Tropospheric Ozone Anomalies Associated with Atmospheric Rivers
Abstract
Atmospheric river (AR) events can serve as vital drought busters, but can also cause catastrophic damage through heavy rainfall, flooding, mudslides, and triggering other extreme weather events upon landfall. The discovery of anomalous upper tropospheric ozone associated with an extreme atmospheric river event using Ozone Monitoring Instrument data inspired deeper investigation. I will present our detailed analysis on the time evolution of the three-dimensional structure of water vapor and ozone distributions associated with ARs in the northeastern Pacific using MERRA-2 reanalysis and observational data products. Results show that positive ozone anomalies reside in the dry intrusions of stratospheric air behind the intense water vapor transport of the AR sector, often associated with extratropical cyclones. The information provided by these findings has the potential to improve AR forecasts and provide advanced warning for severe AR events and their associated precipitation extremes.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2021
- Bibcode:
- 2021AGUFM.A25E1723H