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Variability of Stratospheric Reactive Nitrogen and Ozone Related to the QBO
Author(s) -
Park M.,
Randel W. J.,
Kinnison D. E.,
Bourassa A. E.,
Degenstein D. A.,
Roth C. Z.,
McLinden C. A.,
Sioris C. E.,
Livesey N. J.,
Santee M. L.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1002/2017jd027061
Subject(s) - stratosphere , quasi biennial oscillation , atmospheric sciences , microwave limb sounder , reactive nitrogen , ozone , environmental science , ozone layer , trace gas , climatology , tropopause , atmosphere (unit) , nitrogen , middle latitudes , chemistry , physics , meteorology , geology , organic chemistry
The stratospheric quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO) dominates interannual variability of dynamical variables and trace constituents in the tropical stratosphere and provides a natural experiment to test circulation‐chemistry interactions. This work quantifies the relationships among ozone (O 3 ), reactive nitrogen (NO y ), and source gas N 2 O, and their links to the QBO, based on satellite constituent measurements and meteorological data spanning 2005–2014 (over four QBO cycles). Data include O 3 , HNO 3 , and N 2 O from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder and an NO x proxy derived from Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System NO 2 measurements combined with a photochemical box model (= NO x *). Results are compared to simulations from the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, version 4 incorporating a QBO circulation nudged to assimilated winds. Cross correlations and composites with respect to the QBO phase show coherent 180° out‐of‐phase relationships between NO y and N 2 O throughout the stratosphere, with the NO x /HNO 3 ratio increasing with altitude. The anomalies in NO y species propagate coherently downward with the QBO. Ozone is anticorrelated with reactive nitrogen in the middle stratosphere above ~28 km due to NO x control of ozone catalytic loss cycles. Quantitative comparisons of nitrogen partitioning and O 3 sensitivity to NO x show good overall agreement between satellite observations and model results (suggesting closure of the NO y budget), although the model results show larger (up to ~20%) N 2 O, NO x , and O 3 variations near ~35 km compared to observations. These analyses serve to assess the consistency of diverse satellite‐based data sets and also to evaluate nitrogen partitioning and NO x ‐dependent ozone chemistry in the global model.