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Observational evidence and dynamical interpretation of the total ozone variations in the equatorial regionThe total ozone amount is sensitive to the general circulation changes in the lower stratosphere due to the photochemically inactive nature of ozone there. In the equatorial region, such circulation changes arise from the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of the stratospheric zonal wind and the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In the first half of this study we present observational results of the long-term variations in the equatorial ozone field using the 11 year Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data, by paying special attention to the longitudinal structure. In the latter half we try to understand quantitatively these variations by using a simple mechanistic relationship. We hypothesis that the ozone modulating processes are attributable to two dynamical effects, the advection effect and tropopause effect, owing to the strong vertical stratification of ozone existing just above the tropopause. The advection effect comes from the vertical motion which maintains the temperature structure, compensating for the radiative damping. The tropopause effect is associated with the altitude change of the tropopause. The total ozone variations in the tropics is discussed in terms of these two dynamical processes with the aid of mechanistic equations combined with the wind and sea surface temperature (SST) observations. The interactions between tropical and extratropical latitudes are beyond the scope of this study. Photochemical effects are also neglected. Details of this study are given by Shiotani (1992) and Hasebe (1992).
Document ID
19950004252
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Shiotani, Masato
(Kyoto Univ.)
Hasebe, Fumio
(Kyoto Univ.)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
April 1, 1994
Publication Information
Publication: NASA. Goddard Space Flight Center, Ozone in the Troposphere and Stratosphere, Part 1
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Accession Number
95N10664
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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