C. von Savigny

Polar vortex evolution during the 2002 Antarctic major warming as observed by the Odin satellite

In September 2002 the Antarctic polar vortex split in two under the influence of a sudden warming. During this event, the Odin satellite was able to measure both ozone (O3) and chlorine monoxide (ClO), a key constituent responsible for the so-called “ozone hole”, together with nitrous oxide (N2O), a dynamical tracer, and nitric acid (HNO3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), tracers of denitrification. The submillimeter radiometer (SMR) microwave instrument and the Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System (OSIRIS) UV-visible light spectrometer (VIS) and IR instrument on board Odin have sounded the polar vortex during three different periods: before (19–20 September), during (24–25 September), and after (1–2 and 4–5 October) the vortex split. Odin observations coupled with the Reactive Processes Ruling the Ozone Budget in the Stratosphere (REPROBUS) chemical transport model at and above 500 K isentropic surfaces (heights above 18 km) reveal that on 19–20 September the Antarctic vortex was dynamically stable and chemically nominal: denitrified, with a nearly complete chlorine activation, and a 70% O3 loss at 500 K. On 25–26 September the unusual morphology of the vortex is monitored by the N2O observations. The measured ClO decay is consistent with other observations performed in 2002 and in the past. The vortex split episode is followed by a nearly complete deactivation of the ClO radicals on 1–2 October, leading to the end of the chemical O3 loss, while HNO3 and NO2 fields start increasing. This acceleration of the chlorine deactivation results from the warming of the Antarctic vortex in 2002, putting an early end to the polar stratospheric cloud season. The model simulation suggests that the vortex elongation toward regions of strong solar irradiance also favored the rapid reformation of ClONO2. The observed dynamical and chemical evolution of the 2002 polar vortex is qualitatively well reproduced by REPROBUS. Quantitative differences are mainly attributable to the too weak amounts of HNO3 in the model, which do not produce enough NO2 in presence of sunlight to deactivate chlorine as fast as observed by Odin.

Ozone and temperature trends in the upper stratosphere at five stations of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change

Upper stratospheric ozone anomalies from the satellite-borne Solar Backscatter Ultra-Violet (SBUV), Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II), Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS), and Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography (SCIAMACHY) instruments agree within 5% or better with ground-based data from lidars and microwave radiometers at five stations of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC), from 45°S to 48°N. From 1979 until the late 1990s, all available data show a clear decline of ozone near 40 km, by 10%–15%. This decline has not continued in the last 10 years. At some sites, ozone at 40 km appears to have increased since 2000, consistent with the beginning decline of stratospheric chlorine. The phaseout of chlorofluorocarbons after the International Montreal Protocol in 1987 has been successful, and is now showing positive effects on ozone in the upper stratosphere. Temperature anomalies near 40 km altitude from European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast reanalyses (ERA-40), from National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) operational analyses, and from HALOE and lidar measurements show good consistency at the five stations, within about 3 K. Since about 1985, upper stratospheric temperatures have been fluctuating around a constant level at all five NDACC stations. This non-decline of upper stratospheric temperatures is a significant change from the more or less linear cooling of the upper stratosphere up until the mid-1990s, reported in previous trend assessments. It is also at odds with the almost linear 1 K per decade cooling simulated over the entire 1979–2010 period by chemistry–climate models (CCMs). The same CCM simulations, however, track the historical ozone anomalies quite well, including the change of ozone tendency in the late 1990s.

The Ozone Hole Breakup in September 2002 as Seen by SCIAMACHY on ENVISAT

An unprecedented stratospheric warming in the Southern Hemisphere in September 2002 led to the breakup of the Antarctic ozone hole into two parts. The Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography (SCIAMACHY) on the European Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT ) performed continuous observations of limb-scattered solar radiance spectra throughout the stratospheric warming. Thereby, global measurements of vertical profiles of several important minor constituents are provided with a vertical resolution of about 3 km. In this study, stratospheric profiles of O3 ,N O 2, and BrO retrieved from SCIAMACHY limb-scattering observations together with polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) observations for selected days prior to (12 September), during (27 September), and after (2 October) the ozone hole split are employed to provide a picture of the temporal evolution of the Antarctic stratosphere’s three-dimensional structure.

Latitudinal and vertical distribution of bromine monoxide in the lower stratosphere from Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography limb scattering measurements

[1] Vertical profiles of stratospheric bromine monoxide (BrO) in the 15–30 km range are retrieved from SCIAMACHY limb scatter data over the globe. First validation comparisons with the balloon-borne SAOZ-BrO and LPMA/DOAS instruments indicate retrieval biases of � 20% or less. Propagated spectral fitting uncertainties lead to a precision approaching � 25% on a 2 km grid at 25 km. This worsens at higher altitudes because of reduced signal and at lower altitudes because of the reduced penetrability of the atmosphere. In terms of volume mixing ratio (VMR), the single profile precision increases from � 4 pptv at 17 km to � 8 pptv at 27 km. Repeatability, an alternative indicator of precision, is 2–3 pptv for SCIAMACHY retrievals and independent of altitude. The BrO stratospheric number density peak generally lies 5 ± 2 km above the tropopause. In the tropics, the stratospheric BrO VMR generally increases with increasing altitude. The observed stratospheric BrO global distribution is generally consistent with previous balloon measurements but does not agree well with results of a model that uses Bry inferred only from the observed breakdown of long-lived bromoalkanes (i.e., methyl bromide and halons). We find best agreement with the observed vertical and latitudinal distribution of BrO for model results that include an 8.4 ± 2 pptv contribution to stratospheric Bry, most of which is expected from the breakdown of VSL (very short lived) bromocarbons, in addition to the � 16 pptv contribution from longer-lived sources. This suggests that stratospheric Bry exceeds 20 pptv. Profiles of Bry profiles derived from the balloon measurements of BrO also suggest Bry is in excess of 20 pptv, but the uncertainty and variability of these results do not allow us to definitively rule out this concentration. We find typical BrO VMRs of � 4 pptv at 15 km in the tropical tropopause layer, suggesting that a significant portion of the bromine from VSL bromoalkane sources may be carried across the tropopause in the form of inorganic decomposition products. We discuss a variety of VSL bromocarbons species that may be contributing to the elevated concentrations of stratospheric BrO.

Comparison of the Odin/OSIRIS stratospheric ozone profiles with coincident POAM III and ozonesonde measurements

We present first statistical comparison results for stratospheric ozone density profiles retrieved from Odin/OSIRIS limb scattered radiance with 1220 coincident POAM III and 205 coincident ozonesonde measurements. Profiles are compared on a monthly basis from November 2001 to October 2002. Most of the time, differences between OSIRIS mean profiles and those measured by POAM III and ozonesondes were 5-7% between 15 km and 32 km, and within 15% above 32 km. In April-July 2002, OSIRIS mean profiles appear shifted downward by ∼1 km, introducing a difference of about 10% with POAM III and about 25% with ozonesonde profiles between 15 km and 32 km. This study demonstrates that outside the April-July 2002 period, the OSIRIS ozone profiles agree well with coincident ozonesonde and POAM III ozone profiles and make a valuable addition to the international ozone database available for research into global ozone change.

OSIRIS A Decade of Scattered Light

Into year 11 of a 2-yr mission, OSIRIS is redefining how limb-scattered sunlight can be used to probe the atmosphere, even into the upper troposphere.

SCIAMACHY on ENVISAT: in-flight optical performance and first results

The Scanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) is a contribution to the ENVISAT-1 satellite, which has been launched in March 2002. The SCIAMACHY instrument measures sunlight transmitted, reflected and scattered by the Earths atmosphere or surface simultaneously from the UV to the SWIR spectral region (214 - 2380 nm) in nadir, limb, and occultation viewing geometry. SCIAMACHY allows the characterisation of the composition of the Earth atmosphere from the ground to the mesosphere. This paper gives an overview of the SCIAMACHY instrument and its in-flight detector, spectral and radiometric performance. Furthermore first results on trace gas retrieval from limb and nadir measurement mode will be summarised.

Intercomparison of ozone profile measurements from ASUR, SCIAMACHY, MIPAS, OSIRIS, and SMR

The airborne submillimeter radiometer ( ASUR) was deployed onboard the Falcon research aircraft during the scanning imaging absorption spectrometer for atmospheric cartography ( SCIAMACHY) validation and utilization experiment ( SCIAVALUE) and the European polar stratospheric cloud and lee wave experiment ( EuPLEx) campaigns. A large number of ozone profile measurements were performed over a latitude band spanning from 5 degrees S to 80 degrees N in September 2002 and February/March 2003 during the SCIAVALUE and around the northern polar latitudes in January/February 2003 during the EuPLEx. Both missions amassed an ample microwave ozone profile data set that is used to make quantitative comparisons with satellite measurements in order to assess the quality of the satellite retrievals. In this paper, the ASUR ozone profile measurements are compared with measurements from SCIAMACHY and Michelson interferometer for passive atmospheric sounding ( MIPAS) on Environmental Satellite and optical spectrograph and infrared imager system ( OSIRIS) and submillimeter radiometer ( SMR) on the Odin satellite. The cross comparisons with the criterion that the ASUR measurements are performed within +/- 1000 km and +/- 6 hrs of the satellite observations show a good agreement with all the four satellite sensors. The differences in data values are the following: -4 to +8% for ASUR-SCIAMACHY ( operational product, v2.1), within +/- 15% for ASUR-SCIAMACHY ( scientific product, v1.62), up to +6% for ASUR-MIPAS ( operational product v4.61) and ASUR- MIPAS ( scientific product v1-O(3)-1), up to 17% for ASUR- OSIRIS ( v012), and -6 to 17% for ASUR- SMR ( v222) between the 20- and 40- km altitude range depending on latitude. Thus, the intercomparisons provide important quantitative information about the quality of the satellite ozone profiles, which has to be considered when using the data for scientific analyses.

Lunar semidiurnal tide in the terrestrial airglow

We report on lunar semidiurnal tidal signatures in several parameters of the terrestrial airglow, including OI green line emission rates, OH(3-1) emission rates, as well as OH emission altitude, atomic oxygen, and OH(3-1) rotational temperature in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere region. The parameters were retrieved from spaceborne measurements of nightglow emissions at low latitudes with the Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography instrument on the Envisat satellite. The identified lunar tidal signatures in airglow emissions have amplitudes of a few percent and are highly significant statistically. Moreover, the signatures observed in the different parameters analyzed show a coherent behavior consistent with the view that they are caused by vertical motions associated with vertical transport of atomic oxygen and adiabatic cooling/heating. The observed lunar semidiurnal tidal signature in temperature is in good agreement with model simulations with the global scale wave model.

SCIAMACHY’s View of the Changing Earth’s Environment

Since August 2002 SCIAMACHY delivers a wealth of high-quality data permitting to study the status of the Earth’s atmosphere. Enhanced concentrations of greenhouse gases are identified as the major source of global warming and their atmospheric concentrations are increasing. SCIAMACHY monitors the most prominent species such as CO2, CH4 and water vapour, the latter including isotope variants. Further anthropogenic impacts on the troposphere occur by emission of reactive trace gases contributing to pollution and affecting air quality. With SCIAMACHY their global, regional and even local signatures can be detected. Long-term analyses document how the emissions of NO2, SO2, HCHO, CHOCHO and CO evolve with time. In addition, the halogen cycle of polar BrO and IO, both of natural origin, is studied. The stratosphere is the layer where public interest in the Earth’s atmosphere has begun to grow with the detection of the ozone hole in the mid-1980s. Until the mid-1990s a steady decrease has been observed in the ozone abundance. The most striking feature is the massive loss of stratospheric ozone over Antarctica during each southern spring. In order to detect possible signs of recovery, SCIAMACHY contributes to the continuous monitoring of the ozone layer, the ozone hole, Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSC) and species impacting the ozone chemistry such as NO2, OClO and BrO. A much more poorly explored region is the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, which forms the transition between interplanetary space and the terrestrial atmosphere. This region is dominated by extraterrestrial impacts as well as couplings to the lower atmosphere. With SCIAMACHY’s limb viewing capabilities Noctilucent Clouds (NLC) are studied providing insight into generation and depletion mechanisms. At times of strong solar activity, SCIAMACHY measurements reveal how the chemistry of the upper atmosphere is disturbed. By analysis of emission lines in SCIAMACHY spectra the composition of the thermosphere above 100 km can be studied. SCIAMACHY is the first instrument to globally observe the metal layers in the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) region. When applying appropriate retrieval techniques it is meanwhile possible to derive vegetation information over land and phytoplankton characteristics in the oceans from SCIAMACHY data. Finally SCIAMACHY even has proven useful in planetary science by measuring spectra of our solar system neighbour Venus.