Identification

Title

Evaluation of heterogeneous processes in the polar lower stratosphere in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model

Abstract

Chemical ozone loss in the polar lower stratosphere is derived from an ensemble of three simulations from the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM3) for the period 1960--2003, using the tracer-tracer correlation technique. We describe a detailed model evaluation of the polar region by applying diagnostics such as vortex temperature, sharpness of the vortex edge, and the potential of activated chlorine (PACl). Meteorological and chemical information about the polar vortex, temperature, vortex size, and activation time, and level of equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine, are included in PACl. Discrepancies of the relationship between chemical ozone loss and PACl between model and observations are discussed. Simulated PACl for Antarctica is in good agreement with observations, owing to slightly lower simulated temperatures and a larger vortex volume than observed. Observed chemical ozone loss of 140 ± 30 DU in the Antarctic vortex core are reproduced by the WACCM3 simulations. However, WACCM3 with the horizontal resolution used here (4 × 5) is not able to simulate the observed sharp transport barrier at the polar vortex edge. Therefore the model does not produce an homogeneous cold polar vortex. Warmer temperatures in the outer region of the vortex result in less chemical ozone loss over the entire polar vortex than observed. For the Arctic, WACCM3 temperatures are biased high (by 2-3 degrees in the annual average) and the vortex volume and chlorine activation period is significantly smaller than observed. WACCM3 Arctic chemical ozone loss only reaches 20 DU for cold winters, where observations suggest ≈80-120 DU.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d78c9wh9

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2007-12-21T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact