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A Madden‐Julian Oscillation in tropospheric ozone
Author(s) -
Ziemke J. R.,
Chandra S.
Publication year - 2003
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 - 10.1029/2003gl018523
Subject(s) - madden–julian oscillation , ozone , microwave limb sounder , total ozone mapping spectrometer , troposphere , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , climatology , tropospheric ozone , advanced microwave sounding unit , stratosphere , quasi biennial oscillation , atmosphere (unit) , ozone layer , meteorology , geology , depth sounding , oceanography , geography , convection
This study shows evidence of a Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) in tropospheric ozone. Tropospheric ozone is derived using differential measurements of total column ozone and stratospheric column ozone from total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS) and microwave limb sounder (MLS) instruments. Two broad regions of significant MJO signal are identified in the tropics, one in the western Pacific and the other in the eastern Pacific. Over both regions, MJO variations in tropospheric ozone represent 5–10 Dobson Unit (DU) peak‐to‐peak anomalies. These variations are significant compared to mean background amounts of around 20 DU or less over most of the tropical Pacific. MJO signals of this magnitude would need to be considered when investigating and interpreting particular pollution events since ozone is a precursor of the Hydroxyl (OH) radical, the main oxidizing agent of pollutants in the lower atmosphere.