Changes in Column Ozone Correlated with the Stratospheric EP Flux

[摘要] Variability in planetary wave forcing from the troposphere to the stratosphere is reflected in changes in ozone transport, due to fluctuations in the stratospheric Brewer-Dobson circulation and eddy mixing. This work examines the space-time patterns of correlations between column ozone tendency and planetary wave Eliassen-Palm (EP) flux into the lower stratosphere, using monthly mean data for 1979-2000. Strong correlations are found during winter-spring in both hemispheres, with out-of-phase ozone changes between the tropics and middle-high latitudes. Springtime polar ozone is strongly influenced by wave forcing in both the Arctic and Antarctic. The ozone tendency-wave forcing correlations are combined with observed variations in EP flux to estimate the dynamic contribution to decadal-scale NH ozone trends. These calculations suggest that interannual changes in EP flux contribute∼20-30% of the observed trends in column ozone over 35-60°N during the past two decades.

[学科分类] 大气科学