Ozone Anomalies in Dry Intrusions Associated with Atmospheric Rivers

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Hall, Kirsten R., Wang, Huiqun, Souri, Amir H., Liu, Xiong, Chance, Kelly
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Hall, Kirsten R.
Wang, Huiqun
Souri, Amir H.
Liu, Xiong
Chance, Kelly
author_facet Hall, Kirsten R.
Wang, Huiqun
Souri, Amir H.
Liu, Xiong
Chance, Kelly
contents As a result of their important role in weather and the global hydrological cycle, understanding atmospheric rivers' (ARs) connection to synoptic-scale climate patterns and atmospheric dynamics has become increasingly important. In addition to case studies of two extreme AR events, we produce a December climatology of the three-dimensional structure of water vapor and O3 (ozone) distributions associated with ARs in the northeastern Pacific from 2004-2014 using MERRA-2 reanalysis products. Results show that positive O3 anomalies reside in dry intrusions of stratospheric air due to stratosphere-to-troposphere transport (STT) behind the intense water vapor transport of the AR. In composites, we find increased excesses of O3 concentration, as well as in the total O3 flux within the dry intrusions, with increased AR strength. We find that STT O3 flux associated with ARs over the NE Pacific accounts for up to 13 percent of total Northern Hemisphere STT O3 flux in December, and extrapolation indicates that AR-associated dry intrusions may account for as much as 32 percent of total NH STT O3 flux. This study quantifies STT of O3 in connection with ARs for the first time and improves estimates of tropospheric ozone concentration due to STT in the identification of this correlation. In light of predictions that ARs will become more intense and/or frequent with climate change, quantifying AR-related STT O3 flux is especially valuable for future radiative forcing calculations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2402_10205
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Ozone Anomalies in Dry Intrusions Associated with Atmospheric Rivers
Hall, Kirsten R.
Wang, Huiqun
Souri, Amir H.
Liu, Xiong
Chance, Kelly
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
As a result of their important role in weather and the global hydrological cycle, understanding atmospheric rivers' (ARs) connection to synoptic-scale climate patterns and atmospheric dynamics has become increasingly important. In addition to case studies of two extreme AR events, we produce a December climatology of the three-dimensional structure of water vapor and O3 (ozone) distributions associated with ARs in the northeastern Pacific from 2004-2014 using MERRA-2 reanalysis products. Results show that positive O3 anomalies reside in dry intrusions of stratospheric air due to stratosphere-to-troposphere transport (STT) behind the intense water vapor transport of the AR. In composites, we find increased excesses of O3 concentration, as well as in the total O3 flux within the dry intrusions, with increased AR strength. We find that STT O3 flux associated with ARs over the NE Pacific accounts for up to 13 percent of total Northern Hemisphere STT O3 flux in December, and extrapolation indicates that AR-associated dry intrusions may account for as much as 32 percent of total NH STT O3 flux. This study quantifies STT of O3 in connection with ARs for the first time and improves estimates of tropospheric ozone concentration due to STT in the identification of this correlation. In light of predictions that ARs will become more intense and/or frequent with climate change, quantifying AR-related STT O3 flux is especially valuable for future radiative forcing calculations.
title Ozone Anomalies in Dry Intrusions Associated with Atmospheric Rivers
topic Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.10205