An Aircraft Observation of an Intrusion Process of Stratospheric Ozone into the Troposphere

Abstract

   The process of intrusion of stratospheric ozone into the troposphere, observed from an aircraft, is analysed with the use of routine aerological data. Stratospheric ozone is transported downward through the polar jet stream frontal zone to an altitude of 3 km. Such transport is supported by the distributions of the potential vorticity, the water vapor and CF₂Cl₂ distributions.
   The ozone in the troposphere seems to be diffused near the bottom of the frontal layer. The estimated magnitude of the Richardson number suggests that such diffusive mixing is much stronger at an altitude of 5 km than at 7 km in this case. The power spectral density of the ozone variations observed along the flight course shows that the turbulent motions with wavelengths of 5 to 20 km are important.