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Effects of the 2004 El Niño on tropospheric ozone and water vapor
Author(s) -
Chandra S.,
Ziemke J. R.,
Schoeberl M. R.,
Froidevaux L.,
Read W. G.,
Levelt P. F.,
Bhartia P. K.
Publication year - 2007
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 - 10.1029/2006gl028779
Subject(s) - troposphere , ozone , tropospheric ozone , atmospheric sciences , climatology , environmental science , water vapor , latitude , geology , geography , meteorology , geodesy
The global effects of the 2004 El Niño on tropospheric ozone and H 2 O based on Aura OMI and MLS measurements are analyzed. Although it was a weak El Niño from a historical perspective, it produced significant changes in these parameters in tropical latitudes. Tropospheric ozone increased by 10–20% over most of the western Pacific region and decreased by about the same amount over the eastern Pacific region. H 2 O in the upper troposphere showed similar changes but with opposite sign. These zonal changes in tropospheric ozone and H 2 O are caused by the eastward shift in the Walker circulation in the tropical pacific region during El Niño. During the 2004 El Niño, biomass burning did not have a significant effect on the ozone budget in the troposphere, unlike the 1997 El Niño. Zonally averaged tropospheric column ozone did not change significantly either globally or over tropical latitudes.