Partitioning of Ozone Loss Pathways in the Ozone Quasi-biennial Oscillation Simulated by a Chemistry-Climate Model

Abstract

 Ozone loss pathways and their rates in the ozone quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) simulated by a chemistry-climate model of the Meteorological Research Institute of Japan are evaluated by using an objective pathway analysis program (PAP). The analyzed chemical system contains catalytic cycles due to NO_x, HO_x, ClO_x, O_x, and BrO_x. PAP quantified the rates of all significant catalytic ozone loss cycles, and evaluated the partitioning among these cycles. The QBO amplitude of the sum of all cycles amounts to about 4 and 14 % of the annual mean of the total ozone loss rate at 10 and 20 hPa, respectively. The contribution of catalytic cycles to the QBO of the ozone loss rate is found to be as follows: NO_x cycles contribute the largest fraction (50-85 %) of the QBO amplitude of the total ozone loss rate; HO_x cycles are the second-largest (20-30 %) below 30 hPa and the third-largest (about 10 %) above 20 hPa; O_x cycles rank third (5-20 %) below 30 hPa and second (about 20 %) above 20 hPa; ClO_x cycles rank fourth (5-10 %); and BrO_x cycles are almost negligible. The relative contribution of the NO_x and O_x cycles to the QBO amplitude of ozone loss differs by up to 10 and 20 %, respectively, from their contribution to the annual-mean ozone loss rate. The ozone QBO at 20 hPa is mainly driven by ozone transport, which then affects the ozone loss rate. In contrast, the ozone QBO at 10 hPa is driven chemically mainly by NO_x and the temperature dependence of [O]/[O₃], which results from the temperature dependence of the reaction O + O₂ + M → O₃ + M. In addition, the ozone QBO at 10 hPa is influenced by the overhead ozone column, which affects [O]/[O₃] (through ozone photolysis) and the ozone production rate (through oxygen photolysis).