Articles | Volume 24, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1389-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1389-2024
Research article
 | 
30 Jan 2024
Research article |  | 30 Jan 2024

Air quality and radiative impacts of downward-propagating sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs)

Ryan S. Williams, Michaela I. Hegglin, Patrick Jöckel, Hella Garny, and Keith P. Shine

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Subject: Gases | Research Activity: Atmospheric Modelling and Data Analysis | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
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Cited articles

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Short summary
During winter, a brief but abrupt reversal of the mean stratospheric westerly flow (~30 km high) around the Arctic occurs ~6 times a decade. Using a chemistry–climate model, about half of these events are shown to induce large anomalies in Arctic ozone (>25 %) and water vapour (>±25 %) around ~8–12 km altitude for up to 2–3 months, important for weather forecasting. We also calculate a doubling to trebling of the risk in breaches of mid-latitude surface air quality (ozone) standards (~60 ppbv).
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