Articles | Volume 24, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1143-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1143-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
26 Jan 2024
Research article |
| 26 Jan 2024
| 26 Jan 2024
Structure, variability, and origin of the low-latitude nightglow continuum between 300 and 1800 nm: evidence for HO2 emission in the near-infrared
Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
Deutsches Fernerkundungsdatenzentrum, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
John M. C. Plane
School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Wuhu Feng
School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Konstantinos S. Kalogerakis
Center for Geospace Studies, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, USA
Wolfgang Kausch
Institut für Astro- und Teilchenphysik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Carsten Schmidt
Deutsches Fernerkundungsdatenzentrum, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Michael Bittner
Deutsches Fernerkundungsdatenzentrum, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
Stefan Kimeswenger
Institut für Astro- und Teilchenphysik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile
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Non-thermal emission from chemical reactions in the Earth's middle und upper atmosphere strongly contributes to the brightness of the night sky below about 2.3 µm. The new Paranal Airglow Line And Continuum Emission model calculates the emission spectrum and its variability with an unprecedented accuracy. Relying on a large spectroscopic data set from astronomical spectrographs and theoretical molecular/atomic data, this model is valuable for airglow research and astronomical observatories.
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Line emission from hydroxyl (OH) molecules at altitudes of about 90 km strongly contributes to the Earth's night-sky brightness and is therefore used as an important indicator of atmospheric chemistry and dynamics. However, interpreting the measurements can be ambiguous since necessary molecular parameters and the internal state of OH are not well known. Based on high-quality spectral data, we investigated these issues and found solutions for a better understanding of the OH line intensities.
Konstantinos S. Kalogerakis, Daniel Matsiev, Philip C. Cosby, James A. Dodd, Stefano Falcinelli, Jonas Hedin, Alexander A. Kutepov, Stefan Noll, Peter A. Panka, Constantin Romanescu, and Jérôme E. Thiebaud
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The question of whether mesospheric rotational population distributions of vibrationally excited OH are in equilibrium with the local kinetic temperature has been debated over several decades. We examine the relationship of multi-quantum relaxation pathways with the behavior exhibited by OH(v) rotational population distributions and find that the effective rotational temperatures of mesospheric OH(v) deviate from local thermodynamic equilibrium for all observed vibrational levels.
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Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 4177–4187, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-4177-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-4177-2017, 2017
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This study focuses on the analysis of astronomical medium-resolution spectra from the VLT in Chile to measure airglow pseudo-continuum emission of FeO in the optical regime. Compared to OH or Na emissions, this emission is difficult to measure. Using 3.5 years of spectroscopic data, we found annual and semi-annual variations of the FeO emission. Furthermore, we used WACCM to determine the quantum yield of the FeO-producing Fe + O3 reaction in the atmosphere, which has not been done before.
Stefan Noll, Wolfgang Kausch, Stefan Kimeswenger, Stefanie Unterguggenberger, and Amy M. Jones
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 5021–5042, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-5021-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-5021-2016, 2016
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We compare temperatures derived from simultaneous observations of 25 OH and two O2 mesospheric airglow bands taken with the X-shooter spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope in Chile. Considering emission and temperature profile data from the radiometer SABER on the TIMED satellite, we find significant time-dependent non-thermal contributions to the OH-based temperatures, especially for bands originating from high vibrational levels. Many studies of the mesopause region are affected.
S. Noll, W. Kausch, S. Kimeswenger, S. Unterguggenberger, and A. M. Jones
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 3647–3669, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3647-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3647-2015, 2015
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We discuss a high-quality data set of simultaneous observations of 25 OH bands with an astronomical echelle spectrograph. These data allowed us to analyse band-dependent OH populations and temperatures. In particular, we could find different non-LTE contributions to OH rotational temperatures depending on band, line set, and observing time. This is critical for mesopause studies that use these temperatures as a proxy of the true temperatures.
Stefan Noll, Carsten Schmidt, Patrick Hannawald, Wolfgang Kausch, and Stefan Kimeswenger
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 4353–4398, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-4353-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-4353-2025, 2025
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Non-thermal emission from chemical reactions in the Earth's middle und upper atmosphere strongly contributes to the brightness of the night sky below about 2.3 µm. The new Paranal Airglow Line And Continuum Emission model calculates the emission spectrum and its variability with an unprecedented accuracy. Relying on a large spectroscopic data set from astronomical spectrographs and theoretical molecular/atomic data, this model is valuable for airglow research and astronomical observatories.
Matilda A. Pimlott, Richard J. Pope, Brian J. Kerridge, Richard Siddans, Barry G. Latter, Lucy J. Ventress, Wuhu Feng, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4391–4401, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4391-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4391-2025, 2025
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Globally, lockdowns were implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19, leading to a decrease in emissions of key air pollutants. Here, we use novel satellite data and a chemistry model to investigate the impact of the pandemic on tropospheric ozone (O3), a key pollutant, in 2020. Overall, we found substantial decreases of up to 20 %, two-thirds of which came from emission reductions, while one-third was due to a decrease in the stratospheric O3 flux into the troposphere.
Sabine Wüst, Lisa Küchelbacher, Franziska Trinkl, and Michael Bittner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 1591–1607, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1591-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1591-2025, 2025
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Information on the energy transported by atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) is crucial for improving atmosphere models. Most space-based studies report the potential energy. We use Aeolus wind data to estimate the kinetic energy (density). However, the data quality is a challenge for such analyses, as the accuracy of the data is in the range of typical GW amplitudes. We find a temporal coincidence between enhanced or breaking planetary waves and enhanced gravity wave kinetic energy density.
Michael P. Cartwright, Jeremy J. Harrison, David P. Moore, Richard J. Pope, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Chris Wilson, and Wuhu Feng
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1073, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1073, 2025
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We use satellite measurements to estimate quantities of a gas called carbonyl sulfide (OCS) in the atmosphere. OCS is consumed during photosynthesis, much like carbon dioxide (CO2). Our data is focused mostly over the global oceans for the year 2018, and we find it compares well with past satellite observations, ground-based measurements and modelled OCS. We hope to extend this measurement record and use it in data-driven tools in the future to better understand the carbon cycle globally.
Douwang Li, Zhe Wang, Siyi Zhao, Jiankai Zhang, Wuhu Feng, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-955, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-955, 2025
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We find that wind variations at the equator (QBO) modulate the occurrence of Arctic polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), which are key contributors to ozone depletion. During westerly QBO, the PSC occurrence is significantly greater than during easterly QBO. The QBO affects PSC mainly through temperature, while H2O and HNO3 have less effect. This suggests that future climate change may affect ozone recovery if it alters the QBO pattern. This study provides a new perspective on ozone prediction.
Weiyu Zhang, Kwinten Van Weverberg, Cyril J. Morcrette, Wuhu Feng, Kalli Furtado, Paul R. Field, Chih-Chieh Chen, Andrew Gettelman, Piers M. Forster, Daniel R. Marsh, and Alexandru Rap
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 473–489, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-473-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-473-2025, 2025
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Contrail cirrus is the largest, but also most uncertain, contribution of aviation to global warming. We evaluate, for the first time, the impact of the host climate model on contrail cirrus properties. Substantial differences exist between contrail cirrus formation, persistence, and radiative effects in the host climate models. Reliable contrail cirrus simulations require advanced representation of cloud optical properties and microphysics, which should be better constrained by observations.
Ryan Hossaini, David Sherry, Zihao Wang, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, David E. Oram, Karina E. Adcock, Stephen A. Montzka, Isobel J. Simpson, Andrea Mazzeo, Amber A. Leeson, Elliot Atlas, and Charles C.-K. Chou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13457–13475, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13457-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13457-2024, 2024
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Jianfei Wu, Wuhu Feng, Xianghui Xue, Daniel Robert Marsh, and John Maurice Campbell Plane
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12133–12141, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12133-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12133-2024, 2024
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Metal layers occur in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region 80–120 km from the ablation of cosmic dust. Nonmigrating diurnal tides are persistent global oscillations. We investigate nonmigrating diurnal tidal variations in metal layers using satellite observations and global climate model simulations; these have not been studied previously due to the limitations of measurements. The nonmigrating diurnal tides in temperature are strongly linked to the corresponding change in metal layers.
Chris Wilson, Brian J. Kerridge, Richard Siddans, David P. Moore, Lucy J. Ventress, Emily Dowd, Wuhu Feng, Martyn P. Chipperfield, and John J. Remedios
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10639–10653, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10639-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10639-2024, 2024
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The leaks from the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022 released a large amount of methane (CH4) into the atmosphere. We provide observational data from a satellite instrument that shows a large CH4 plume over the North Sea off the coast of Scandinavia. We use this together with atmospheric models to quantify the CH4 leaked into the atmosphere from the pipelines. We find that 219–427 Gg CH4 was emitted, making this the largest individual fossil-fuel-related CH4 leak on record.
Richard J. Pope, Fiona M. O'Connor, Mohit Dalvi, Brian J. Kerridge, Richard Siddans, Barry G. Latter, Brice Barret, Eric Le Flochmoen, Anne Boynard, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Matilda A. Pimlott, Sandip S. Dhomse, Christian Retscher, Catherine Wespes, and Richard Rigby
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9177–9195, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9177-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9177-2024, 2024
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Ozone is a potent air pollutant in the lower troposphere, with adverse impacts on human health. Satellite records of tropospheric ozone currently show large-scale inconsistencies in long-term trends. Our detailed study of the potential factors (e.g. satellite errors, where the satellite can observe ozone) potentially driving these inconsistencies found that, in North America, Europe, and East Asia, the underlying trends are typically small with large uncertainties.
Yang Li, Wuhu Feng, Xin Zhou, Yajuan Li, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8277–8293, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8277-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8277-2024, 2024
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The Tibetan Plateau (TP), the highest and largest plateau, experiences strong surface solar UV radiation, whose excess can cause harmful influences on local biota. Hence, it is critical to study TP ozone. We find ENSO, the strongest interannual phenomenon, tends to induce tropospheric temperature change and thus modulate tropopause variability, which in turn favours ozone change over the TP. Our results have implications for a better understanding of the interannual variability of TP ozone.
Yanlin Li, Tai-Yin Huang, Julio Urbina, Fabio Vargas, and Wuhu Feng
Ann. Geophys., 42, 285–299, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-285-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-285-2024, 2024
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This work combines lidar observation data and a new numerical sodium (Na) chemistry model, using data assimilation to study the relation between the mesospheric Na layer and the meteoric input function. Simulation captures the seasonal variability in the Na number density compared with lidar observations over the Colorado State University (CSU) lidar. The estimated global ablated meteoroid material inputs from Andes Lidar Observatory and CSU observations are 83 t d-1 and 53 t d-1, respectively.
Tinna L. Gunnarsdottir, Ingrid Mann, Wuhu Feng, Devin R. Huyghebaert, Ingemar Haeggstroem, Yasunobu Ogawa, Norihito Saito, Satonori Nozawa, and Takuya D. Kawahara
Ann. Geophys., 42, 213–228, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-213-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-213-2024, 2024
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Several tons of meteoric particles burn up in our atmosphere each day. This deposits a great deal of material that binds with other atmospheric particles and forms so-called meteoric smoke particles. These particles are assumed to influence radar measurements. Here, we have compared radar measurements with simulations of a radar spectrum with and without dust particles and found that dust influences the radar spectrum in the altitude range of 75–85 km.
Richard J. Pope, Alexandru Rap, Matilda A. Pimlott, Brice Barret, Eric Le Flochmoen, Brian J. Kerridge, Richard Siddans, Barry G. Latter, Lucy J. Ventress, Anne Boynard, Christian Retscher, Wuhu Feng, Richard Rigby, Sandip S. Dhomse, Catherine Wespes, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3613–3626, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3613-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3613-2024, 2024
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Tropospheric ozone is an important short-lived climate forcer which influences the incoming solar short-wave radiation and the outgoing long-wave radiation in the atmosphere (8–15 km) where the balance between the two yields a net positive (i.e. warming) effect at the surface. Overall, we find that the tropospheric ozone radiative effect ranges between 1.21 and 1.26 W m−2 with a negligible trend (2008–2017), suggesting that tropospheric ozone influences on climate have remained stable with time.
Ailish M. Graham, Richard J. Pope, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Sandip S. Dhomse, Matilda Pimlott, Wuhu Feng, Vikas Singh, Ying Chen, Oliver Wild, Ranjeet Sokhi, and Gufran Beig
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 789–806, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-789-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-789-2024, 2024
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Our paper uses novel satellite datasets and high-resolution emissions datasets alongside a back-trajectory model to investigate the balance of local and external sources influencing NOx air pollution changes in Delhi. We find in the post-monsoon season that NOx from local and non-local transport emissions contributes most to poor air quality in Delhi. Therefore, air quality mitigation strategies in Delhi and surrounding regions are used to control this issue.
Andrea Pazmiño, Florence Goutail, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Alain Hauchecorne, Jean-Pierre Pommereau, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Franck Lefèvre, Audrey Lecouffe, Michel Van Roozendael, Nis Jepsen, Georg Hansen, Rigel Kivi, Kimberly Strong, and Kaley A. Walker
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15655–15670, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15655-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15655-2023, 2023
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The vortex-averaged ozone loss over the last 3 decades is evaluated for both polar regions using the passive ozone tracer of the chemical transport model TOMCAT/SLIMCAT and total ozone observations from the SAOZ network and MSR2 reanalysis. Three metrics were developed to compute ozone trends since 2000. The study confirms the ozone recovery in the Antarctic and shows a potential sign of quantitative detection of ozone recovery in the Arctic that needs to be robustly confirmed in the future.
Richard J. Pope, Brian J. Kerridge, Richard Siddans, Barry G. Latter, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Matilda A. Pimlott, Sandip S. Dhomse, Christian Retscher, and Richard Rigby
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14933–14947, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14933-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14933-2023, 2023
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Ozone is a potent air pollutant, and we present the first study to investigate long-term changes in lower tropospheric column ozone (LTCO3) from space. We have constructed a merged LTCO3 dataset from GOME-1, SCIAMACHY and OMI between 1996 and 2017. Comparing LTCO3 between the 1996–2000 and 2013–2017 5-year averages, we find significant positive increases in the tropics/sub-tropics, while in the northern mid-latitudes, we find small-scale differences.
John M. C. Plane, Jörg Gumbel, Konstantinos S. Kalogerakis, Daniel R. Marsh, and Christian von Savigny
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 13255–13282, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13255-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13255-2023, 2023
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The mesosphere or lower thermosphere region of the atmosphere borders the edge of space. It is subject to extreme ultraviolet photons and charged particles from the Sun and atmospheric gravity waves from below, which tend to break in this region. The pressure is very low, which facilitates chemistry involving species in excited states, and this is also the region where cosmic dust ablates and injects various metals. The result is a unique and exotic chemistry.
Richard J. Pope, Brian J. Kerridge, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Richard Siddans, Barry G. Latter, Lucy J. Ventress, Matilda A. Pimlott, Wuhu Feng, Edward Comyn-Platt, Garry D. Hayman, Stephen R. Arnold, and Ailish M. Graham
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 13235–13253, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13235-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13235-2023, 2023
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In the summer of 2018, Europe experienced several persistent large-scale ozone (O3) pollution episodes. Satellite tropospheric O3 and surface O3 data recorded substantial enhancements in 2018 relative to other years. Targeted model simulations showed that meteorological processes and emissions controlled the elevated surface O3, while mid-tropospheric O3 enhancements were dominated by stratospheric O3 intrusion and advection of North Atlantic O3-rich air masses into Europe.
Yajuan Li, Sandip S. Dhomse, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Jianchun Bian, Yuan Xia, and Dong Guo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 13029–13047, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13029-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13029-2023, 2023
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For the first time a regularized multivariate regression model is used to estimate stratospheric ozone trends. Regularized regression avoids the over-fitting issue due to correlation among explanatory variables. We demonstrate that there are considerable differences in satellite-based and chemical-model-based ozone trends, highlighting large uncertainties in our understanding about ozone variability. We argue that caution is needed when interpreting results with different methods and datasets.
Carsten Schmidt, Lisa Küchelbacher, Sabine Wüst, and Michael Bittner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4331–4356, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4331-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4331-2023, 2023
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Two identical instruments in a parallel setup were used to observe the mesospheric OH airglow for more than 10 years (2009–2020) at 47.42°N, 10.98°E. This allows unique analyses of data quality aspects and their impact on the obtained results. During solar cycle 24 the influence of the sun was strong (∼6 K per 100 sfu). A quasi-2-year oscillation (QBO) of ±1 K is observed mainly during the maximum of the solar cycle. Unlike the stratospheric QBO the variation has a period of or below 24 months.
Michael P. Cartwright, Richard J. Pope, Jeremy J. Harrison, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Chris Wilson, Wuhu Feng, David P. Moore, and Parvadha Suntharalingam
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10035–10056, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10035-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10035-2023, 2023
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A 3-D chemical transport model, TOMCAT, is used to simulate global atmospheric carbonyl sulfide (OCS) distribution. Modelled OCS compares well with satellite observations of OCS from limb-sounding satellite observations. Model simulations also compare adequately with surface and atmospheric observations and suitably capture the seasonality of OCS and background concentrations.
René Sedlak, Andreas Welscher, Patrick Hannawald, Sabine Wüst, Rainer Lienhart, and Michael Bittner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3141–3153, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3141-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3141-2023, 2023
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We show that machine learning can help in classifying images of the OH* airglow, a thin layer in the middle atmosphere (ca. 86 km height) emitting infrared radiation, in an efficient way. By doing this,
dynamicepisodes of strong movement in the OH* airglow caused predominantly by waves can be extracted automatically from large data sets. Within these dynamic episodes, turbulent wave breaking can also be found. We use these observations of turbulence to derive the energy released by waves.
Robert Wagner, Alexander D. James, Victoria L. Frankland, Ottmar Möhler, Benjamin J. Murray, John M. C. Plane, Harald Saathoff, Ralf Weigel, and Martin Schnaiter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6789–6811, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6789-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6789-2023, 2023
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Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) play an important role in the depletion of stratospheric ozone. They can consist of different chemical species, including crystalline nitric acid hydrates. We found that mineral dust or meteoric ablation material can efficiently catalyse the formation of a specific phase of nitric acid dihydrate crystals. We determined predominant particle shapes and infrared optical properties of these crystals, which are important inputs for remote sensing detection of PSCs.
Alexander D. James, Finn Pace, Sebastien N. F. Sikora, Graham W. Mann, John M. C. Plane, and Benjamin J. Murray
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2215–2233, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2215-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2215-2023, 2023
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Here, we examine whether several materials of meteoric origin can nucleate crystallisation in stratospheric cloud droplets which would affect ozone depletion. We find that material which could fragment on atmospheric entry without melting is unlikely to be present in high enough concentration in the stratosphere to contribute to observed crystalline clouds. Material which ablates completely then forms a new solid known as meteoric smoke can provide enough nucleation to explain observed clouds.
Sabine Wüst, Michael Bittner, Patrick J. Espy, W. John R. French, and Frank J. Mulligan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 1599–1618, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1599-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1599-2023, 2023
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Ground-based OH* airglow measurements have been carried out for almost 100 years. Advanced detector technology has greatly simplified the automatic operation of OH* airglow observing instruments and significantly improved the temporal and/or spatial resolution. Studies based on long-term measurements or including a network of instruments are reviewed, especially in the context of deriving gravity wave properties. Scientific and technical challenges for the next few years are described.
Bingkun Yu, Xianghui Xue, Christopher J. Scott, Mingjiao Jia, Wuhu Feng, John M. C. Plane, Daniel R. Marsh, Jonas Hedin, Jörg Gumbel, and Xiankang Dou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 11485–11504, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11485-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11485-2022, 2022
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We present a study on the climatology of the metal sodium layer in the upper atmosphere from the ground-based measurements obtained from a lidar network, the Odin satellite measurements, and a global model of meteoric sodium in the atmosphere. Comprehensively, comparisons show good agreement and some discrepancies between ground-based observations, satellite measurements, and global model simulations.
Yajuan Li, Sandip S. Dhomse, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Andreas Chrysanthou, Yuan Xia, and Dong Guo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10635–10656, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10635-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10635-2022, 2022
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Chemical transport models forced with (re)analysis meteorological fields are ideally suited for interpreting the influence of important physical processes on the ozone variability. We use TOMCAT forced by ECMWF ERA-Interim and ERA5 reanalysis data sets to investigate the effects of reanalysis forcing fields on ozone changes. Our results show that models forced by ERA5 reanalyses may not yet be capable of reproducing observed changes in stratospheric ozone, particularly in the lower stratosphere.
Matilda A. Pimlott, Richard J. Pope, Brian J. Kerridge, Barry G. Latter, Diane S. Knappett, Dwayne E. Heard, Lucy J. Ventress, Richard Siddans, Wuhu Feng, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10467–10488, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10467-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10467-2022, 2022
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We present a new method to derive global information of the hydroxyl radical (OH), an important atmospheric oxidant. OH controls the lifetime of trace gases important to air quality and climate. We use satellite observations of ozone, carbon monoxide, methane and water vapour in a simple expression to derive OH around 3–4 km altitude. The derived OH compares well to model and aircraft OH data. We then apply the method to 10 years of satellite data to study the inter-annual variability of OH.
Davide Zanchettin, Claudia Timmreck, Myriam Khodri, Anja Schmidt, Matthew Toohey, Manabu Abe, Slimane Bekki, Jason Cole, Shih-Wei Fang, Wuhu Feng, Gabriele Hegerl, Ben Johnson, Nicolas Lebas, Allegra N. LeGrande, Graham W. Mann, Lauren Marshall, Landon Rieger, Alan Robock, Sara Rubinetti, Kostas Tsigaridis, and Helen Weierbach
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 2265–2292, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-2265-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-2265-2022, 2022
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This paper provides metadata and first analyses of the volc-pinatubo-full experiment of CMIP6-VolMIP. Results from six Earth system models reveal significant differences in radiative flux anomalies that trace back to different implementations of volcanic forcing. Surface responses are in contrast overall consistent across models, reflecting the large spread due to internal variability. A second phase of VolMIP shall consider both aspects toward improved protocol for volc-pinatubo-full.
Sandip S. Dhomse, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Ryan Hossaini, Graham W. Mann, Michelle L. Santee, and Mark Weber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 903–916, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-903-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-903-2022, 2022
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Solar flux variations associated with 11-year sunspot cycle is believed to exert important external climate forcing. As largest variations occur at shorter wavelengths such as ultra-violet part of the solar spectrum, associated changes in stratospheric ozone are thought to provide direct evidence for solar climate interaction. Until now, most of the studies reported double-peak structured solar cycle signal (SCS), but relatively new satellite data suggest only single-peak-structured SCS.
Sandip S. Dhomse, Carlo Arosio, Wuhu Feng, Alexei Rozanov, Mark Weber, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5711–5729, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5711-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5711-2021, 2021
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High-quality long-term ozone profile data sets are key to estimating short- and long-term ozone variability. Almost all the satellite (and chemical model) data sets show some kind of bias with respect to each other. This is because of differences in measurement methodologies as well as simplified processes in the models. We use satellite data sets and chemical model output to generate 42 years of ozone profile data sets using a random-forest machine-learning algorithm that is named ML-TOMCAT.
René Sedlak, Patrick Hannawald, Carsten Schmidt, Sabine Wüst, Michael Bittner, and Samo Stanič
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6821–6833, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6821-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6821-2021, 2021
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High-resolution images of the OH* airglow layer (ca. 87 km height) acquired at Otlica Observatory, Slovenia, have been analysed. A statistical analysis of small-scale wave structures with horizontal wavelengths up to 4.5 km suggests strong presence of instability features in the upper mesosphere or lower thermosphere. The dissipated energy of breaking gravity waves is derived from observations of turbulent vortices. It is concluded that dynamical heating plays a vital role in the atmosphere.
Jianfei Wu, Wuhu Feng, Han-Li Liu, Xianghui Xue, Daniel Robert Marsh, and John Maurice Campbell Plane
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15619–15630, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15619-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15619-2021, 2021
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Metal layers occur in the MLT region (80–120 km) from the ablation of cosmic dust. The latest lidar observations show these metals can reach a height approaching 200 km, which is challenging to explain. We have developed the first global simulation incorporating the full life cycle of metal atoms and ions. The model results compare well with lidar and satellite observations of the seasonal and diurnal variation of the metals and demonstrate the importance of ion mass and ion-neutral coupling.
Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath, Wuhu Feng, Rolf Müller, Pankaj Kumar, Sarath Raj, Gopalakrishna Pillai Gopikrishnan, and Raina Roy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14019–14037, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14019-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14019-2021, 2021
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The Arctic winter/spring 2020 was one of the coldest with a strong and long-lasting vortex, high chlorine activation, severe denitrification, and unprecedented ozone loss. The loss was even equal to the levels of some of the warm Antarctic winters. Total column ozone values below 220 DU for several weeks and ozone loss saturation were observed during the period. These results show an unusual meteorology and warrant dedicated studies on the impact of climate change on ozone loss.
Bingkun Yu, Xianghui Xue, Christopher J. Scott, Jianfei Wu, Xinan Yue, Wuhu Feng, Yutian Chi, Daniel R. Marsh, Hanli Liu, Xiankang Dou, and John M. C. Plane
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 4219–4230, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-4219-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-4219-2021, 2021
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A long-standing mystery of metal ions within Es layers in the Earth's upper atmosphere is the marked seasonal dependence, with a summer maximum and a winter minimum. We report a large-scale winter-to-summer transport of metal ions from 6-year multi-satellite observations and worldwide ground-based stations. A global atmospheric circulation is responsible for the phenomenon. Our results emphasise the effect of this atmospheric circulation on the transport of composition in the upper atmosphere.
Sabine Wüst, Michael Bittner, Jeng-Hwa Yee, Martin G. Mlynczak, and James M. Russell III
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 6067–6093, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-6067-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-6067-2020, 2020
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With airglow spectrometers, the temperature in the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere can be derived each night. The data allow to estimate the amount of energy which is transported by small-scale atmospheric waves, known as gravity waves. In order to do this, information about the Brunt–Väisälä frequency and its evolution during the year is necessary. This is provided here for low and midlatitudes based on 18 years of satellite data.
Benjamin Birner, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Eric J. Morgan, Britton B. Stephens, Marianna Linz, Wuhu Feng, Chris Wilson, Jonathan D. Bent, Steven C. Wofsy, Jeffrey Severinghaus, and Ralph F. Keeling
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 12391–12408, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-12391-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-12391-2020, 2020
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With new high-precision observations from nine aircraft campaigns and 3-D chemical transport modeling, we show that the argon-to-nitrogen ratio (Ar / N2) in the lowermost stratosphere provides a useful constraint on the “age of air” (the time elapsed since entry of an air parcel into the stratosphere). Therefore, Ar / N2 in combination with traditional age-of-air indicators, such as CO2 and N2O, could provide new insights into atmospheric mixing and transport.
René Sedlak, Alexandra Zuhr, Carsten Schmidt, Sabine Wüst, Michael Bittner, Goderdzi G. Didebulidze, and Colin Price
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 5117–5128, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5117-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5117-2020, 2020
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Gravity wave (GW) activity in the UMLT in the period range 6-480 min is calculated by applying a wavelet analysis to nocturnal temperature time series derived from OH* airglow spectrometers. We analyse measurements from eight different locations at different latitudes.
GW activity shows strong period dependence. We find hardly any seasonal variability for periods below 60 min and a semi-annual cycle for periods longer than 60 min that evolves into an annual cycle around a period of 200 min.
Thomas R. Lewis, Juan Carlos Gómez Martín, Mark A. Blitz, Carlos A. Cuevas, John M. C. Plane, and Alfonso Saiz-Lopez
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 10865–10887, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10865-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10865-2020, 2020
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Iodine-bearing gasses emitted from the sea surface are chemically processed in the atmosphere, leading to iodine accumulation in aerosol and transport to continental ecosystems. Such processing involves light-induced break-up of large, particle-forming iodine oxides into smaller, ozone-depleting molecules. We combine experiments and theory to report the photolysis efficiency of iodine oxides required to assess the impact of iodine on ozone depletion and particle formation.
Yajuan Li, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Sandip S. Dhomse, Richard J. Pope, Faquan Li, and Dong Guo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 8627–8639, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8627-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8627-2020, 2020
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The Tibetan Plateau (TP) exerts important thermal and dynamical effects on atmospheric circulation, climate change as well as the ozone distribution. In this study, we use updated observations and model simulations to investigate the ozone trends and variations over the TP. Wintertime TP ozone variations are largely controlled by tropical to high-latitude transport processes, whereas summertime concentrations are a combined effect of photochemical decay and tropical processes.
Stefan Noll, Holger Winkler, Oleg Goussev, and Bastian Proxauf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 5269–5292, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-5269-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-5269-2020, 2020
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Line emission from hydroxyl (OH) molecules at altitudes of about 90 km strongly contributes to the Earth's night-sky brightness and is therefore used as an important indicator of atmospheric chemistry and dynamics. However, interpreting the measurements can be ambiguous since necessary molecular parameters and the internal state of OH are not well known. Based on high-quality spectral data, we investigated these issues and found solutions for a better understanding of the OH line intensities.
Clara Orbe, David A. Plummer, Darryn W. Waugh, Huang Yang, Patrick Jöckel, Douglas E. Kinnison, Beatrice Josse, Virginie Marecal, Makoto Deushi, Nathan Luke Abraham, Alexander T. Archibald, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Sandip Dhomse, Wuhu Feng, and Slimane Bekki
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 3809–3840, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-3809-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-3809-2020, 2020
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Atmospheric composition is strongly influenced by global-scale winds that are not always properly simulated in computer models. A common approach to correct for this bias is to relax or
nudgeto the observed winds. Here we systematically evaluate how well this technique performs across a large suite of chemistry–climate models in terms of its ability to reproduce key aspects of both the tropospheric and stratospheric circulations.
Ingo Wohltmann, Ralph Lehmann, Georg A. Gottwald, Karsten Peters, Alain Protat, Valentin Louf, Christopher Williams, Wuhu Feng, and Markus Rex
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 4387–4407, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-4387-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-4387-2019, 2019
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We present a trajectory-based model for simulating the transport of air parcels by convection. Our model extends the approach of existing models by explicitly simulating vertical updraft velocities inside the clouds and the time that an air parcel spends inside the convective event.
Tasha Aylett, James S. A. Brooke, Alexander D. James, Mario Nachbar, Denis Duft, Thomas Leisner, and John M. C. Plane
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 12767–12777, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12767-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12767-2019, 2019
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Interplanetary dust particles entering the Earth's atmosphere often melt and evaporate, injecting metals such as iron and magnesium into the atmosphere between 80 and 105 km. These metals become oxidized and then coagulate into small particles a few nanometres is size, known as meteoric smoke. In this study, iron oxide smoke particles were created in the laboratory, and their composition and optical properties were determined in order to understand satellite measurements.
Matthew J. Rowlinson, Alexandru Rap, Stephen R. Arnold, Richard J. Pope, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Joe McNorton, Piers Forster, Hamish Gordon, Kirsty J. Pringle, Wuhu Feng, Brian J. Kerridge, Barry L. Latter, and Richard Siddans
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8669–8686, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8669-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8669-2019, 2019
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Wildfires and meteorology have a substantial effect on atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases such as methane and ozone. During the 1997 El Niño event, unusually large fire emissions indirectly increased global methane through carbon monoxide emission, which decreased the oxidation capacity of the atmosphere. There were also large regional changes to tropospheric ozone concentrations, but contrasting effects of fire and meteorology resulted in a small change to global radiative forcing.
Sabine Wüst, Carsten Schmidt, Patrick Hannawald, Michael Bittner, Martin G. Mlynczak, and James M. Russell III
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 6401–6418, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6401-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6401-2019, 2019
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In winter 2016, the camera system FAIM derived information about the OH* airglow at ca. 86 km height during six flights on board the research aircraft FALCON in northern Scandinavia. Coincident ground- and satellite-based measurements (GRIPS and TIMED-SABER) complete the data set. The data are analysed with respect to the temporal and spatial evolution of small-scale atmospheric dynamics just before a minor stratospheric warming. Special emphasis is placed on possible instability features.
Mario Nachbar, Henrike Wilms, Denis Duft, Tasha Aylett, Kensei Kitajima, Takuya Majima, John M. C. Plane, Markus Rapp, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4311–4322, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4311-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4311-2019, 2019
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Polar mesospheric clouds (PMC) are water ice clouds forming on nanoparticles in the polar summer mesopause. We investigate the impact of solar radiation on PMC formation in the laboratory. We show that Mie theory calculations combined with an equilibrium temperature model presented in this work predict the warming of the particles very well. Using this model we demonstrate that the impact of solar radiation on ice particle formation is significantly lower than previously assumed.
Tao Yuan, Wuhu Feng, John M. C. Plane, and Daniel R. Marsh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 3769–3777, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-3769-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-3769-2019, 2019
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The Na layer in the upper atmosphere is very sensitive to solar radiation and varies considerably during sunrise and sunset. In this paper, we use the lidar observations and an advanced model to investigate this process. We found that the variation is mostly due to the changes in several photochemical reactions involving Na compounds, especially NaHCO3. We also reveal that the Fe layer in the same region changes more quickly than the Na layer due to a faster reaction rate of FeOH to sunlight.
Patrick Hannawald, Carsten Schmidt, René Sedlak, Sabine Wüst, and Michael Bittner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 457–469, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-457-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-457-2019, 2019
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We use a near-infrared camera for the investigation of gravity waves. The camera observes the airglow layer, which is modulated by the gravity waves. The image processing, including the removal of the stars is explained. We describe the analysis with a 2D fast Fourier transform and automatic derivation of the wave parameters. The results show a clear seasonal and intra-diurnal variability, which is characterised in order to improve our understanding of gravity waves in the middle atmosphere.
Evgenia Galytska, Alexey Rozanov, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Sandip. S. Dhomse, Mark Weber, Carlo Arosio, Wuhu Feng, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 767–783, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-767-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-767-2019, 2019
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In this study we analysed ozone changes in the tropical mid-stratosphere as observed by the SCIAMACHY instrument during 2004–2012. We used simulations from TOMCAT model with different chemical and dynamical forcings to reveal primary causes of ozone changes. We also considered measured NO2 and modelled NOx, NOx, and N2O data. With modelled AoA data we identified seasonal changes in the upwelling speed and explained how those changes affect N2O chemistry which leads to observed ozone changes.
Debora Griffin, Kaley A. Walker, Ingo Wohltmann, Sandip S. Dhomse, Markus Rex, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Gloria L. Manney, Jane Liu, and David Tarasick
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 577–601, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-577-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-577-2019, 2019
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Ozone in the stratosphere is important to protect the Earth from UV radiation. Using measurements taken by the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment satellite between 2005 and 2013, we examine different methods to calculate the ozone loss in the high Arctic and establish the altitude at which most of the ozone is destroyed. Our results show that the different methods agree within the uncertainties. Recommendations are made on which methods are most appropriate to use.
Joe McNorton, Chris Wilson, Manuel Gloor, Rob J. Parker, Hartmut Boesch, Wuhu Feng, Ryan Hossaini, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 18149–18168, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-18149-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-18149-2018, 2018
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Since 2007 atmospheric methane (CH4) has been unexpectedly increasing following a 6-year hiatus. We have used an atmospheric model to attribute regional sources and global sinks of CH4 using observations for the 2003–2015 period. Model results show the renewed growth is best explained by decreased atmospheric removal, decreased biomass burning emissions, and an increased energy sector (mainly from Africa–Middle East and Southern Asia–Oceania) and wetland emissions (mainly from northern Eurasia).
John M. C. Plane, Wuhu Feng, Juan Carlos Gómez Martín, Michael Gerding, and Shikha Raizada
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 14799–14811, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14799-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14799-2018, 2018
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Meteoric ablation creates layers of metal atoms in the atmosphere around 90 km. Although Ca and Na have similar elemental abundances in most minerals found in the solar system, surprisingly the Ca abundance in the atmosphere is less than 1 % that of Na. This study uses a detailed chemistry model of Ca, largely based on laboratory kinetics measurements, in a whole-atmosphere model to show that the depletion is caused by inefficient ablation of Ca and the formation of stable molecular reservoirs.
Tao Li, Chao Ban, Xin Fang, Jing Li, Zhaopeng Wu, Wuhu Feng, John M. C. Plane, Jiangang Xiong, Daniel R. Marsh, Michael J. Mills, and Xiankang Dou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 11683–11695, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-11683-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-11683-2018, 2018
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A total of 154 nights of observations by the USTC Na temperature and wind lidar (32° N, 117° E) suggest significant seasonal variability in the mesopause. Chemistry plays an important role in Na atom formation. More than half of the observed gravity wave (GW) momentum flux (MF), whose divergence determines the GW forcing, is induced by short-period (10 min–2 h) waves. The anticorrelation between MF and zonal wind (U) suggests strong filtering of short-period GWs by semiannual oscillation U.
Maarten Krol, Marco de Bruine, Lars Killaars, Huug Ouwersloot, Andrea Pozzer, Yi Yin, Frederic Chevallier, Philippe Bousquet, Prabir Patra, Dmitry Belikov, Shamil Maksyutov, Sandip Dhomse, Wuhu Feng, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 3109–3130, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-3109-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-3109-2018, 2018
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The TransCom inter-comparison project regularly carries out studies to quantify errors in simulated atmospheric transport. This paper presents the first results of an age of air (AoA) inter-comparison of six global transport models. Following a protocol, six models simulated five tracers from which atmospheric transport times can easily be deduced. Results highlight that inter-model differences associated with atmospheric transport are still large and require further analysis.
Jens-Uwe Grooß, Rolf Müller, Reinhold Spang, Ines Tritscher, Tobias Wegner, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Douglas E. Kinnison, and Sasha Madronich
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 8647–8666, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8647-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8647-2018, 2018
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We investigate a discrepancy between model simulations and observations of HCl in the dark polar stratosphere. In early winter, the less-well-studied period of the onset of chlorine activation, observations show a much faster depletion of HCl than simulations of three models. This points to some unknown process that is currently not represented in the models. Various hypotheses for potential causes are investigated that partly reduce the discrepancy. The impact on polar ozone depletion is low.
Richard J. Pope, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Stephen R. Arnold, Norbert Glatthor, Wuhu Feng, Sandip S. Dhomse, Brian J. Kerridge, Barry G. Latter, and Richard Siddans
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 8389–8408, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8389-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8389-2018, 2018
Sabine Wüst, Thomas Offenwanger, Carsten Schmidt, Michael Bittner, Christoph Jacobi, Gunter Stober, Jeng-Hwa Yee, Martin G. Mlynczak, and James M. Russell III
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 2937–2947, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-2937-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-2937-2018, 2018
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OH*-spectrometer measurements allow the analysis of gravity wave ground-based periods, but spatial information cannot necessarily be deduced. We combine the approach of Wachter at al. (2015) in order to derive horizontal wavelengths (but based on only one OH* spectrometer) with additional information about wind and temperature and compute vertical wavelengths. Knowledge of these parameters is a precondition for the calculation of further information such as the wave group velocity.
Alexander D. James, James S. A. Brooke, Thomas P. Mangan, Thomas F. Whale, John M. C. Plane, and Benjamin J. Murray
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 4519–4531, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-4519-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-4519-2018, 2018
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Crystal nucleation in polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) has a direct impact on stratospheric chemistry and ozone. However, the mechanism of nucleation has been unclear for decades, limiting prediction of the response of ozone to atmospheric changes. We experimentally demonstrate that meteoric material can trigger nucleation heterogeneously and this can produce observed crystal concentrations in PSCs. This discovery paves the way to robust modelling of past and future trends in PSCs and ozone.
Konstantinos S. Kalogerakis, Daniel Matsiev, Philip C. Cosby, James A. Dodd, Stefano Falcinelli, Jonas Hedin, Alexander A. Kutepov, Stefan Noll, Peter A. Panka, Constantin Romanescu, and Jérôme E. Thiebaud
Ann. Geophys., 36, 13–24, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-13-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-13-2018, 2018
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The question of whether mesospheric rotational population distributions of vibrationally excited OH are in equilibrium with the local kinetic temperature has been debated over several decades. We examine the relationship of multi-quantum relaxation pathways with the behavior exhibited by OH(v) rotational population distributions and find that the effective rotational temperatures of mesospheric OH(v) deviate from local thermodynamic equilibrium for all observed vibrational levels.
Sabine Wüst, Michael Bittner, Jeng-Hwa Yee, Martin G. Mlynczak, and James M. Russell III
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 4895–4903, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4895-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4895-2017, 2017
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In the Alpine region, the most dense subnetwork of identical NDMC (Network for the Detection of Mesospheric Change) instruments can be found. With these instruments the mesopause temperature is derived each night. The data can be used for the investigation of the amount of energy which is transported by small-scale atmospheric waves, known as gravity waves, provided that the so-called Brunt–Väisälä frequency is known. Information about the variability of this parameter is provided here.
Sabine Wüst, Verena Wendt, Ricarda Linz, and Michael Bittner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 3453–3462, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-3453-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-3453-2017, 2017
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Cubic splines with equidistant spline sampling points are a common method in atmospheric science for the approximation of background conditions by means of filtering superimposed fluctuations from a data series. However, splines can generate considerable artificial oscillations in the background and the residuals. We introduce a repeating spline approach which is able to significantly reduce this phenomenon and to apply it to TIMED-SABER vertical temperature profiles from 2010 to 2014.
Martin P. Langowski, Christian von Savigny, John P. Burrows, Didier Fussen, Erin C. M. Dawkins, Wuhu Feng, John M. C. Plane, and Daniel R. Marsh
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 2989–3006, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2989-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2989-2017, 2017
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Meteoric metals form metal layers in the upper atmosphere anandplay a role in the formation of middle-atmospheric clouds and aerosols. However, the total metal influx rate is not well known. Global Na datasets from measurements and a model are available, which had not been compared yet on a global scale until this paper. Overall the agreement is good, and many differences between measurements are also found in the model simulations. However, the modeled layer altitude is too low.
Peter A. Panka, Alexander A. Kutepov, Konstantinos S. Kalogerakis, Diego Janches, James M. Russell, Ladislav Rezac, Artem G. Feofilov, Martin G. Mlynczak, and Erdal Yiğit
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 9751–9760, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-9751-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-9751-2017, 2017
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Recently, theoretical and laboratory studies have suggested an additional
nighttime channel of transfer of vibrational energy of OH molecules to CO2 in the
mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT). We show that new mechanism brings
modelled 4.3 μm emissions very close to the SABER/TIMED measurements. This
renders new opportunities for the application of the CO2 4.3 μm observations in
the study of the energetics and dynamics of the nighttime MLT.
Sarah A. Monks, Stephen R. Arnold, Michael J. Hollaway, Richard J. Pope, Chris Wilson, Wuhu Feng, Kathryn M. Emmerson, Brian J. Kerridge, Barry L. Latter, Georgina M. Miles, Richard Siddans, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3025–3057, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3025-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3025-2017, 2017
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The TOMCAT chemical transport model has been updated with the chemical degradation of ethene, propene, toluene, butane and monoterpenes. The tropospheric chemical mechanism is documented and the model is evaluated against surface, balloon, aircraft and satellite data. The model is generally able to capture the main spatial and seasonal features of carbon monoxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds and reactive nitrogen. However,
some model biases are found that require further investigation.
Wenshou Tian, Yuanpu Li, Fei Xie, Jiankai Zhang, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Yongyun Hu, Sen Zhao, Xin Zhou, Yun Yang, and Xuan Ma
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 6705–6722, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6705-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6705-2017, 2017
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Although the principal mechanisms responsible for the formation of the Antarctic ozone hole are well understood, the factors or processes that generate interannual variations in ozone levels in the southern high-latitude stratosphere remain under debate. This study finds that the SST variations across the East Asian marginal seas (5° S–35° N, 100–140° E) could modulate the southern high-latitude stratospheric ozone interannual changes.
Stefanie Unterguggenberger, Stefan Noll, Wuhu Feng, John M. C. Plane, Wolfgang Kausch, Stefan Kimeswenger, Amy Jones, and Sabine Moehler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 4177–4187, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-4177-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-4177-2017, 2017
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This study focuses on the analysis of astronomical medium-resolution spectra from the VLT in Chile to measure airglow pseudo-continuum emission of FeO in the optical regime. Compared to OH or Na emissions, this emission is difficult to measure. Using 3.5 years of spectroscopic data, we found annual and semi-annual variations of the FeO emission. Furthermore, we used WACCM to determine the quantum yield of the FeO-producing Fe + O3 reaction in the atmosphere, which has not been done before.
Jochen Stutz, Bodo Werner, Max Spolaor, Lisa Scalone, James Festa, Catalina Tsai, Ross Cheung, Santo F. Colosimo, Ugo Tricoli, Rasmus Raecke, Ryan Hossaini, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Wuhu Feng, Ru-Shan Gao, Eric J. Hintsa, James W. Elkins, Fred L. Moore, Bruce Daube, Jasna Pittman, Steven Wofsy, and Klaus Pfeilsticker
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 1017–1042, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1017-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1017-2017, 2017
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A new limb-scanning Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) instrument was developed for NASA’s Global Hawk unmanned aerial system during the Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment to study trace gases in the tropical tropopause layer. A new technique that uses in situ and DOAS O3 observations together with radiative transfer calculations allows the retrieval of mixing ratios from the slant column densities of BrO and NO2 at high accuracies of 0.5 ppt and 15 ppt, respectively.
Tamás Kovács, Wuhu Feng, Anna Totterdill, John M. C. Plane, Sandip Dhomse, Juan Carlos Gómez-Martín, Gabriele P. Stiller, Florian J. Haenel, Christopher Smith, Piers M. Forster, Rolando R. García, Daniel R. Marsh, and Martyn P. Chipperfield
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 883–898, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-883-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-883-2017, 2017
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Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a very potent greenhouse gas, which is present in the atmosphere only through its industrial use, for example as an electrical insulator. To estimate accurately the impact of SF6 emissions on climate we need to know how long it persists in the atmosphere before being removed. Previous estimates of the SF6 lifetime indicate a large degree of uncertainty. Here we use a detailed atmospheric model to calculate a current best estimate of the SF6 lifetime.
Martyn P. Chipperfield, Qing Liang, Matthew Rigby, Ryan Hossaini, Stephen A. Montzka, Sandip Dhomse, Wuhu Feng, Ronald G. Prinn, Ray F. Weiss, Christina M. Harth, Peter K. Salameh, Jens Mühle, Simon O'Doherty, Dickon Young, Peter G. Simmonds, Paul B. Krummel, Paul J. Fraser, L. Paul Steele, James D. Happell, Robert C. Rhew, James Butler, Shari A. Yvon-Lewis, Bradley Hall, David Nance, Fred Moore, Ben R. Miller, James W. Elkins, Jeremy J. Harrison, Chris D. Boone, Elliot L. Atlas, and Emmanuel Mahieu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 15741–15754, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-15741-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-15741-2016, 2016
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Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a compound which, when released into the atmosphere, can cause depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer. Its emissions are controlled under the Montreal Protocol, and its atmospheric abundance is slowly decreasing. However, this decrease is not as fast as expected based on estimates of its emissions and its atmospheric lifetime. We have used an atmospheric model to look at the uncertainties in the CCl4 lifetime and to examine the impact on its atmospheric decay.
Alfonso Saiz-Lopez, John M. C. Plane, Carlos A. Cuevas, Anoop S. Mahajan, Jean-François Lamarque, and Douglas E. Kinnison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 15593–15604, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-15593-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-15593-2016, 2016
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Electronic structure calculations are used to survey possible reactions that HOI and I2 could undergo at night in the lower troposphere, and hence reconcile measurements and models. The reactions NO3 + HOI and I2 + NO3 are included in two models to explore a new nocturnal iodine radical activation mechanism, leading to a reduction of nighttime HOI and I2. This chemistry can have a large impact on NO3 levels in the MBL, and hence upon the nocturnal oxidizing capacity of the marine atmosphere.
René Sedlak, Patrick Hannawald, Carsten Schmidt, Sabine Wüst, and Michael Bittner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 5955–5963, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5955-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5955-2016, 2016
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In this paper a SWIR airglow imager is presented. It is especially designed for the observation of small-scale gravity waves and turbulence features in the OH airglow layer with a high spatio-temporal resolution of up to 17 m (at mesopause heights) and 2.5 to 2.8 s. Two case studies show small-scale wave structures with horizontal wavelengths of approximately 550 m as well as vortex formation and decomposition of wave fronts, both indicating the onset of turbulence.
Wayne K. Hocking, Reynold E. Silber, John M. C. Plane, Wuhu Feng, and Marcial Garbanzo-Salas
Ann. Geophys., 34, 1119–1144, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1119-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1119-2016, 2016
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Meteoroids entering the atmosphere produce trails of ionized particles which can be detected with radar. The weakest ones are called underdense (the most common), the strongest are called overdense, and intermediate ones are transitional. Meteor radar signatures are used to determine atmospheric parameters like temperature and winds. We present new results which show the effect of ozone on the transitional trail lifetimes, which may eventually allow radar to measure mesospheric ozone.
Richard J. Pope, Nigel A. D. Richards, Martyn P. Chipperfield, David P. Moore, Sarah A. Monks, Stephen R. Arnold, Norbert Glatthor, Michael Kiefer, Tom J. Breider, Jeremy J. Harrison, John J. Remedios, Carsten Warneke, James M. Roberts, Glenn S. Diskin, Lewis G. Huey, Armin Wisthaler, Eric C. Apel, Peter F. Bernath, and Wuhu Feng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 13541–13559, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-13541-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-13541-2016, 2016
Anna Totterdill, Tamás Kovács, Wuhu Feng, Sandip Dhomse, Christopher J. Smith, Juan Carlos Gómez-Martín, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Piers M. Forster, and John M. C. Plane
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 11451–11463, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11451-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11451-2016, 2016
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In this study we have experimentally determined the infrared absorption cross sections of NF3 and CFC-115, calculated the radiative forcing and efficiency using two radiative transfer models and identified the effect of clouds and stratospheric adjustment. We have also determined their atmospheric lifetimes using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model.
Tamás Kovács, John M. C. Plane, Wuhu Feng, Tibor Nagy, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Pekka T. Verronen, Monika E. Andersson, David A. Newnham, Mark A. Clilverd, and Daniel R. Marsh
Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 3123–3136, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-3123-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-3123-2016, 2016
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This study was completed on D-region atmospheric model development. The sophisticated 3-D Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) and the 1-D Sodynkalä Ion and Neutral Chemistry Model (SIC) were combined in order to provide a detailed, accurate model (WACCM-SIC) that considers the processes taking place in solar proton events. The original SIC model was reduced by mechanism reduction, which provided an accurate sub-mechanism (rSIC, WACCM-rSIC) of the original model.
Stefan Noll, Wolfgang Kausch, Stefan Kimeswenger, Stefanie Unterguggenberger, and Amy M. Jones
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 5021–5042, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-5021-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-5021-2016, 2016
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We compare temperatures derived from simultaneous observations of 25 OH and two O2 mesospheric airglow bands taken with the X-shooter spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope in Chile. Considering emission and temperature profile data from the radiometer SABER on the TIMED satellite, we find significant time-dependent non-thermal contributions to the OH-based temperatures, especially for bands originating from high vibrational levels. Many studies of the mesopause region are affected.
Patrick Hannawald, Carsten Schmidt, Sabine Wüst, and Michael Bittner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 1461–1472, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-1461-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-1461-2016, 2016
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This paper presents a ground-based, short-wave infrared camera system for measurements of the OH airglow originating in the middle atmosphere. The camera has a high temporal and spatial resolution of 0.5 s and 200 m (at 90 km height), which allows for detailed observations of atmospheric waves and other transient phenomena. Details regarding the instrument, calibration and preprocessing are discussed exemplarily for an event of two superposing gravity waves with associated instability structures.
N. S. Umo, B. J. Murray, M. T. Baeza-Romero, J. M. Jones, A. R. Lea-Langton, T. L. Malkin, D. O'Sullivan, L. Neve, J. M. C. Plane, and A. Williams
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 5195–5210, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5195-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5195-2015, 2015
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Combustion ash particles nucleate ice in the immersion mode at conditions relevant to mixed-phase clouds. Hence, combustion ashes could play an important role in primary ice formation in mixed-phase clouds, especially in clouds that are formed near the emission source of these aerosol particles. From this study, there is a need to quantify the atmospheric abundance of combustion ashes in order to quantitatively assess the impact of combustion ashes on mixed-phase clouds.
S. Noll, W. Kausch, S. Kimeswenger, S. Unterguggenberger, and A. M. Jones
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 3647–3669, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3647-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3647-2015, 2015
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We discuss a high-quality data set of simultaneous observations of 25 OH bands with an astronomical echelle spectrograph. These data allowed us to analyse band-dependent OH populations and temperatures. In particular, we could find different non-LTE contributions to OH rotational temperatures depending on band, line set, and observing time. This is critical for mesopause studies that use these temperatures as a proxy of the true temperatures.
M. P. Langowski, C. von Savigny, J. P. Burrows, W. Feng, J. M. C. Plane, D. R. Marsh, D. Janches, M. Sinnhuber, A. C. Aikin, and P. Liebing
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 273–295, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-273-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-273-2015, 2015
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Global concentration fields of Mg and Mg+ in the Earth's upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere (70-150km) are presented. These are retrieved from SCIAMACHY/Envisat satellite grating spectrometer measurements in limb viewing geometry between 2008 and 2012.
These were compared with WACCM-Mg model results and a large fraction of the available measurement results for these species, and an interpretation of the results is done. The variation of these species during NLC presence is discussed.
H. Berresheim, M. Adam, C. Monahan, C. O'Dowd, J. M. C. Plane, B. Bohn, and F. Rohrer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 12209–12223, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12209-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12209-2014, 2014
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Sulfuric acid plays a major role in the formation of aerosol particles and clouds. Measurements at the west coast of Ireland reveal that oxidation of SO2 by OH explains only 20%, on average, of H2SO4 formation in coastal marine air. Additional sources may be (a) oxidation by Criegee intermediates produced photolytically and/or (b) formation from SO3 instead of SO2 in the oxidation of dimethyl sulfide, suggesting an important role of marine emissions in the self-cleaning power of the atmosphere.
Y. J. Liu, J. M. C. Plane, B. R. Clemesha, J. H. Wang, and X. W. Cheng
Ann. Geophys., 32, 1321–1332, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-1321-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-1321-2014, 2014
A. Spolaor, P. Vallelonga, J. Gabrieli, T. Martma, M. P. Björkman, E. Isaksson, G. Cozzi, C. Turetta, H. A. Kjær, M. A. J. Curran, A. D. Moy, A. Schönhardt, A.-M. Blechschmidt, J. P. Burrows, J. M. C. Plane, and C. Barbante
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 9613–9622, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-9613-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-9613-2014, 2014
S. M. MacDonald, J. C. Gómez Martín, R. Chance, S. Warriner, A. Saiz-Lopez, L. J. Carpenter, and J. M. C. Plane
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 5841–5852, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-5841-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-5841-2014, 2014
A. Spolaor, J. Gabrieli, T. Martma, J. Kohler, M. B. Björkman, E. Isaksson, C. Varin, P. Vallelonga, J. M. C. Plane, and C. Barbante
The Cryosphere, 7, 1645–1658, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1645-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1645-2013, 2013
A. Spolaor, P. Vallelonga, J. M. C. Plane, N. Kehrwald, J. Gabrieli, C. Varin, C. Turetta, G. Cozzi, R. Kumar, C. Boutron, and C. Barbante
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 6623–6635, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-6623-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-6623-2013, 2013
M. Rapp, J. M. C. Plane, B. Strelnikov, G. Stober, S. Ernst, J. Hedin, M. Friedrich, and U.-P. Hoppe
Ann. Geophys., 30, 1661–1673, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-30-1661-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-30-1661-2012, 2012
A. S. Mahajan, J. C. Gómez Martín, T. D. Hay, S.-J. Royer, S. Yvon-Lewis, Y. Liu, L. Hu, C. Prados-Roman, C. Ordóñez, J. M. C. Plane, and A. Saiz-Lopez
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 11609–11617, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-11609-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-11609-2012, 2012
Related subject area
Subject: Gases | Research Activity: Remote Sensing | Altitude Range: Mesosphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
Comparison of mesospheric sodium profile retrievals from OSIRIS and SCIAMACHY nightglow measurements
Local impact of solar variation on NO2 in the lower mesosphere and upper stratosphere from 2007 to 2012
Direct estimation of the rate constant of the reaction ClO + HO2 → HOCl + O2 from SMILES atmospheric observations
On the quality of MIPAS kinetic temperature in the middle atmosphere
Signature of the 27-day solar rotation cycle in mesospheric OH and H2O observed by the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder
Polar-night O3, NO2 and NO3 distributions during sudden stratospheric warmings in 2003–2008 as seen by GOMOS/Envisat
Variability of the nighttime OH layer and mesospheric ozone at high latitudes during northern winter: influence of meteorology
A global climatology of the mesospheric sodium layer from GOMOS data during the 2002–2008 period
First multi-year occultation observations of CO2 in the MLT by ACE satellite: observations and analysis using the extended CMAM
Spatio-temporal observations of the tertiary ozone maximum
Julia Koch, Adam Bourassa, Nick Lloyd, Chris Roth, and Christian von Savigny
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 3191–3202, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3191-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3191-2022, 2022
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The mesopause, the region of the earth's atmosphere between 85 and 100 km, is hard to access by direct measurements. Therefore we look for parameters that can be measured using satellite or ground-based measurements. In this study we researched sodium airglow, a phenomenon that occurs when sodium atoms are excited by chemical reactions. We compared satellite measurements of the airglow and resulting sodium concentration profiles to gain a better understanding of the sodium in that region.
F. Friederich, M. Sinnhuber, B. Funke, T. von Clarmann, and J. Orphal
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 4055–4064, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-4055-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-4055-2014, 2014
K. Kuribayashi, H. Sagawa, R. Lehmann, T. O. Sato, and Y. Kasai
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 255–266, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-255-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-255-2014, 2014
M. García-Comas, B. Funke, M. López-Puertas, D. Bermejo-Pantaleón, N. Glatthor, T. von Clarmann, G. Stiller, U. Grabowski, C. D. Boone, W. J. R. French, T. Leblanc, M. J. López-González, and M. J. Schwartz
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 6009–6039, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-6009-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-6009-2012, 2012
A. V. Shapiro, E. Rozanov, A. I. Shapiro, S. Wang, T. Egorova, W. Schmutz, and Th. Peter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 3181–3188, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-3181-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-3181-2012, 2012
V. F. Sofieva, N. Kalakoski, P. T. Verronen, S.-M. Päivärinta, E. Kyrölä, L. Backman, and J. Tamminen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 1051–1066, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-1051-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-1051-2012, 2012
A. Damiani, M. Storini, M. L. Santee, and S. Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 10291–10303, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-10291-2010, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-10291-2010, 2010
D. Fussen, F. Vanhellemont, C. Tétard, N. Mateshvili, E. Dekemper, N. Loodts, C. Bingen, E. Kyrölä, J. Tamminen, V. Sofieva, A. Hauchecorne, F. Dalaudier, J.-L. Bertaux, G. Barrot, L. Blanot, O. Fanton d'Andon, T. Fehr, L. Saavedra, T. Yuan, and C.-Y. She
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 9225–9236, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-9225-2010, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-9225-2010, 2010
S. R. Beagley, C. D. Boone, V. I. Fomichev, J. J. Jin, K. Semeniuk, J. C. McConnell, and P. F. Bernath
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 1133–1153, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-1133-2010, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-1133-2010, 2010
V. F. Sofieva, E. Kyrölä, P. T. Verronen, A. Seppälä, J. Tamminen, D. R. Marsh, A. K. Smith, J.-L. Bertaux, A. Hauchecorne, F. Dalaudier, D. Fussen, F. Vanhellemont, O. Fanton d'Andon, G. Barrot, M. Guirlet, T. Fehr, and L. Saavedra
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 4439–4445, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-4439-2009, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-4439-2009, 2009
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Short summary
The Earth's nighttime radiation in the range from the near-UV to the near-IR mainly originates between 75 and 105 km and consists of lines of different species, which are important indicators of the chemistry and dynamics at these altitudes. Based on astronomical spectra, we have characterised the structure and variability of a pseudo-continuum of a high number of faint lines and discovered a new emission process in the near-IR. By means of simulations, we identified HO2 as the likely emitter.
The Earth's nighttime radiation in the range from the near-UV to the near-IR mainly originates...
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