The quasi-biennial and semi-annual oscillation features of tropical O3, NO2, and NO3 revealed by GOMOS satellite observations for 2002–2008

Abstract

3 and the vertical velocity of the residual circulation (w-star), we conclude that dynamic transport is the principal factor controlling the QBO pattern of O 3 . Under the influence of vertical transport, the QBO signals of O 3 originate in the middle stratosphere and propagate downward along with the w-star anomalies over the equator. The residual circulation has a significant role in tropical regions, regardless of altitude, while in extratropical regions, dynamic effects are important in some years in the lower stratosphere. In the middle stratosphere, dynamic transport is most efficient in the Southern Hemisphere. We also analyzed NO 2 anomalies and found that their QBO pattern was deep and stationary in the middle and upper stratosphere over the equator. This was due to the large depth over which w-star was anomalous. The latitudinal structure of NO 2 was asymmetric in extratropical areas in the middle stratosphere, but in the upper layers, the QBO pattern and dynamic influences were only observed in tropical zones. The interannual anomalies of NO 3 had an apparent SAO pattern in the tropical upper stratosphere because of different dynamic and chemical effects in different SAO phases. Chemical reactions may also have contributed to the QBO-type distribution of NO 2 and the SAO-type distribution of NO 3 . quasi-biennial oscillation, semi-annual oscillation, GOMOS satellite observation, stratospheric ozone, dynamic transportCitation: Liu Y, Lu C H, Wang Y, et al. The quasi-biennial and semi-annual oscillation features of tropical O 3 , NO 2 , and NO 3 revealed by GOMOS satellite observations for The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of stratospheric zonal wind and the semi-annual oscillation (SAO) of upper stratospheric zonal wind in equatorial regions have been widely investigated since they were discovered. Previous studies have searched for an underlying explanation of these oscillations [1,2], their influences on the global stratosphere [3], and their dynamic mechanism [4]. However, only a few investigations have analyzed the effects of the QBO and SAO using satellite observations. These studies focused on the distribution characteristics of the atmospheric components individually [5-9], but did not report on the relationship between the constituents and the dynamic effects of the oscillations. The Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS) stellar occultation instrument operates on ENVISAT, a sun-synchronous polar-orbiting satellite at approximately 800 km altitude and 98.55° inclination. GOMOS has provided long-term observation results from 2002 to 2008. These results offer a new perspective on the QBO and SAO. Some preliminary research was conducted on the distributions of O 3 , NO 2 , and NO 3 in 2003 using

Hemispheric asymmetry in stratospheric NO<sub>2</sub> trends

“…The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) affects the circulation in the lower stratosphere and hence the species distribution (Gray and Russell III, 1999). Recently, QBO signatures in the variability of the middle to upper stratosphere NO 2 have been detected (Liu et al, 2011). We employ a commonly used monthly index, built using the mean of the zonal winds averaged from three equatorial stations (Canton islands, Singapore and Gan/Maldives) compiled by the Berlin Free University for 50 and 10 hPa.…”

Partitioning of Ozone Loss Pathways in the Ozone Quasi-biennial Oscillation Simulated by a Chemistry-Climate Model

“…because NOx is less influenced by diurnal variations. NOx is almost entirely composed of NO and NO2 with a practically negligible contribution of NO3, in particular below about 5 hPa (Liu et al, 2011). Almost all NO is converted to NO2 during night (e.g., Dessler, 2000).…”

“…Along with the QBO in dynamical quantities, trace gases such as ozone show similar oscillations in the equatorial stratosphere due to the transport and/or chemistry associated with the QBO, and the corresponding ozone oscillation is thereby called the ozone QBO. Detailed vertical and temporal structures of the QBO in O3 and NO2 were revealed through Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II data by Zawodny and McCormick (1991), Hasebe (1994), and Chipperfield et al (1994), and through Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS) data by Hauchecorne et al (2010) and Liu et al (2011). Also Park et al (2017) showed the detailed structures of the QBO in O3, NOx, N2O, and HNO3 by analyzing Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System (OSIRIS) data.…”

Hemispheric asymmetry in stratospheric NO<sub>2</sub> trends

“…In the first run, seven proxies that could potentially affect the NO 2 distribution are used (the trend, stratospheric aerosols, solar cycle, Quasi-Biennial Oscillation -QBO, stratospheric temperature, stratospheric circulation, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation -ENSO). Following Mäder et al (2007), an iterative process was used to exclude proxies with confidence intervals below 90 %. For details, see Mäder et al (2007) and Knibbe et al (2014).…”

“…Following Mäder et al (2007), an iterative process was used to exclude proxies with confidence intervals below 90 %. For details, see Mäder et al (2007) and Knibbe et al (2014). In this way, the degrees of freedom of the regression increase.…”