aopc-20 (2015)atmos. comp. jh butler atmospheric composition issues james h. butler global...

AOPC-20 (2015) Atmos. Comp. JH Butler

Atmospheric Composition Issues

James H. Butler

Global Monitoring Division, NOAA/ESRL Boulder, CO, USA

WMO Global Atmosphere Watch, Geneva, CH

AOPC-20, March 17-21, 2015


Outline

• Ozone• Aerosols• Surface Radiation• Greenhouse Gases


Ozone


Main ozone Issue(s) -- Reporting

• Reporting delays Brewer total ozone data from 57 stations down to 28 in

2014 Dobson spectrophotometer measurements dropped from

47 to 37 stations in same interval No SAOZ data have been archived in WOUDC since 2012 Data from 19 filter instruments down from 26 to 19 in 2012-

2013 Data in 2014 exist but submissions delayed by 4-6 months

• Lost stations? 17 Brewer, 6 Dobson, and 6 filter instrument stations have

not reported data since 2012. These are largely instruments from Canada. The reason for missing data needs further investigation.


GAW Arctic Ozone Sites Reporting

• Over half of arctic sites have not updated data in the WMO/GAW WOUDC since 2002


NDACC Arctic Ozone Stations Reporting

Several NDACC sites are not identified in the WMO/GAW WOUDC data base


Canadian Arctic Ozone Sites

Only three sites are truly arcticTen sites total


Russian Arctic Ozone Sites

• Russian Stations in the Arctic Blue = Brewer Gray = SAOZ Black = O3sonde

• Arctic ozone depleted over 40% in 2011 when the vortex remained strong and cold until late March

• Because almost half the Arctic region is in Russian territory, it is essential that ozone observations continue in Russia


Aerosols


WMO/GAW Aerosol Measurements

SAG-Aerosol recommendation • Elaborate the "aerosol"

ECV as "Including, but not restricted to”: aerosol optical depth light scattering and

absorption coefficients aerosol size distribution vertical distributions of

aerosol backscattering and extinction


GCOS Aerosols: ECV(from AOPC XIX, 2014)

• The ECV called "Aerosol" is a very broad term that encompasses many actual aerosol variables

• SAG-Aerosol recommends that a further specification of the "Aerosol" ECV should include the variables in the table to the right

Multiwavelength aerosol optical depth

Particle mass concentration in two size fractions (fine, coarse)

Vertical distribution of aerosol backscattering and extinction

Mass concentration of major chemical components in particle-phase in two size fractions

Multiwavelength light scattering and hemispheric back-scattering coefficient

Cloud condensation nuclei number concentration at various super-saturations

Multiwavelength light absorption coefficient

Particle number concentration

Particle number size distribution


Aerosol Issues & Q’sWMO/GAW SAG-Aerosol

• Is there a formal process for a network to become an "official" GCOS network?

• Clarification of the status as official GCOS networks of the networks mentioned at these web sites: http://

gosic.org/content/gcos-atmospheric-composition-ecv-aerosols-properties

http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos/index.php?name=ObservingSystemsandData#composition

• What is the possibility of accepting AERONET as a GCOS comprehensive network, independent of GAW?

http://gosic.org/content/gcos-atmospheric-composition-ecv-aerosols-properties







Surface Radiation


BSRN

• 13th BSRN Scientific Review and Workshop was held at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate in Bologna, Italy from 9-12 September, 2014. 39 oral presentations, 6 Working Group oral reports, and a poster

session that included BSRN site status updates.

• BSRN Archive at WRMC 7825 station-month data sets from 58 stations collected in the

WRMC by September 2014. Recent years have seen a loss of a few sites, notably Manus and

Nauru located in the equatorial western Pacific, but also newly planned sites and several newly proposed sites that will expand the global and climactic coverage.

BSRN data increasingly used in scientific research and publications.


Greenhouse Gases


GHG Issues

• Marine Boundary Layer Reference for CO2 and CH4

GCOS Reference Networks?• Should GCOS include ”minor” GHGs?• National Metrology Institutes

BIPM/WMO Agreement “ensures” coordination “Restlessness” among NMI’s in pursuing GHG emissions

• Constructing an Adequate Global Network Filling Gaps Validating and interpreting remotely sensed retrievals Urban “domes” – do they need separate guidelines?


Marine Boundary Layer Reference

• 25-40 sites• All connected

with the MBL• Remote

atmosphere• Latitudinally

representative• Highest quality

measurements


MBL Products

• Global Averages• Highest quality

measurements• Latitudinal

representations• Used in global

models• Information lags

about one month


Other MBL products

• Global, gridded data sets

• Meridional Reference


“Minor” GHGs

• Monitored mainly by two groups AGAGE NOAA

• High quality control• Small number of sites• Have a small, but

measurable impact on radiative forcing


Urban Domes

• 70% of world’s GHG emissions come from urban areas

• Today 5 of 10 live in urban areas

• Tomorrow (2050), 7 of 10 will live in urban areas

aopc-20 (2015)atmos. comp. jh butler atmospheric composition issues james h. butler global...

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