Articles | Volume 23, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6989-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6989-2023
Research article
 | 
23 Jun 2023
Research article |  | 23 Jun 2023

The impact of an extreme solar event on the middle atmosphere: a case study

Thomas Reddmann, Miriam Sinnhuber, Jan Maik Wissing, Olesya Yakovchuk, and Ilya Usoskin

Related authors

Impact of chlorine ion chemistry on ozone loss in the middle atmosphere during very large solar proton events
Monali Borthakur, Miriam Sinnhuber, Alexandra Laeng, Thomas Reddmann, Peter Braesicke, Gabriele Stiller, Thomas von Clarmann, Bernd Funke, Ilya Usoskin, Jan Maik Wissing, and Olesya Yakovchuk
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 12985–13013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12985-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12985-2023, 2023
Short summary
The impact of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) sinks on age of air climatologies and trends
Sheena Loeffel, Roland Eichinger, Hella Garny, Thomas Reddmann, Frauke Fritsch, Stefan Versick, Gabriele Stiller, and Florian Haenel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 1175–1193, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1175-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1175-2022, 2022
Short summary
Quantifying uncertainties of climate signals in chemistry climate models related to the 11-year solar cycle – Part 1: Annual mean response in heating rates, temperature, and ozone
Markus Kunze, Tim Kruschke, Ulrike Langematz, Miriam Sinnhuber, Thomas Reddmann, and Katja Matthes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 6991–7019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-6991-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-6991-2020, 2020
Short summary
NOy production, ozone loss and changes in net radiative heating due to energetic particle precipitation in 2002–2010
Miriam Sinnhuber, Uwe Berger, Bernd Funke, Holger Nieder, Thomas Reddmann, Gabriele Stiller, Stefan Versick, Thomas von Clarmann, and Jan Maik Wissing
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 1115–1147, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-1115-2018,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-1115-2018, 2018
Short summary
Shift of subtropical transport barriers explains observed hemispheric asymmetry of decadal trends of age of air
Gabriele P. Stiller, Federico Fierli, Felix Ploeger, Chiara Cagnazzo, Bernd Funke, Florian J. Haenel, Thomas Reddmann, Martin Riese, and Thomas von Clarmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 11177–11192, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-11177-2017,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-11177-2017, 2017
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Gases | Research Activity: Atmospheric Modelling and Data Analysis | Altitude Range: Stratosphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
Correction of stratospheric age of air (AoA) derived from sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) for the effect of chemical sinks
Hella Garny, Roland Eichinger, Johannes C. Laube, Eric A. Ray, Gabriele P. Stiller, Harald Bönisch, Laura Saunders, and Marianna Linz
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4193–4215, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4193-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4193-2024, 2024
Short summary
Opinion: Stratospheric ozone – depletion, recovery and new challenges
Martyn P. Chipperfield and Slimane Bekki
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2783–2802, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2783-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2783-2024, 2024
Short summary
Quantum yields of CHDO above 300 nm
Ernst-Peter Röth and Luc Vereecken
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2625–2638, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2625-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2625-2024, 2024
Short summary
Sensitivities of atmospheric composition and climate to altitude and latitude of hypersonic aircraft emissions
Johannes Pletzer and Volker Grewe
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1743–1775, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1743-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1743-2024, 2024
Short summary
Analysis of a newly homogenised ozonesonde dataset from Lauder, New Zealand
Guang Zeng, Richard Querel, Hisako Shiona, Deniz Poyraz, Roeland Van Malderen, Alex Geddes, Penny Smale, Dan Smale, John Robinson, and Olaf Morgenstern
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2534,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2534, 2023
Short summary

Cited articles

Allaart, M., van Weele, M., Fortuin, P., and Kelder, H.: An empirical model to predict the UV-index based on solar zenith angles and total ozone, Meteorol. Appl., 11, 59–65, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1350482703001130, 2004. a
Aschwanden, M. J., Caspi, A., Cohen, C. M. S., Holman, G., Jing, J., Kretzschmar, M., Kontar, E. P., McTiernan, J. M., Mewaldt, R. A., O'Flannagain, A., Richardson, I. G., Ryan, D., Warren, H. P., and Xu, Y.: Global Energetics of Solar Flares. V. Energy Closure in Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections, Astrophys. J., 836, 17, https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/836/1/17, 2017. a
Brasseur, G. P. and Solomon, S.: Aeronomy of the Middle Atmosphere, Springer, 3rd Edn., ISBN-10 1-4020-3284-6, 2005. a
Calisto, M., Usoskin, I., Rozanov, E., and Peter, T.: Influence of Galactic Cosmic Rays on atmospheric composition and dynamics, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 4547–4556, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-4547-2011, 2011.  a
Carrington, R. C.: Description of a Singular Appearance seen in the Sun on September 1, 1859, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 20, 13–15, 1859. a
Download
Short summary
Recent analyses of isotopic records of ice cores and sediments have shown that very strong explosions may occur on the Sun, perhaps about one such explosion every 1000 years. Such explosions pose a real threat to humankind. It is therefore of great interest to study the impact of such explosions on Earth. We analyzed how the explosions would affect the chemistry of the middle atmosphere and show that the related ozone loss is not dramatic and that the atmosphere will recover within 1 year.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint