Influences on Late-Spring and Summertime Tropospheric Ozone in Western Siberia and the Russian Arctic
Abstract
The Arctic has warmed disproportionately relative to mid-latitudes over recent decades. This warming is predominantly controlled by radiative forcing from well-mixed greenhouse gases, amplified by efficient Arctic climate feedbacks. However, warming from changes in short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), such as tropospheric ozone and aerosols, have been shown to contribute substantially to Arctic warming. Arctic SLCP abundances are controlled by long-range transport from mid-latitudes, and by local sources within the Arctic. At present, high latitude emissions of SLCPs and ozone precursors are poorly quantified, particularly in Russia, where there is a paucity of in-situ observations. A full understanding of the impact of SLCPs on the Arctic is partly hampered by poor knowledge of processes controlling SLCPs in northern Siberia, which is home to large sources of anthropogenic and natural emissions. This region is also a key route for import of SLCPs to the Arctic lower troposphere from lower latitude northern Europe and Asia.
In this study we use the regional chemistry transport model WRF-Chem, in conjunction with observations from surface sites and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite instrument, to evaluate processes controlling the regional distribution of tropospheric ozone and NO2 over Western Siberia during spring and summer 2011. Using the model, we assess the influence of NOx sources on ozone over Siberia and the Russian Arctic, including comparison between anthropogenic sources and wildfires. Model comparisons with OMI NO2 observations are used to highlight potential emission biases in the region. We also assess the contributions to ozone dry deposition loss from different land cover types in Siberia, to gain a better understanding of drivers of an important ozone sink in this region. Overall, our study provides insight into the relative importance of anthropogenic emissions compared with natural biosphere processes in controlling Siberian tropospheric ozone, and ozone transport to the Russian Arctic.- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.A54A..06T
- Keywords:
-
- 0305 Aerosols and particles;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE;
- 3311 Clouds and aerosols;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 0738 Ice;
- CRYOSPHERE;
- 0793 Biogeochemistry;
- CRYOSPHERE