Variability in total ozone associated with baroclinic waves

Journal Article · Thu Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1991)048<1900:VITOAW>2.0.CO;2· OSTI ID:5370240

Mote, P W; Holton, J R; Wallace, J M ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)

One-point regression maps yield patterns that may be viewed as composite maps of the perturbations associated with baroclinic waves. Regression analysis can be used for derived dynamical fields such as potential vorticity (PV) and for trace constituent fields such as ozone. Baroclinic waves are characterized by PV anomalies near the tropopause, which depress the tropopause height in regions of cyclonic vorticity and raise it in regions of anticyclonic vorticity. Since the three dimensional motion field can be deduced from the distribution of PV, knowledge of the PV anomaly field defines most aspects of the structure of a synoptic disturbance. The high frequency variability of PV and ozone are strongly correlated near the tropopause. Since concentrations of ozone are much higher in the lower stratosphere than in the upper troposphere, any process that depresses the height of the tropopause will tend to replace ozone-poor tropospheric air by ozone-rich stratospheric air, and the total column ozone amount will increase. Since total ozone, unlike PV, is routinely observed on a global basis by satellite, it would be useful to establish whether the high frequency varying part of the total ozone field can be used as a proxy for the upper-level PV distribution of baroclinic disturbances in data-poor regions, particularly the oceanic stormtracks, and to make a quantitative estimate of the amplitude of the fluctuations in ozone associated with baroclinic waves. In this work an analysis was performed of one-point regression maps of total ozone made by regressing the time series of bandpass-filtered geopotential height data against gridded TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) data. The analysis revealed a strong signature of baroclinic waves in the ozone variability. The results show that TOMS data can be used to provide statistical information on the amplitude and phases of baroclinic waves.

• OSTI ID: 5370240
• Journal Information: Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences; (United States), Vol. 48:16; ISSN 0022-4928
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
OZONE
FLUCTUATIONS
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
REMOTE SENSING
TROPOPAUSE
VORTEX FLOW
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
METEOROLOGY
NIMBUS SATELLITES
STRATOSPHERE
CHEMISTRY
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
FLUID FLOW
MATHEMATICS
SATELLITES
STATISTICS
TROPOSPHERE
VARIATIONS
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring &amp; Transport- (1990-)