Stratosphere-troposphere Exchange Events Research Articles

Stratosphere–Troposphere Exchange and O3 Variability in the Lower Stratosphere and Upper Troposphere over the Irene SHADOZ Site, South Africa

This study aims to investigate the Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange (STE) events and ozone changes over Irene (25.5° S, 28.1° E). Twelve years of ozonesondes data (2000–2007, 2012–2015) from Irene station operating in the framework of the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesodes (SHADOZ) was used to study the troposphere (0–16 km) and stratosphere (17–28 km) ozone (O3) vertical profiles. Ozone profiles were grouped into three categories (2000–2003, 2004–2007 and 2012–2015) and average composites were calculated for each category. Fifteen O3 enhancement events were identified over the study period. These events were observed in all seasons (one event in summer, four events in autumn, five events in winter and five events in spring); however, they predominantly occur in winter and spring. The STE events presented here are observed to be influenced by the Southern Hemisphere polar vortex. To strengthen the investigation into STE events, advected potential vorticity maps were used, which were assimilated using Modélisation Isentrope du transport Méso–échelle de l’Ozone Stratosphérique par Advection (MIMOSA) model for the 350 K (~12–13 km) isentropic level. These maps indicated transport of high latitude air masses responsible for the reduction of the O3 mole fractions at the lower stratosphere over Irene which coincides with the enhancement of ozone in the upper troposphere. In general, the stratosphere is dominated by higher Modern Retrospective Analysis for Research Application (MERRA-2) potential vorticity (PV) values compared to the troposphere. However, during the STE events, higher PV values from the stratosphere were observed to intrude the troposphere. Ozone decline was observed from 12 km to 24 km with the highest decline occurring from 14 km to 18 km. An average decrease of 6.0% and 9.1% was calculated from 12 to 24 km in 2004–2007 and 2012–2015 respectively, when compared with 2000–2003 average composite. The observed decline occurred in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with winter and spring showing more decline compared with summer and autumn.

Stratosphere–troposphere exchange (STE) in the vicinity of North Atlantic cyclones

Abstract. It is well known that the storm tracks are a preferred region of stratosphere–troposphere exchange (STE), but a systematic and climatological investigation of the connection between cyclones and STE has not yet been performed. We use two ERA-Interim climatologies of STE and cyclones for the years 1979–2011 to quantify the amount of STE that occurs during the life cycle of North Atlantic cyclones. A Lagrangian method serves to identify individual STE events, and a sophisticated cyclone identification tool detects cyclones, their shape and size from the sea-level pressure (SLP) field and from geopotential height anomalies at 300–700 hPa. Combining the two data sets reveals that roughly 50–60 % of the total STE in the North Atlantic occurs in the vicinity of cyclones and that both downward and upward fluxes of mass across the tropopause (STT and TST, respectively) are more intense in deeper cyclones (lower minimum SLP) compared to less intense cyclones. In summer, STT and TST in the vicinity of cyclones are almost equal; in the other seasons, STT is larger by 25–60 %. Compared to climatology, cross-tropopause mass fluxes are enhanced by a factor of about 1.29 and 1.06 for STT and TST, respectively, when a cyclone is present. On average, STE is strongest during the mature phase of cyclones, i.e., in a 24 h time window around the time of maximum intensity. Systematic patterns of exchange locations relative to the cyclone centre are identified via composite analysis and shed light on the different characteristics of STT and TST. During cyclone intensification and in the mature stage, TST is mainly confined to the cyclone centre, whereas STT occurs mainly in a region further southwest. During the decay of the cyclones, both STT and TST are most frequent close to the cyclone centre, in a region with a fairly low tropopause.

A global climatology of stratosphere–troposphere exchange using the ERA-Interim data set from 1979 to 2011

Abstract. In this study we use the ERA-Interim reanalysis data set from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and a refined version of a previously developed Lagrangian methodology to compile a global 33 yr climatology of stratosphere–troposphere exchange (STE) from 1979 to 2011. Fluxes of mass and ozone are calculated across the tropopause, pressure surfaces in the troposphere, and the top of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). This climatology provides a state-of-the-art quantification of the geographical distribution of STE and the preferred transport pathways, as well as insight into the temporal evolution of STE during the last 33 yr. We confirm the distinct zonal and seasonal asymmetry found in previous studies using comparable methods. The subset of "deep STE", where stratospheric air reaches the PBL within 4 days or vice versa, shows especially strong geographical and seasonal variations. The global hotspots for deep STE are found along the west coast of North America and over the Tibetan Plateau, especially in boreal winter and spring. An analysis of the time series reveals significant positive trends of the net downward mass flux and of deep STE in both directions, which are particularly large over North America. The downward ozone flux across the tropopause is dominated by the seasonal cycle of ozone concentrations at the tropopause and peaks in summer, when the mass flux is nearly at its minimum. For the subset of deep STE events, the situation is reversed and the downward ozone flux into the PBL is dominated by the mass flux and peaks in early spring. Thus surface ozone concentration along the west coast of North America and around the Tibetan Plateau are likely to be influenced by deep stratospheric intrusions. We discuss the sensitivity of our results on the choice of the control surface representing the tropopause, the horizontal and vertical resolution of the trajectory starting grid, and the minimum residence time τ used to filter out transient STE trajectories.

Differentiating sulfate aerosol oxidation pathways for varying source altitudes using 35S and Δ17O tracers

Due to the complex nature of the sulfur cycle, uncertainties remain in the transport rate and chemical transformation mechanisms of sulfur species, including sulfate aerosols. Here, we report oxygen isotopic anomaly and radioactive 35S measurements in sulfate aerosols collected at La Jolla, California during 2009–2010. A strong correlation results from increased levels of specific activity (up to 195 atoms of 35S/nmol non sea salt (nss)‐SO4) and Δ17O (up to 1.50‰) in sulfate aerosol (fine fraction) samples during Santa Ana wind events compared to background levels. This is possibly due to an increase in mixing of free tropospheric air mass, containing higher levels of 35S specific activity and higher Δ17O, into the boundary layer. These tracers show the ability to detect changes in oxidation chemistry during high altitude air mixing events and have the potential to trace the changes in oxidation pathways of sulfur species during Stratospheric‐Tropospheric exchange events. Sampling at higher latitudes where deep stratospheric intrusions are more prominent can help further parameterize how stratosphere‐troposphere exchange events (STE) affect oxidation chemistry in the boundary layer.

Midlatitude stratosphere – troposphere exchange as diagnosed by MLS O<sub>3</sub> and MOPITT CO assimilated fields

Abstract. This paper presents a comprehensive characterization of a very deep stratospheric intrusion which occurred over the British Isles on 15 August 2007. The signature of this event is diagnosed using ozonesonde measurements over Lerwick, UK (60.14° N, 1.19° W) and is also well characterized using meteorological analyses from the global operational weather prediction model of Météo-France, ARPEGE. Modelled as well as assimilated fields of both ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) have been used in order to better document this event. O3 and CO from Aura/MLS and Terra/MOPITT instruments, respectively, are assimilated into the three-dimensional chemical transport model MOCAGE of Météo-France using a variational 3-D-FGAT (First Guess at Appropriate Time) method. The validation of O3 and CO assimilated fields is done using self-consistency diagnostics and by comparison with independent observations such as MOZAIC (O3 and CO), AIRS (CO) and OMI (O3). It particularly shows in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere region that the assimilated fields are closer to MOZAIC than the free model run. The O3 bias between MOZAIC and the analyses is −11.5 ppbv with a RMS of 22.4 ppbv and a correlation coefficient of 0.93, whereas between MOZAIC and the free model run, the corresponding values are 33 ppbv, 38.5 ppbv and 0.83, respectively. In the same way, for CO, the bias, RMS and correlation coefficient between MOZAIC and the analyses are −3.16 ppbv, 13 ppbv and 0.79, respectively, whereas between MOZAIC and the free model they are 6.3 ppbv, 16.6 ppbv and 0.71, respectively. The paper also presents a demonstration of the capability of O3 and CO assimilated fields to better describe a stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) event in comparison with the free run modelled O3 and CO fields. Although the assimilation of MLS data improves the distribution of O3 above the tropopause compared to the free model run, it is not sufficient to reproduce the STE event well. Assimilated MOPITT CO allows a better qualitative description of the stratospheric intrusion event. The MOPITT CO analyses appear more promising than the MLS O3 analyses in terms of their ability to capture a deep STE event. Therefore, the results of this study open the perspectives for using MOPITT CO in the STE studies.

Stratosphere–Troposphere Exchange and Its Relation to Potential Vorticity Streamers and Cutoffs near the Extratropical Tropopause

Abstract Two distinct dynamical processes near the dynamical tropopause (2-PVU surface) and their relation are discussed in this study: stratosphere–troposphere exchange (STE) and the formation of distinct potential vorticity (PV) structures in the form of stratospheric and tropospheric streamers and cutoffs on isentropic surfaces. Two previously compiled climatologies based upon the 15-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis (ERA-15) dataset (from 1979 to 1993) are used to establish and quantify the link between STE and these PV structures. An event-based analysis reveals a strong relation between the two processes. For instance, on isentropes below 320 K, 30%–50% of the stratospheric streamers are associated with downward STE. In the reverse perspective, between 60% and 80% of all STE events between 290 and 350 K are found in the vicinity of at least one PV structure. On different isentropes, the averaged downward (STT) and upward (TST) mass fluxes associated with PV structures are quantified. As a novel quantity, the activity of a particular PV structure is measured as the STT/TST flux per unit length of its boundary on the considered isentropic level. The STT activity for stratospheric streamers and the TST activity of tropospheric streamers reach similar values of 3 × 109 kg km−1 h−1. Thereby, the flux is not uniformly distributed along a streamer’s boundary. STT (TST) is found preferentially on the upstream (downstream) side of stratospheric streamers, and vice versa for tropospheric streamers. This asymmetry is lost for cutoffs, for which an essentially uniform distribution results along the boundaries. Finally, the link between STE and PV structures shows considerable geographical variability. Particularly striking is the fact that nearly all deep STT events (reaching levels below 700 hPa) over central Europe and the North American west coast are associated with a stratospheric streamer.

An estimation of ozone flux in a stratosphere-troposphere exchange event

A new method based on mass fluxes and observed ozone profiles was developed to estimate cross-tropopause ozone flux. Using this method, we estimated the cross-tropopause ozone flux in a stratospheric-tropospheric exchange event that occurred over East Asia in March 2001. The result revealed that the ozone flux across the tropopause in this event was an order of magnitude higher than the global and hemispheric average. Compared to the traditional method using a linear relationship between ozone mixing ratio and potential vorticity near the tropopause, the cross-tropopause ozone flux evaluated with ozonesonde data was somewhat higher, although the orders of the two values were the same.

A 15‐year climatology of stratosphere–troposphere exchange with a Lagrangian particle dispersion model 2. Mean climate and seasonal variability

A comprehensive climatology of stratosphere–troposphere exchange (STE), based on 15 years of ECMWF global atmospheric reanalysis data for the period 1979–1993, has been carried out with a specially tuned version of the Lagrangian particle dispersion model, FLEXPART. The typical amplitudes, timescales, seasonality, and spatial variability of STE revealed in the climatology are described. Mean distributions of STE air masses of various ages relate to aspects of the global circulation, while anomaly patterns, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and El Niño, influence STE variability. Characteristic differences are seen between shallow STE flows remaining within the tropopause region (TPR) and deep STE transports, which include cases of stratospheric air reaching the lower troposphere. Unlike for shallow STE events, such deep intrusions show a distinct winter maximum. This subsequently impacts on the seasonal cycle of stratospheric ozone in the troposphere, which thus depends on altitude but also on the decay timescale of ozone. A much broader view of STE than has previously been possible is enabled. The inherent scope of STE is far wider than a discussion of cross‐tropopause fluxes alone. Indeed, more than 90% of all cross‐tropopause flows return within 6 hours. It is thus crucial to distinguish between short‐term STE, during which air parcels rapidly recross the tropopause, and deep and/or long‐term STE, in which air parcels have subsequently long residence times away from their source.

偏西風帯の準定常ロスビー波とチベット高気圧の北縁における質量・熱輸送との関係について

The relationship between the intensity of the Tibetan High and the amplitude of the quasi-stationary Rossby wave trapped in the subtropical jet over the Asian Continent is investigated for the 1983 summer. Three major warming and cooling events of the Tibetan High were seen during July and August with about 20- to 30-day intervals. These events coincided with the increasing and decreasing events of the air mass amount within the layer between 350K and 360K isentropic surfaces. All the cooling events occurred when the quasi-stationary Rossby wave was amplified along the subtropical jet just north of the Tibetan High. These Rossby wave packets played important role in cooling events by transporting the air mass with 350K to 360K potential temperatures northward out of the Tibetan High. Stratosphere-troposphere exchange events were observed at the north-eastern periphery of the Tibetan High several days after the amplifications of the quasi-stationary Rossby wave.