• Title/Summary/Keyword: stratospheric intrusion

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Influence of Stratospheric Intrusion on Upper Tropospheric Ozone over the Tropical North Atlantic

  • Kim, So-Myoung;Na, Sun-Mi;Kim, Jae-Hwan
    • Journal of the Korean earth science society
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    • v.29 no.5
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    • pp.428-436
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    • 2008
  • This study observed the upper tropospheric ozone enhancement in the northern Atlantic for the Aerosols99 campaign in January-February 1999. To find the origin of this air, we have analyzed the horizontal and vertical fields of Isentropic Potential Vorticity (IPV) and Relative Humidity (RH). The arch-shaped IPV is greater than 1.5 pvus indicating stratospheric air stretches equatorward. These arch-shaped regions are connected with regions of RH less than 20%. The vertical fields of IPV and RH show the folding layer penetrating into the upper troposphere. These features support the idea that the upper tropospheric ozone enhancement originated from the stratosphere. Additionally, we have investigated the climatological frequency of stratospheric intrusion over the tropical north Atlantic using IPV and RH. The total frequency between the equator and $30^{\circ}N$ over the tropical north Atlantic exhibits a maximum in northern winter. It suggests that the stratospheric intrusion plays an important role in enhancing ozone in the upper troposphere over the tropical north Atlantic in winter and early spring. Although the tropospheric ozone residual method assumed zonally invariant stratospheric ozone, stratospheric zonal ozone variance could be caused by stratospheric intrusions. This implies that stratospheric intrusion influences ozone variance over the Atlantic in boreal winter and spring, and the intrusion is a possible source for the tropical north Atlantic paradox.

A Case Study on the Development of an Elevated Subsidence Inversion Over a Surface Low Pressure System

  • Kim, Kyung-Eak;Ko, Hye-Young;Heo, Bok-Haeng;Ha, Kyung-Ja
    • Journal of the Korean earth science society
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    • v.31 no.5
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    • pp.531-538
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    • 2010
  • This study presents the development of an elevated subsidence inversion over a surface low pressure system, which was formed along the Changma front or Meiu-Baiu front. The results of our analysis strongly suggest that the inversion is dissimilar to those formed in anticyclonic situations but is instead similar to the onion-shaped sounding found in wake low. The present analysis indicates that the observed elevated inversion resulted from the intrusion of stratospheric air associated with tropopause folding.

Comparison of Development Mechanisms of Two Heavy Snowfall Events Occurred in Yeongnam and Yeongdong Regions of the Korean Peninsula (영동과 영남 지역에서 발생한 두 대설의 발달 메커니즘 비교)

  • Park, Ji-Hun;Kim, Kyung-Eak;Heo, Bok-Haeng
    • Atmosphere
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    • v.19 no.1
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    • pp.9-36
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    • 2009
  • Two heavy snowfall events occurred in Yeongnam and Yeongdong regions of the Korean Peninsula during the period from 4 to 6 March 2005 are analyzed. The events were developed by two different meso-scale snow clouds associated with an extratropical low passing over the Western Pacific. Based on synoptic data, GOES-9 satellite images, and precipitation amount data, the events were named as Sokcho and Busan cases, respectively. We analyzed the development mechanism of the events using meterological variables from the NCEP(National Centers for Environmental Prediction) /NCAR(National Centers for Atmospheric Research) reanalysis data such as potential vorticity(PV), divergence, tropopause undulation, static stability, and meridional wind circulation. The present analyses show that in the case of Sokcho, the cyclonic circulation in the lower atmosphere in the strong baroclinic region induced the cyclonic circulation in the upper atmosphere. The cyclonic circulation in the lower and upper atmosphere caused a heavy snowfall in the Sokcho region. In the case of Busan, the strong cyclonic circulation in the upper atmosphere was initiated by the stratospheric air intrusion with the high positive PV into the troposphere during the tropopause folding. The upper strong cyclonic circulation enhanced the cyclonic circulation in the lower disturbed atmosphere due to the extratropical low. This lower cyclonic circulation in turn, intensified the upper cyclonic circulation, that caused a heavy snowfall in the Busan region.