Studies of planetary waves in ozone and temperature fields as observed by the Odin satellite in 2002-2007

• Main Author: Belova, Alla
• Format: Doctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Umeå universitet, Fysik 2008
• Subjects: middle atmosphere dynamics; planetary waves; 5-day planetary wave; temperature-ozone relationship; Odin satellite; Atmosphere and hydrosphere sciences; Atmosfärs- och hydrosfärsvetenskap
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-1819; http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:isbn:978-91-7264-613-1

The results presented in this PhD thesis are mainly based on measurements collected by the advanced sub-mm radiometer (SMR) aboard the Odin satellite in 2002-2007. The primary data are series of temperature and ozone profiles in the middle atmosphere up to 68 km. These data are used to estimate global properties of planetary wave propagation in both horizontal and vertical directions. As good-quality retrievals from Odin are not available above 68 km, additional data sources have been considered in order to extend coverage of planetary wave properties to higher levels. These sources are temperature observations at 85-90 km obtained by the ground-based meteor radars located in the polar region in the Northern Hemisphere in Scandinavia at Esrange and at Andenes, and in Canada at Resolute Bay and at Yellowknife. Also, the series of ozone profiles from the ground-based Kiruna mm-wave radiometer, KIMRA, are used in order to compare the wave properties in ozone fields measured globally by Odin and locally by KIMRA. The main task of this PhD thesis is to study the 5-day planetary wave characteristics in the Earth’s atmosphere. The influence of waves on the atmospheric circulation causes, for example, substantial local departures from radiative equilibrium, observed in the winter stratosphere and close to the summer mesopause. Seasonal variations of the 5-day planetary wave properties and physical phenomena related to these variations are also studied in this thesis. During winter, planetary waves propagate freely in the vertical direction, and maximal wave amplitudes are found in the extratropical stratosphere. The Northern Hemisphere (NH) winter periods of 2002-2003 and 2005 have been examined and a comparison has been carried out between the planetary wave properties in temperature and ozone variations. In general, the results show an expected in-phase behavior between the temperature and ozone fields in the lower stratosphere (due to dynamic effects) and an out-of-phase pattern in the upper stratosphere (which is expected as a result of photochemical effects). Earlier theoretical and experimental studies have shown that, despite unfavourable summertime wind conditions, 5-day planetary waves can be registered not only in the stratosphere but also at higher altitudes in the mesosphere. The NH summers of 2003-2005 and 2007 have been considered and results have confirmed the existence of 5-day planetary waves up to the mesopause level (85-90 km). The results demonstrate that, for different periods, the possible source of the observed waves could be located at lower altitudes in both hemispheres with successive propagation into the summer mesosphere, or the waves could be generated in-situ as a result of the baroclinic instability of summer easterly jet.