hPa. However, there is no statistically significant difference between the two datasets in the upper troposphere (100–200 hPa).

Evaluation of the trend uncertainty in summer ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau in three reanalysis datasets

Trend uncertainty in the ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau (OVTP) and the South Asian high (SAH) during 1979–2009 in ERA-Interim (interim reanalysis data from the ECMWF), JRA-55 (55-yr reanalysis data from the Japan Meteorological Agency), and NCEP-CFSR (Climate Forecast System Reanalysis) datasets was evaluated. The results showed that the NCEP-CFSR OVTP became strong in the summers of 1979–2009, whereas it became weak according to ERA-Interim and JRA-55. Satellite data merged with TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) and OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) agreed with the OVTP trend of NCEP-CFSR. The OVTP strengthening in NCEP-CFSR may have been caused by SAH intensification, a rising tropopause, and increasing ozone over non-TP (non-Tibetan Plateau) areas (27°–37°N, 105°E). Analogously, the OVTP weakening in ERA-Interim and JRA-55 may have been affected by weakening SAH, descending tropopause, and decreasing non-TP ozone.

Double core of ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau and its possible mechanisms

In this study, the three-dimensional structure of the ozone valley (e.g. ozone depletion) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) in summer (June–August) has been investigated using Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) ozone (O3) data from 2005 to 2013. A double core structure of the ozone valley over the TP is found with one depletion center in upper stratosphere (10–2hPa) named the upper core, and another depletion center, named the lower core, is observed in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (200–50hPa). The analysis indicates that the zonal deviation of ozone O3* (O3*=O3–[O3], here [O3] is the zonal mean of O3) at the upper core is nearly −1DU while its counterpart's deviation at the lower core is nearly –15DU. Large scale atmospheric circulation and terrain effects play an important role in the ozone valley at the lower core. In contrast, photochemistry reactions of odd chlorine including chlorine atoms (Cl) and chlorine monoxide (ClO) dominate the ozone valley at the upper core. Based on the MLS products, support for a chemical driver at the upper core is based on: (1) the significant diurnal variability of ozone suggests possible photochemistry reactions impacting the ozone valley; (2) the positive center of the ClO zonal deviation (CLO*) and hydrogen chloride (HCl) zonal deviation (HCl*) are found at the bottom of the upper core, which means the higher odd chlorine may accelerate the ozone loss.