Articles | Volume 15, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-829-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-829-2015
Research article
 | 
23 Jan 2015
Research article |  | 23 Jan 2015

Sunset–sunrise difference in solar occultation ozone measurements (SAGE II, HALOE, and ACE–FTS) and its relationship to tidal vertical winds

T. Sakazaki, M. Shiotani, M. Suzuki, D. Kinnison, J. M. Zawodny, M. McHugh, and K. A. Walker

Abstract. This paper contains a comprehensive investigation of the sunset–sunrise difference (SSD, i.e., the sunset-minus-sunrise value) of the ozone mixing ratio in the latitude range of 10° S–10° N. SSD values were determined from solar occultation measurements based on data obtained from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II, the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), and the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment–Fourier transform spectrometer (ACE–FTS). The SSD was negative at altitudes of 20–30 km (−0.1 ppmv at 25 km) and positive at 30–50 km (+0.2 ppmv at 40–45 km) for HALOE and ACE–FTS data. SAGE II data also showed a qualitatively similar result, although the SSD in the upper stratosphere was 2 times larger than those derived from the other data sets. On the basis of an analysis of data from the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) and a nudged chemical transport model (the specified dynamics version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model: SD–WACCM), we conclude that the SSD can be explained by diurnal variations in the ozone concentration, particularly those caused by vertical transport by the atmospheric tidal winds. All data sets showed significant seasonal variations in the SSD; the SSD in the upper stratosphere is greatest from December through February, while that in the lower stratosphere reaches a maximum twice: during the periods March–April and September–October. Based on an analysis of SD–WACCM results, we found that these seasonal variations follow those associated with the tidal vertical winds.

Download
Short summary
The solar occultation measurements measure the atmosphere at sunrise (SR) and sunset (SS). It has been reported that there is a significant difference in the observed amount of stratospheric ozone between SR and SS. This study first revealed that this difference can be largely explained by diurnal variations in ozone, particularly those caused by vertical transport by the atmospheric tidal winds. Our results would be helpful for the construction of combined data sets from SR and SS profiles.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint