References

ACP

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

ACP

1680-7324

Copernicus GmbH

Göttingen, Germany

10.5194/acp-9-2729-2009

Energetic particle precipitation in ECHAM5/MESSy1 – Part 1: Downward transport of upper atmospheric NOx produced by low energy electrons

Baumgaertner

A. J. G.

¹ Jöckel

¹ Brühl

Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany

24 04 2009

9 8 2729 2740

This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/9/2729/2009/acp-9-2729-2009.html

The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/9/2729/2009/acp-9-2729-2009.pdf

The atmospheric chemistry general circulation model ECHAM5/MESSy1 has been extended by processes that parameterise particle precipitation. Several types of particle precipitation that directly affect NOy and HOx concentrations in the middle atmosphere are accounted for and discussed in a series of papers. In the companion paper, the ECHAM5/MESSy1 solar proton event parametrisation is discussed, while in the current paper we focus on low energy electrons (LEE) that produce NOx in the upper atmosphere. For the flux of LEE NOx into the top of the model domain a novel technique which can be applied to most atmospheric chemistry general circulation models has been developed and is presented here. The technique is particularly useful for models with an upper boundary between the stratopause and mesopause and therefore cannot directly incorporate upper atmospheric NOx production. The additional NOx source parametrisation is based on a measure of geomagnetic activity, the Ap index, which has been shown to be a good proxy for LEE NOx interannual variations. HALOE measurements of LEE NOx that has been transported into the stratosphere are used to develop a scaling function which yields a flux of NOx that is applied to the model top. We describe the implementation of the parametrisation as the submodel SPACENOX in ECHAM5/MESSy1 and discuss the results from test simulations. The NOx enhancements are shown to be in good agreement with independent measurements. Ap index data is available for almost one century, thus the parametrisation is suitable for simulations of the recent climate.

References 1

Baumgaertner, A. J G., Jöckel, P., Riede, H., Brühl, C., Stiller, G., and Funke, B.: Energetic Particle Precipitation in ECHAM5/MESSy1, Part 2: Solar Proton Events, in preparation, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 2009.

Brasseur, G P. and Solomon, S.: Aeronomy of the Middle Atmosphere, D. Reidel Publishing Company, 2nd revised edn., 1986.

Brühl, C., Steil, B., Stiller, G., Funke, B., and Jöckel, P.: Nitrogen compounds and ozone in the stratosphere: comparison of MIPAS satellite data with the chemistry climate model ECHAM5/MESSy1, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 5585–5598, 2007.

Callis, L B. and Lambeth, J D.: NOy formed by precipitating electron events in 1991 and 1992: Descent into the stratosphere as observed by ISAMS, Geophys. Res. Lett., 25, 1875–1878, \doi10.1029/98GL01219, 1998.

Callis, L B., Natarajan, M., Lambeth, J D., and Baker, D N.: Solar - atmospheric coupling by electrons (SOLACE). 2. Calculated stratospheric effects of precipitating electrons, 1979–1988, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 28421–28438, \doi10.1029/98JD02407, 1998.

Callis, L B., Natarajan, M., and Lambeth, J D.: Solar-atmospheric coupling by electrons (SOLACE): 3. Comparisons of simulations and observations, 1979–1997, issues and implications, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 7523–7540, \doi10.1029/2000JD900615, 2001.

Callis, L B., Natarajan, M., and Lambeth, J D.: Observed and calculated mesospheric NO, 1992–1997, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 020000–1, \doi10.1029/2001GL013995, 2002.

Funke, B., López-Puertas, M., Gil-López, S., von Clarmann, T., Stiller, G P., Fischer, H., and Kellmann, S.: Downward transport of upper atmospheric NOx into the polar stratosphere and lower mesosphere during the Antarctic 2003 and Arctic 2002/2003 winters, J. Geophys. Res., 110, D24308, \doi10.1029/2005JD006463, 2005.

Hood, L L. and Soukharev, B E.: Solar induced variations of odd nitrogen: Multiple regression analysis of UARS HALOE data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L22805, doi:10.1029/2006GL028122, \doi10.1029/2006GL028122, 2006.

Jöckel, P., Tost, H., Pozzer, A., Brühl, C., Buchholz, J., Ganzeveld, L., Hoor, P., Kerkweg, A., Lawrence, M G., Sander, R., Steil, B., Stiller, G., Tanarhte, M., Taraborrelli, D., van Aardenne, J., and Lelieveld, J.: The atmospheric chemistry general circulation model ECHAM5/MESSy1: consistent simulation of ozone from the surface to the mesosphere, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 5067–5104, 2006.

Labitzke, K.: On the solar cycle-QBO relationship: a summary, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 67, 45–54, 2005.

Langematz, U., Grenfell, J L., Matthes, K., Mieth, P., Kunze, M., Steil, B., and Brühl, C.: Chemical effects in 11-year solar cycle simulations with the Freie Universität Berlin Climate Middle Atmosphere Model with online chemistry (FUB-CMAM-CHEM), Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L13803, \doi10.1029/2005GL022686, 2005.

Lelieveld, J., Brühl, C., Jöckel, P., Steil, B., Crutzen, P J., Fischer, H., Giorgetta, M A., Hoor, P., Lawrence, M G., Sausen, R., and Tost, H.: Stratospheric dryness: model simulations and satellite observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 1313–1332, 2007.

Mayaud, P N.: Derivation, Meaning, and Use of Geomagnetic Indices, Geophysical Monograph 22, Am. Geophys. Union, Washington DC, 1980.

Nagovitsyn, Y A.: Solar and geomagnetic activity on a long time scale: Reconstructions and possibilities for predictions, Astron. Lett., 32, 344–352, \doi10.1134/S1063773706050082, 2006.

Nash, E R., Newman, P A., Rosenfield, J E., and Schoeberl, M R.: An objective determination of the polar vortex using Ertel's potential vorticity, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 9471–9478, 1996.

Nissen, K M., Matthes, K., Langematz, U., and Mayer, B.: Towards a better representation of the solar cycle in general circulation models, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 5391–5400, 2007.

Randall, C E., Rusch, D W., Bevilacqua, R M., Hoppel, K W., and Lumpe, J D.: Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) II stratospheric NO$_\rm 2$, 1993–1996, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 28361–28372, \doi10.1029/98JD02092, 1998.

Randall, C E., Harvey, V L., Manney, G L., Orsolini, Y., Codrescu, M., Sioris, C., Brohede, S., Haley, C S., Gordley, L L., Zawodny, J M., and Russell, J M.: Stratospheric effects of energetic particle precipitation in 2003–2004, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L05802, \doi10.1029/2004GL022003, 2005.

Randall, C E., Harvey, V L., Singleton, C S., Bernath, P F., Boone, C D., and Kozyra, J U.: Enhanced NOx in 2006 linked to strong upper stratospheric Arctic vortex, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L18811, \doi10.1029/2006GL027160, 2006.

Randall, C E., Harvey, V L., Singleton, C S., Bailey, S M., Bernath, P F., Codrescu, M., Nakajima, H., and Russell, J M.: Energetic particle precipitation effects on the Southern Hemisphere stratosphere in 1992–2005, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D08308, \doi10.1029/2006JD007696, 2007.

Rinsland, C P., Salawitch, R J., Gunson, M R., Solomon, S., Zander, R., Mahieu, E., Goldman, A., Newchurch, M J., Irion, F W., and Chang, A Y.: Polar stratospheric descent of NOy and CO and Arctic denitrification during winter 1992–1993, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 1847–1861, \doi10.1029/1998JD100034, 1999.

Roeckner, E., Brokopf, R., Esch, M., Giorgetta, M., Hagemann, S., Kornblueh, L., Manzini, E., Schlese, U., and Schulzweida, U.: Sensitivity of Simulated Climate to Horizontal and Vertical Resolution in the ECHAM5 Atmosphere Model, J. Climate, 19, 3771, \doi10.1175/JCLI3824.1, 2006.

Rozanov, E., Callis, L., Schlesinger, M., Yang, F., Andronova, N., and Zubov, V.: Atmospheric response to NOy source due to energetic electron precipitation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L14811, \doi10.1029/2005GL023041, 2005.

Rusch, D W., Gérard, J.-C., Solomon, S., Crutzen, P J., and Reid, G C.: The effect of particle precipitation events on the neutral and ion chemistry of the middle atmosphere-I. Odd nitrogen, Planet. Space Sci., 29, 767–774, \doi10.1016/0032-0633(81)90048-9, 1981.

Russell, III, J M., Rinsland, C P., Farmer, C B., Froidevaux, L., Toon, G C., and Zander, R.: Measurements of odd nitrogen compounds in the stratosphere by the ATMOS experiment on Spacelab 3, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 1718–1736, 1988.

Sander, R., Kerkweg, A., Jöckel, P., and Lelieveld, J.: Technical note: The new comprehensive atmospheric chemistry module MECCA, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 445–450, 2005.

Seppälä, A., Clilverd, M A., and Rodger, C J.: NOx enhancements in the middle atmosphere during 2003-2004 polar winter: Relative significance of solar proton events and the aurora as a source, J. Geophys. Res., 112, L23303, \doi10.1029/2006JD008326, 2007.

Siskind, D E., Bacmeister, J T., Summers, M E., and Russell, III, J M.: Two-dimensional model calculations of nitric oxide transport in the middle atmosphere and comparison with Halogen Occultation Experiment data, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 3527–3546, \doi10.1029/96JD02970, 1997.

Siskind, E., Nedoluha, G E., Randall, C E., Fromm, M., and Russell, III, M.: An assessment of Southern Hemisphere stratospheric NOx enhancements due to transport from the upper atmosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 27, 329–332, \doi10.1029/1999GL010940, 2000.

Stiller, G P., Mengistu Tsidu, G., von Clarmann, T., Glatthor, N., Höpfner, M., Kellmann, S., Linden, A., Ruhnke, R., Fischer, H., López-Puertas, M., Funke, B., and Gil-López, S.: An enhanced HNO$_\rm 3$ second maximum in the Antarctic midwinter upper stratosphere 2003, J. Geophys. Res., 110, 20303, \doi10.1029/2005JD006011, 2005.

Vogel, B., Konopka, P., Grooß, J.-U., Müller, R., Funke, B., López-Puertas, M., Reddmann, T., Stiller, G., von Clarmann, T., and Riese, M.: Model simulations of stratospheric ozone loss caused by enhanced mesospheric NOx during Arctic Winter 2003/2004, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 5279–5293, 2008.