Abstract.The coupled climate-chemistry model ECHAM4.L39(DLR)/CHEM is presented which enables a simultaneous treatment of meteorology and atmospheric chemistry and their feedbacks. This is the first model which interactively combines a general circulation model with a chemical model, employing most of the important reactions and species necessary to describe the stratospheric and upper tropospheric ozone chemistry, and which is computationally fast enough to allow long-term integrations with currently available computer resources. This is possible as the model time-step used for the chemistry can be chosen as large as the integration time-step for the dynamics. Vertically the atmosphere is discretized by 39 levels from the surface up to the top layer which is centered at 10 hPa, with a relatively high vertical resolution of approximately 700 m near the extra-tropical tropopause. We present the results of a control simulation representing recent conditions (1990) and compare it to available observations. The focus is on investigations of stratospheric dynamics and chemistry relevant to describe the stratospheric ozone layer.ECHAM4.L39(DLR)/CHEM reproduces main features of stratospheric dynamics in the arctic vortex region, including stratospheric warming events. This constitutes a major improvement compared to earlier model versions. However, apparent shortcomings in antarctic circulation and temperatures persist. The seasonal and interannual variability of the ozone layer is simulated in accordance with observations. Activation and deactivation of chlorine in the polar stratospheric vortices and their inter-hemispheric differences are reproduced. Considering methane oxidation as part of the dynamic-chemistry feedback results in an improved representation of the spatial distribution of stratospheric water vapour concentrations.The current model constitutes a powerful tool to investigate, for instance, the combined direct and indirect effects of anthropogenic trace gas emissions.
Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (mid-Correspondence to: M. Dameris (martin.dameris@dlr.de) dle atmosphere -composition and chemistry) -Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (general circulation; middle atmosphere dynamics)
Abstract.A transient simulation with the interactively coupled chemistry-climate model (CCM) E39/C has been carried out which covers the 40-year period between 1960 and 1999. Forcing of natural and anthropogenic origin is prescribed where the characteristics are sufficiently well known and the typical timescales are slow compared to synoptic timescale so that the simulated atmospheric chemistry and climate evolve under a "slowly" varying external forcing. Based on observations, sea surface temperature (SST) and ice cover are prescribed. The increase of greenhouse gas and chlorofluorocarbon concentrations, as well as nitrogen oxide emissions are taken into account. The 11-year solar cycle is considered in the calculation of heating rates and photolysis of chemical species. The three major volcanic eruptions during that time (Agung, 1963; El Chichon, 1982; Pinatubo, 1991) are considered. The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is forced by linear relaxation, also known as nudging, of the equatorial zonal wind in the lower stratosphere towards observed zonal wind profiles. Beyond a reasonable reproduction of mean parameters and long-term variability characteristics there are many apparent features of episodic similarities between simulation and observation: In the years 1986 and 1988 the Antarctic ozone holes are smaller than in the other years of that decade. In mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere ozone anomalies resemble the corresponding observations, especially in 1985, 1989, 1991/1992, and 1996. In the Northern Hemisphere, the episode between the late 1980s and the first half of the 1990s is dynamically quiet, in particular, no stratospheric warming is found between 1988 and 1993. As observed, volcanic eruptions strongly influence dynamics and chemistry, though only for Correspondence to: M. Dameris (Martin.Dameris@dlr.de) few years. Obviously, planetary wave activity is strongly driven by the prescribed SST and modulated by the QBO. Preliminary evidence of realistic cause and effect relationships strongly suggests that detailed process-oriented studies will be a worthwhile endeavour.
The response of climate to ozone perturbations caused by regional emissions of NOx or CO has been studied through a sequence of model simulations. Changes in O 3 and OH concentrations due to emission perturbations in Europe and southeast Asia have been calculated with two global 3-D chemical tracer models(CTMs; LMDzINCA and Oslo-CTM2). The radiative transfer codes of three general circulation models (GCMs; ECHAM4, UREAD and LMD) have been used to calculate the radiative forcing of the O 3 perturbations, and for a subset of the cases full GCM simulations have been performed with ECHAM4 and UREAD. The results have been aggregated to a global number in two ways: first, through integrating the global-mean radiative forcing of a sustained step change in emissions, and second through a modified concept (SGWP * ) which includes possible differences in the climate sensitivity of O 3 , CH 4 and CO 2 changes. In terms of change in global tropospheric O 3 burden the two CTMs differ by less than 30%. Both CTMs show a higher north/south gradient in the sensitivity to changes in NOx emission than for CO. We are not able to conclude whether real O 3 perturbations in general have a different climate sensitivity from CO 2 . However, in both GCMs high-latitude emission perturbations lead to climate perturbations with higher (10-30%) climate sensitivities. The calculated SGWP * , for a 100 yr time horizon, are negative for three of the four CTM/GCM combinations for European emissions (−9.6 to +6.9), while for the Asian emissions the SGWP * (H = 100) is always positive (+2.9 to +25) indicating a warming. For CO the SGWP * values (3.8 and 4.4 for European and Asian emissions respectively, with only the Oslo-CTM2/ECHAM4 model combination) are less regionally dependent. Our results support the view that for NOx, regionally different weighting factors for the emissions are necessary. For CO the results are more robust and one global number may be acceptable.
The response of climate to ozone perturbations caused by regional emissions of NOx or CO has been studied through a sequence of model simulations. Changes in O3 and OH concentrations due to emission perturbations in Europe and southeast Asia have been calculated with two global 3‐D chemical tracer models(CTMs; LMDzINCA and Oslo‐CTM2). The radiative transfer codes of three general circulation models (GCMs; ECHAM4, UREAD and LMD) have been used to calculate the radiative forcing of the O3 perturbations, and for a subset of the cases full GCM simulations have been performed with ECHAM4 and UREAD. The results have been aggregated to a global number in two ways: first, through integrating the global‐mean radiative forcing of a sustained step change in emissions, and second through a modified concept (SGWP*) which includes possible differences in the climate sensitivity of O3, CH4 and CO2 changes. In terms of change in global tropospheric O3 burden the two CTMs differ by less than 30%. Both CTMs show a higher north/south gradient in the sensitivity to changes in NOx emission than for CO. We are not able to conclude whether real O3 perturbations in general have a different climate sensitivity from CO2. However, in both GCMs high‐latitude emission perturbations lead to climate perturbations with higher (10–30%) climate sensitivities. The calculated SGWP*, for a 100 yr time horizon, are negative for three of the four CTM/GCM combinations for European emissions (−9.6 to +6.9), while for the Asian emissions the SGWP* (H= 100) is always positive (+2.9 to +25) indicating a warming. For CO the SGWP* values (3.8 and 4.4 for European and Asian emissions respectively, with only the Oslo‐CTM2/ECHAM4 model combination) are less regionally dependent. Our results support the view that for NOx, regionally different weighting factors for the emissions are necessary. For CO the results are more robust and one global number may be acceptable.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.