Details:

Journal Title:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Personal Author:
Stauffer, Ryan M. ; Thompson, Anne M. ; Oltmans, Samuel J. ; Johnson, Bryan J.
Stauffer, Ryan M. ; Thompson, Anne M. ; Oltmans, Samuel J. ; Johnson, Bryan J. Less -
NOAA Program & Office:
OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; ESRL (Earth System Research Laboratory) ; CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) ; GML (Global Monitoring Laboratory)
OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; ESRL (Earth System Research Laboratory) ; CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) ; GML (Global Monitoring Laboratory) Less -
Description:
Much attention has been focused on the transport of ozone (O-3) to the western U.S., particularly given the latest revision of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard to 70 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) of O-3. This makes quantifying the contributions of stratosphere-to-troposphere exchange, local pollution, and pollution transport to this region essential. To evaluate free-tropospheric and surface O-3 in the western U.S., we use self-organizing maps to cluster 18 years of ozonesonde profiles from Trinidad Head, CA. Three of nine O-3 mixing ratio profile clusters exhibit thin laminae of high O-3 above Trinidad Head. The high O-3 layers are located between 1 and 6 km above mean sea level and reside above an inversion associated with a northern location of the Pacific subtropical high. Ancillary data (reanalyses, trajectories, and remotely sensed carbon monoxide) help identify the high O-3 sources in one cluster, but distinguishing mixed influences on the elevated O-3 in other clusters is difficult. Correlations between the elevated tropospheric O-3 and surface O-3 at high-altitude monitors at Lassen Volcanic and Yosemite National Parks, and Truckee, CA, are marked and long lasting. The temporal correlations likely result from a combination of transport of baseline O-3 and covarying meteorological parameters. Days corresponding to the high O-3 clusters exhibit hourly surface O-3 anomalies of +5-10 ppbv compared to a climatology; the positive anomalies can last up to 3 days after the ozonesonde profile. The profile and surface O-3 links demonstrate the importance of regular ozonesonde profiling at Trinidad Head.
Source:
Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 122(2), 1261-1280.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016jd025254
Document Type:
Journal Article
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Submitted
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urn:sha256:0b9651ce527d83fc498ebfdc6aafe24731d5365ee542abd268442d166846b2e1
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