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Observation of near‐zero ozone concentrations in the upper troposphere at mid‐latitudes
Author(s) -
Davies W. E.,
Vaughan G.,
O'Connor F. M.
Publication year - 1998
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 - 10.1029/98gl00909
Subject(s) - ozone , troposphere , tropopause , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , middle latitudes , climatology , latitude , tropics , stratosphere , tropospheric ozone , range (aeronautics) , meteorology , geology , geography , materials science , geodesy , fishery , composite material , biology
Measurements by an ECC ozonesonde launched from Aberystwyth (52.4°N, −4.1°E) in July show ozone concentrations decreasing steadily from a warm frontal surface to the tropopause, cumulating in a layer ∼0.5 km deep with near‐zero ozone concentrations at 12 km. Such features have previously been detected by lidar but have not been reported in ozonesonde data at mid‐latitudes; they have, however, been found in ozonesonde profiles above the equatorial Pacific. We examine three possible hypotheses for the origin of the ozone‐free air: in situ destruction by cirrus clouds, rapid transport from the marine boundary layer in the extratropics and long‐range transport from the tropics. We conclude that the ozone‐poor air observed on this day could only have resulted from long‐range transport from the tropics.