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The First Twenty Years (1994 2014) of Ozone Soundings from Rapa Nui (27 deg S, 109 deg W, 51 m a.s.l.)Ozone (O3) soundings have been performed on Easter Island or Rapa Nui (27 8S, 109 8W, 51 m a.s.l.) since 1994 as part of the Global Atmospheric Watch Programme of the World Meteorological Organization. In this work, we analyze 260 soundings compiled over the period 19942014, and make the data available for the international community. We characterize O3 profiles over this remote area of the Pacific by means of statistical analyses that consider, on the one hand, a traditional climatology that describes the data in terms of seasonal cycles based on monthly averages and, on the other hand, a process-oriented analysis based on self-organizing maps. Our analyses show the influence of both tropical and subtropical/mid-latitude air masses at Rapa Nui. The former occurs in summer and fall when convective conditions prevail, and the latter in late winter and spring when subsiding conditions are recurrent. The occurrence of stratospheric intrusions in late winter and spring in connection with deep troughs and the presence of the subtropical jet stream is also apparent in the data set. The tropospheric ozone column is in good agreement with the corresponding data derived from satellites but with a systematic overestimate of summer and fall values. There is evidence of an upward trend in ozone near the surface, which suggests the impact of local pollution. We look forward to an enhancement of the Rapa Nui observing site, given its location that offers a privileged position to observe climate change over the sparsely sampled and vast South Pacific Ocean.
Document ID
20170001798
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Gallardo, Laura
(Chile Univ. Santiago, Chile)
Henriquez, Adolfo
(Chile Univ. Santiago, Chile)
Thompson, Anne M.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Rondanelli, Roberto
(Chile Univ. Santiago, Chile)
Carrasco, Jorge
(Magallanes Univ. Punta Arenas, Chile)
Orfanoz-Cheuquelaf, Andrea
(Chile Univ. Santiago, Chile)
Velasquez, Patricio
(Direccion Meteorologica de Chile Santiago, Chile)
Date Acquired
February 28, 2017
Publication Date
January 24, 2017
Publication Information
Publication: Tellus B Chemical and Physical Meteorology
Publisher: Informa UK (Taylor & Francis)
Volume: 68
Issue: 1
e-ISSN: 1600-0889
Subject Category
Geosciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN39588
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX09AJ23G
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
tropical and subtropical/mid-latitude air masses
stratospheric intrusions

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