Case study investigation of meso-synoptic scale effects on the total ozone column. Ph.D. Thesis
Stratospheric-tropospheric exchange has been studied by several investigators as a possible mechanism responsible for movement of air of recent stratospheric history to the middle and lower troposphere. It is important to characterize the movement of ozone from the stratosphere to the troposphere since ozone is an important greenhouse gas. The meteorological mechanisms which characterize this movement of ozone-enriched air from the stratosphere to the troposphere are the cutoff low tropopause fold, post-frontal subsidence, the jetstream tropopause fold, and gravity-wave breaking. All of these mechanisms involve the lowering or raising of the tropopause, which can increase or decrease the total ozone column amount at a specific location. Four case studies, two in the continental U.S. (Atlanta, Georgia and Whiteface Mountain, New York) and two in the polar regions (ABLE-3A Mission 8; Barrow, Alaska and South Pole Station, Antarctica) were investigated to determine the meteorological mechanism responsible for altering the column of ozone. These cases were chosen because of their ideal meteorological regime or because of the compliment of concurrent chemical and meteorological measurements at each location. After performing meteorological analysis on the cases, it was found that post-frontal subsidence that occurred with the passage of a strong short wave was the principal mechanism responsible for a 50 DU day-to-day increase in total ozone column at Atlanta during the outbreak of a strong Arctic anticyclone. In the first three cases, a good linkage was found between meteorological conditions and the expected changes in total column amount. At South Pole, no relationships were found between meteorological changes and changes in total ozone column during a weak summertime frontal passage. The meteorological analyses presented in this study provide evidence that TOMS can be a useful nowcasting tool, especially for detecting strong waves, as found in the Atlanta case.
- Research Organization:
- Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 237285
- Report Number(s):
- N-96-22400; NIPS-96-33419; TRN: 9622400
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: TH: Ph.D. Thesis; PBD: Jan 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Stratospheric ozone in the planetary boundary layer
Sources of ozone and sulfate in northeastern United States. Annual progress report