Dynamical modelling of wintertime lidar observations in the arctic : Ozone laminae and ozone depletion

• Published in: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
• Main Authors: Orsolini, Y. J., Hansen, G., Hoppe, U.‐P., Manney, G. L., Fricke, K. H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1997
• Subjects: Arctic; Norway; Northern Norway
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/qj.49712353913; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fqj.49712353913; https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/qj.49712353913

Abstract A series of lower stratospheric ozone profiles taken by a lidar during February 1995 in northern Norway are examined. the instrument location allowed continuous monitoring of rapidly evolving layered ozone structures, or laminae, near the polar vortex edge. Observations under the vortex edge revealed laminae extending up to 20 km. Moreover, when the lidar was sampling vortex air, a thicker layer, characterized by unusually low mixing ratios, was also observed, thereby confirming satellite observations of Arctic ozone depletion during the winter 1994/95. To unravel the respective role of dynamics and chemistry in generating these ozone‐depleted layers requires better understanding of trace constituent lamination and filamentation through numerical modelling. High‐resolution modelled realistic transport of idealized tracers and satellite‐derived ozone on many isentropes is therefore used to reconstruct fine‐scale three‐dimensional tracer fields. Tilted tracer or ozone sheets, peeled off near the vortex edge, lead to the formation of laminae in profiles. the model shows remarkable success in reproducing laminae intensification, thickening and lofting, analogous to the ones observed by the lidar over the course of a few hours.