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Convective lofting links Indian Ocean air pollution to paradoxical South Atlantic ozone maxima
Author(s) -
Chatfield R. B.,
Guan H.,
Thompson A. M.,
Witte J. C.
Publication year - 2004
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 - 10.1029/2003gl018866
Subject(s) - tropical atlantic , troposphere , southern hemisphere , climatology , depth sounding , environmental science , atlantic hurricane , oceanography , microwave limb sounder , northern hemisphere , ozone , deep convection , air mass (solar energy) , indian ocean , atmospheric sciences , convection , geology , meteorology , geography , tropical cyclone , sea surface temperature , physics , boundary layer , thermodynamics
We describe a broad resolution of the “Atlantic Parado” concerning the seasonal and geographic distribution of tropical tropospheric ozone. We highlight periods of significant maximum tropospheric O 3 for Jan.–April, 1999, exploiting satellite estimates and SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes). Trajectory analyses connecting sondes and Total Tropospheric Ozone (TTO) maps suggest a complex influence from the Indian Ocean: beginning with mixed combustion sources, then low level transport, cumulonimbus venting, possible stratospheric input, and finally high‐level transport to the west, with possible mixing over Africa. For the Jan.–March highest column‐O 3 periods in the Atlantic, distinct sounding peaks trace to specific NO sources, especially lightning, while in the same episodes, recurring every 20–50 days, more diffuse buildups of Indian‐to‐Atlantic pollution make important contributions.