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Response of lightning NO x emissions and ozone production to climate change: Insights from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project
Author(s) -
Finney D. L.,
Doherty R. M.,
Wild O.,
Young P. J.,
Butler A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2016gl068825
Subject(s) - lightning (connector) , ozone , environmental science , atmospheric chemistry , atmospheric sciences , climate change , range (aeronautics) , meteorology , climate model , nitrogen oxide , greenhouse gas , ozone layer , nox , climatology , chemistry , materials science , physics , geology , combustion , thermodynamics , power (physics) , oceanography , organic chemistry , composite material
Results from an ensemble of models are used to investigate the response of lightning nitrogen oxide emissions to climate change and the consequent impacts on ozone production. Most models generate lightning using a parameterization based on cloud top height. With this approach and a present‐day global emission of 5 TgN, we estimate a linear response with respect to changes in global surface temperature of +0.44 ± 0.05 TgN K −1 . However, two models using alternative approaches give +0.14 and −0.55 TgN K −1 suggesting that the simulated response is highly dependent on lightning parameterization. Lightning NO x is found to have an ozone production efficiency of 6.5 ± 4.7 times that of surface NO x sources. This wide range of efficiencies across models is partly due to the assumed vertical distribution of the lightning source and partly to the treatment of nonmethane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) chemistry. Careful consideration of the vertical distribution of emissions is needed, given its large influence on ozone production.