Direct observations of quasi-horizontal transport of ozone from
midlatitude lower stratosphere to tropical upper troposphere over the
Pacific in the summer of 2021
Abstract
Ozonesonde data collected over the western Pacific in the boreal summer
of 2021, which is the first continuous, direct ozone observation over
the region, were used to investigate the material transport and
dynamical variations associated with the summer monsoon and western
Pacific convection. The data revealed ozone transport under convectively
calm conditions over the western Pacific during the development phase of
the Asian summer monsoon. Combining atmospheric reanalysis data and
satellite cloud data, the transport process of a high-ozone air mass is
described. Near the date line, the air mass intruded from the
midlatitude stratosphere into the tropical upper troposphere due to
Rossby wave breakings, then moved westward over the Pacific Ocean along
20°N, experiencing nearly adiabatic transport. Subsequently, as it
approached the convectively active region of Southeast Asia, it
underwent non-conservative mixing with the tropospheric air due to
convective processes. The climatological situation in the summer
Asia-Pacific region can facilitate frequent occurrences of this type of
transport, which may play a role in determining ozone concentration in
the tropical upper troposphere.