Quantifying stratosphere-troposphere transport of ozone using balloon-borne ozonesondes, radar windprofilers and trajectory models.

In a series of 10-day campaigns in Ontario and Quebec, Canada, between 2005 and 2007, ozonesondes were launched twice daily in conjunction with continuous high-resolution wind-profiling radar measurements. Windprofilers can measure rapid changes in the height of the tropopause, and in some cases follow stratospheric intrusions. Observed stratospheric intrusions were studied with the aid of a Lagrangian particle dispersion model and the Canadian operational weather forecast system. Definite stratosphere-troposphere transport (STT) events occurred approximately every 2-3 days during the spring and summer campaigns, whereas during autumn and winter, the frequency was reduced to every 4-5 days. Although most events reached the lower troposphere, only three events appear to have significantly contributed to ozone amounts in the surface boundary layer. Detailed calculations find that STT, while highly variable, is responsible for an average, over the seven campaigns, of 3.1% of boundary layer ozone (1.2 ppb), but 13% (5.4 ppb) in the lower troposphere and 34% (22 ppb) in the middle and upper troposphere, where these layers are defined as 0-1 km, 1-3 km, and 3-8 km respectively. Estimates based on counting laminae in ozonesonde profiles, with judicious choices of ozone and relative humidity thresholds, compare moderately well, on average, with these values. The lamina detection algorithm is then applied to a large dataset from four summer ozonesonde campaigns at 18 North American sites between 2006 and 2011. The results show some site-to-site and year-to-year variability, but stratospheric ozone contributions average 4.6% (boundary layer), 15% (lower troposphere) and 26% (middle/upper troposphere). Calculations were also performed based on the TOST global 3D trajectory-mapped ozone data product. Maps of STT in the same three layers of the troposphere suggest that the STT ozone flux is greater over the North American continent than Europe, and much greater in winter and spring than in summer or fall. When averaged over all seasons, magnitudes over North America show similar ratios between levels to the previous calculations, but are overall 3-4 times smaller. This may be because of limitations (trajectory length and vertical resolution) to the current TOST-based calculation.

Spatial distribution of errors associated with multistatic meteor radar.

With the recent increase in numbers of small and versatile low-power meteor radars, the opportunity exists to benefit from simultaneous application of multiple systems spaced by only a few hundred km and less. Transmissions from one site can be recorded at adjacent receiving sites using various degrees of forward scatter, potentially allowing atmospheric conditions in the mesopause regions between stations to be diagnosed. This can allow a better spatial overview of the atmospheric conditions at any time. Such studies have been carried out using a small version of such so-called multistatic meteor radars, e.g. Chau et al. (Radio Sci 52:811-828, 2017, 10.1002/2016rs006225). These authors were able to also make measurements of vorticity and divergence. However, measurement uncertainties arise which need to be considered in any application of such techniques. Some errors are so severe that they prohibit useful application of the technique in certain locations, particularly for zones at the midpoints of the radars sites. In this paper, software is developed to allow these errors to be determined, and examples of typical errors involved are discussed. The software should be of value to others who wish to optimize their own MMR systems.

Detection of stratospheric ozone intrusions by windprofiler radars.

Stratospheric ozone attenuates harmful ultraviolet radiation and protects the Earth's biosphere. Ozone is also of fundamental importance for the chemistry of the lowermost part of the atmosphere, the troposphere. At ground level, ozone is an important by-product of anthropogenic pollution, damaging forests and crops, and negatively affecting human health. Ozone is critical to the chemical and thermal balance of the troposphere because, via the formation of hydroxyl radicals, it controls the capacity of tropospheric air to oxidize and remove other pollutants. Moreover, ozone is an important greenhouse gas, particularly in the upper troposphere. Although photochemistry in the lower troposphere is the major source of tropospheric ozone, the stratosphere-troposphere transport of ozone is important to the overall climatology, budget and long-term trends of tropospheric ozone. Stratospheric intrusion events, however, are still poorly understood. Here we introduce the use of modern windprofiler radars to assist in such transport investigations. By hourly monitoring the radar-derived tropopause height in combination with a series of frequent ozonesonde balloon launches, we find numerous intrusions of ozone from the stratosphere into the troposphere in southeastern Canada. On some occasions, ozone is dispersed at altitudes of two to four kilometres, but on other occasions it reaches the ground, where it can dominate the ozone density variability. We observe rapid changes in radar tropopause height immediately preceding these intrusion events. Such changes therefore serve as a valuable diagnostic for the occurrence of ozone intrusion events. Our studies emphasize the impact that stratospheric ozone can have on tropospheric ozone, and show that windprofiler data can be used to infer the possibility of ozone intrusions, as well as better represent tropopause motions in association with stratosphere-troposphere transport.