Evolution of the eastward shift in the quasi-stationary minimum of the Antarctic total ozone column

The quasi-stationary pattern of the Antarctic total ozone has changed during the last 4 decades, showing an eastward shift in the zonal ozone minimum. In this work, the association between the longitudinal shift of the zonal ozone minimum and changes in meteorological fields in austral spring (September–November) for 1979–2014 is analyzed using ERA-Interim and NCEP–NCAR reanalyses. Regressive, correlative and anomaly composite analyses are applied to reanalysis data. Patterns of the Southern Annular Mode and quasi-stationary zonal waves 1 and 3 in the meteorological fields show relationships with interannual variability in the longitude of the zonal ozone minimum. On decadal timescales, consistent longitudinal shifts of the zonal ozone minimum and zonal wave 3 pattern in the middle-troposphere temperature at the southern midlatitudes are shown. Attribution runs of the chemistry–climate version of the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS-CCM) model suggest that long-term shifts of the zonal ozone minimum are separately contributed by changes in ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases. As is known, Antarctic ozone depletion in spring is strongly projected on the Southern Annular Mode in summer and impacts summertime surface climate across the Southern Hemisphere. The results of this study suggest that changes in zonal ozone asymmetry accompanying ozone depletion could be associated with regional climate changes in the Southern Hemisphere in spring

The Antarctic ozone hole during 2017

We review the 2017 Antarctic ozone hole, making use of various meteorological reanalyses, and in-situ, satellite and ground-based measurements of ozone and related trace gases, and ground-based measurements of ultraviolet radiation. The 2017 ozone hole was associated with relatively high-ozone concentrations over the Antarctic region compared to other years, and our analysis ranked it in the smallest 25% of observed ozone holes in terms of size. The severity of stratospheric ozone loss was comparable with that which occurred in 2002 (when the stratospheric vortex exhibited an unprecedented major warming) and most years prior to 1989 (which were early in the development of the ozone hole). Disturbances to the polar vortex in August and September that were associated with intervals of anomalous planetary wave activity resulted in significant erosion of the polar vortex and the mitigation of the overall level of ozone depletion. The enhanced wave activity was favoured by below-average westerly winds at high southern latitudes during winter, and the prevailing easterly phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). Using proxy information on the chemical make-up of the polar vortex based on the analysis of nitrous oxide and the likely influence of the QBO, we suggest that the concentration of inorganic chlorine, which plays a key role in ozone loss, was likely similar to that in 2014 and 2016, when the ozone hole was larger than that in 2017. Finally, we found that the overall severity of Antarctic ozone loss in 2017 was largely dictated by the timing of the disturbances to the polar vortex rather than interannual variability in the level of inorganic chlorine

Investigation of the Vertical Influence of the 11-Year Solar Cycle on Ozone Using SBUV and Antarctic Ground-Based Measurements and CMIP6 Forcing Data

The 11-year solar activity cycle in the vertical ozone distribution over the Antarctic station Faraday/Vernadsky in the Antarctic Peninsula region (65.25° S, 64.27° W) was analyzed using the Solar Backscatter Ultra Violet (SBUV) radiometer data Version 8.6 Merged Ozone Data Sets (MOD) over the 40-year period 1979–2018. The SBUV MOD ozone profiles are presented as partial column ozone in layers with approximately 3-km altitude increments from the surface to the lower mesosphere (1000–0.1 hPa, or 0–64 km). Periodicities in the ozone time series of the layer data were studied using wavelet transforms. A statistically significant signal with a quasi-11-year period consistent with solar activity forcing was found in the lower–middle stratosphere at 22–31 km in ozone over Faraday/Vernadsky, although signals with similar periods were not significant in the total column measurements made by the Dobson spectrophotometer at the site. For comparison with other latitudinal zones, the relative contribution of the wavelet spectral power of the quasi-11-year periods to the 2–33-year period range on the global scale was estimated. While a significant solar activity signal exists in the tropical lower and upper stratosphere and in the lower mesosphere in SBUV MOD, we did not find evidence of similar signals in the ozone forcing data for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). In the extratropical lower–middle stratosphere and lower mesosphere, there is a strong hemispheric asymmetry in solar activity–ozone response, which is dominant in the Southern Hemisphere. In general, the results are consistent with other studies and highlight the sensitivity of ozone in the lower–middle stratosphere over the Antarctic Peninsula region to the 11-year solar cycle

The Major Sudden Stratospheric Warming Impact on Mid-Latitude Surface Weather

The possible relation of a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) with the mid-latitude surface weather conditions was investigated using data from the ERA-Interim and NCEP–NCAR reanalyzes. An important feature of the SSW event is the impact on lower altitudes, when temperature and wind anomalies descend downward into the high- and mid-latitude troposphere during the weeks or even month and influence the surface weather [1, 2]. Owing to known SSW impacts on the surface weather [2], we consider the possible relation of the SSW event in winter 2018 to cold weather anomaly in the Northern Ukraine and North-East China in February 2018

ULF Activity in the Earth Environment: Penetration of Electric Field from the Near-Ground Source to the Ionosphere under Different Configurations of the Geomagnetic Field

The problem with the penetration of electric fields from atmospheric near-Earth electric current sources to the ionosphere is investigated both within the dynamic simulations of the Maxwell equations in the frequency domain and within the simplified quasi-electrostatic approach. Two cases of the geomagnetic field lines are considered. The first case is the penetration of the geomagnetic field lines deeply into the magnetosphere (open field lines), whereas the second one is the return of these lines into the Earth’s surface (closed field lines). The proper boundary conditions are formulated. It is demonstrated that in the case of the open field lines the results of the dynamic simulations differ essentially from the quasi-electrostatic approach, which is not valid there. In the case of the closed field lines, the results of simulations are practically the same both within the dynamic approach and within the quasi-electrostatic one. From realistic values of the densities of atmospheric electric currents ~0.1 µA/m2, the values of the electric fields within the ionosphere F-layer may reach about 1–10 mV/m

The Major Sudden Stratospheric Warming Impact on Mid-Latitude Surface Weather

The possible relation of a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) with the mid-latitude surface weather conditions was investigated using data from the ERA-Interim and NCEP–NCAR reanalyzes. An important feature of the SSW event is the impact on lower altitudes, when temperature and wind anomalies descend downward into the high- and mid-latitude troposphere during the weeks or even month and influence the surface weather [1, 2]. Owing to known SSW impacts on the surface weather [2], we consider the possible relation of the SSW event in winter 2018 to cold weather anomaly in the Northern Ukraine and North-East China in February 2018

Rossby Waves in Total Ozone over the Arctic in 2000–2021

The purpose of this work is to study Rossby wave parameters in total ozone over the Arctic in 2000–2021. We consider the averages in the January–March period, when stratospheric trace gases (including ozone) in sudden stratospheric warming events are strongly disturbed by planetary waves. To characterize the wave parameters, we analyzed ozone data at the latitudes of 50°N (the sub-vortex area), 60°N (the polar vortex edge) and 70°N (inner region of the polar vortex). Total ozone column (TOC) measurements over a 22-year time interval were used from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer/Earth Probe and Ozone Mapping Instrument/Aura satellite observations. The TOC zonal distribution and variations in the Fourier spectral components with zonal wave numbers m = 1–5 are presented. The daily and interannual variations in TOC, amplitudes and phases of the spectral wave components, as well as linear trends in the amplitudes of the dominant quasi-stationary wave 1 (QSW1), are discussed. The positive TOC peaks inside the vortex in 2010 and 2018 alternate with negative ones in 2011 and 2020. The extremely low TOC at 70°N in 2020 corresponds to severe depletion of stratospheric ozone over the Arctic in strong vortex conditions due to anomalously low planetary wave activity and a high positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation. Interannual TOC variations in the sub-vortex region at 50°N are accompanied by a negative trend of −4.8 Dobson Units per decade in the QSW1 amplitude, statistically significant at 90% confidence level, while the trend is statistically insignificant in the vortex edge region and inside the vortex due to the increased variability in TOC and QSW1. The processes associated with quasi-circumpolar migration and quasi-stationary oscillation of the wave-1 phase depending on the polar vortex strength in 2020 and 2021 are discussed

Planetary Wave Spectrum in the Stratosphere–Mesosphere during Sudden Stratospheric Warming 2018

The planetary wave activity in the stratosphere–mesosphere during the Arctic major Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) in February 2018 is discussed on the basis of microwave radiometer (MWR) measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) above Kharkiv, Ukraine (50.0° N, 36.3° E) and the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) measurements of CO, temperature and geopotential heights. From the MLS data, eastward and westward migrations of wave 1/wave 2 spectral components were differentiated, to which less attention was paid in previous studies. Abrupt changes in zonal wave spectra occurred with the zonal wind reversal near 10 February 2018. Eastward wave 1 and wave 2 were observed before the SSW onset and disappeared during the SSW event, when westward wave 1 became dominant. Wavelet power spectra of mesospheric CO variations showed statistically significant periods of 20–30 days using both MWR and MLS data. Although westward wave 1 in the mesosphere dominated with the onset of the SSW 2018, it developed independently of stratospheric dynamics. Since the propagation of upward planetary waves was limited in the easterly zonal flow in the stratosphere during SSW, forced planetary waves in the mid-latitude mesosphere may exist due to the instability of the zonal flow

Spectral Analysis and Information Entropy Approaches to Data of VLF Disturbances in the Waveguide Earth-Ionosphere

Very low frequency (VLF) signals are considered as an important tool to study ionosphere disturbances. We have studied variations in signal amplitude of the Japanese JJI transmitter received by a network of eight Japan stations. The distinctions between characteristics of daytime and nighttime disturbances are considered. Signal processing based on spectral analysis is used to evaluate typical periodicities in the VLF signals in the time range from minutes to hours. In particular, we have retrieved quasi-wave oscillations of the received signal with periods of 4–10 and 20–25 min, which can be associated with atmospheric gravity waves excited by the solar terminator, earthquakes or other reasons. In addition, oscillations at periods of 3–4 h are observed, probably, caused by long-period gravity waves. We also calculate the information entropy to identify main details in daily VLF variations and influence of solar flares. It is shown that the information entropy increases near sunrise and sunset with seasonal variation, and that solar flares also lead to the growth in information entropy. A theoretical interpretation is given to the typical features of ultra-low frequency modulation of VLF electronagnetic wave spectra in Waveguide Earth-Ionosphere, found by processing the experimental data