Substantial Near-Surface Spring Ozone Enhancement due to Stratospheric Intrusion in the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Stratospheric ozone intrusion plays an important role in affecting the tropospheric ozone concentrations in the troposphere through stratosphere to troposphere transport (STT). Nevertheless, there are very limited studies on the quantification of the effect. Focusing on a typical event on 9-12 May 2015, when STT occurs over the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China, the observations and reanalysis data indicate that STT is accompanied by high potential vorticity and low specific humidity. In order to quantify the extent to which the STT may elevate the ozone concentrations, an inert tracer is added to the boundary conditions of the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ), which is driven by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The meteorological conditions simulated by WRF nicely reproduce the distributions of potential vorticity (PV) and water vapor in the upper troposphere. Through the physical processes of diffusion, advection, and dry and wet deposition, the ozone tracer concentrations simulated from CMAQ well capture the spatial propagation and evolution of stratospheric ozone intrusion over Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, warranting the confidence in interpreting the simulated results in quantifying the STT. The STT event indicates the near-surface ozone enhancement of approximately 10-20 ppbv covering half of Qinghai province, even spreading to a broader area of eastern China. For the typical remote mountain such as Waliguan, clear ozone enhancement is obtained over the lower level of the troposphere. The method used in this study is applicable to other regions as well, which can be applied in the future to detect the STT at a wider spatiotemporal scale and help the policymakers identify the ozone sources and make efficient strategies for the ozone pollution control.

Automated summary

The study found that stratospheric ozone intrusion plays a significant role in affecting tropospheric ozone concentrations through STT, and successfully quantified the impact using an inert tracer, confirming the ozone enhancement caused by STT over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The research indicates that this method is applicable to other regions and can help monitor STT on a wider scale in the future.