Seasonal persistence of ozone and zonal wind anomalies in the equatorial stratosphere.

Tegtmeier, Susann, Fioletov, V. E. and Shepherd, T. G. (2010) Seasonal persistence of ozone and zonal wind anomalies in the equatorial stratosphere. Open Access Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 115 (D18). D18118. DOI 10.1029/2009JD013010.

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Abstract

Analysis of the variability of equatorial ozone profiles in the Satellite Aerosol and Gas Experiment-corrected Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet data set demonstrates a strong seasonal persistence of interannual ozone anomalies, revealing a seasonal dependence to equatorial ozone variability. In the lower stratosphere (40–25 hPa) and in the upper stratosphere (6–4 hPa), ozone anomalies persist from approximately November until June of the following year, while ozone anomalies in the layer between 16 and 10 hPa persist from June to December. Analysis of zonal wind fields in the lower stratosphere and temperature fields in the upper stratosphere reveals a similar seasonal persistence of the zonal wind and temperature anomalies associated with the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). Thus, the persistence of interannual ozone anomalies in the lower and upper equatorial stratosphere, which are mainly associated with the well-known QBO ozone signal through the QBO-induced meridional circulation, is related to a newly identified seasonal persistence of the QBO itself. The upper stratospheric QBO ozone signal is argued to arise from a combination of QBO-induced temperature and NOx perturbations, with the former dominating at 5 hPa and the latter at 10 hPa. Ozone anomalies in the transition zone between dynamical and photochemical control of ozone (16–10 hPa) are less influenced by the QBO signal and show a quite different seasonal persistence compared to the regions above and below.

Document Type: Article
Keywords: stratospheric ozone anomalies
Research affiliation: OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB1 Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics > FB1-ME Maritime Meteorology
OceanRep > The Future Ocean - Cluster of Excellence
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: No
Publisher: AGU (American Geophysical Union)
Projects: Future Ocean
Date Deposited: 01 Dec 2010 09:09
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2018 12:37
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/10079

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