Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2624
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2624
05 Sep 2024
 | 05 Sep 2024

On the estimation of stratospheric age of air from correlations of multiple trace gases

Florian Voet, Felix Plöger, Johannes Laube, Peter Preusse, Paul Konopka, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Jörn Ungermann, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, Michael Hoepfner, Bernd Funke, Gerald Wetzel, Sören Johansson, Gabriele Stiller, Eric Ray, and Michaela Imelda Hegglin

Abstract. The stratospheric circulation is an important element in the climate system, but observational constraints are prone to significant uncertainties due to the low circulation velocities and uncertainties in available trace gas measurements. Here, we propose a method to calculate mean age of air as a measure of the circulation from observations of multiple trace gas species which are reliably measurable by satellite instruments, like trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11), dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12), chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and show that this method works well up to a height of about 25 km. The method is based on the compact correlations of these gases with mean age. Methodological uncertainties include effects of atmospheric variability, non-compactness of the correlation, and measurement related effects inherent for satellite instruments. The age calculation method is evaluated in a model environment and compared against the true model age. We show that combination of the six chosen species reduces the resulting uncertainty of derived mean age to below 0.3 years throughout most regions in the lower stratosphere. Even small-scale, seasonal features in the global age distribution can be reliably diagnosed. The new correlation method is further applied to trace gas measurements with the balloon borne Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere (GLORIA-B) instrument. The corresponding deduced mean age profiles agree reliably with SF6-based mean age below about 22 km and show significantly lower uncertainty ranges. Comparison between observation-based and model simulated mean age indicates a slow-biased circulation in the ERA5 reanalysis. Overall, the proposed mean age calculation method shows promise to substantially reduce the uncertainty in mean age estimates from satellite trace gas observations.

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Florian Voet, Felix Plöger, Johannes Laube, Peter Preusse, Paul Konopka, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Jörn Ungermann, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, Michael Hoepfner, Bernd Funke, Gerald Wetzel, Sören Johansson, Gabriele Stiller, Eric Ray, and Michaela Imelda Hegglin

Status: final response (author comments only)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2624', Sneha Aggarwal, 16 Oct 2024
  • CC2: 'very good paper, promising method', Thomas Wagenhäuser, 21 Oct 2024
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2624', Anonymous Referee #1, 30 Oct 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2624', Simon Chabrillat, 11 Nov 2024
Florian Voet, Felix Plöger, Johannes Laube, Peter Preusse, Paul Konopka, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Jörn Ungermann, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, Michael Hoepfner, Bernd Funke, Gerald Wetzel, Sören Johansson, Gabriele Stiller, Eric Ray, and Michaela Imelda Hegglin
Florian Voet, Felix Plöger, Johannes Laube, Peter Preusse, Paul Konopka, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Jörn Ungermann, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, Michael Hoepfner, Bernd Funke, Gerald Wetzel, Sören Johansson, Gabriele Stiller, Eric Ray, and Michaela Imelda Hegglin

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Short summary
This study refines estimates of the stratospheric “age of air,” a measure of how long air circulates in the stratosphere. By analyzing correlations between trace gases measurable by satellites, the research introduces a method that reduces uncertainties and detects small-scale atmospheric features. This improved understanding of stratospheric circulation is crucial for better climate models and predictions, enhancing our ability to assess the impacts of climate change on the atmosphere.