Sudden increases in the NO2 column caused by thunderstorms: a case study in the northern subtropical region
Item
Title (Dublin Core)
Sudden increases in the NO2 column caused by thunderstorms: a case study in the northern subtropical region
Description (Dublin Core)
A long-term program for NO<sub>2</sub> column measurements started in 1993 at the subtropical Izaña Observatory (28° N, 16° W). Seasonal evolution shows a small day-to-day variability as compared with higher latitudes. Sharp increases in the column appear occasionally superimposed on the annual cycle. The origin of these spikes is explored by considering the possibility of tropospheric transport from polluted areas, stratospheric intrusions, meridional transport in the stratosphere and production by lightning, in a case study. From radiative transfer calculations and meteorological information available, it is shown that the NO<sub>2</sub> increase takes place in the upper troposphere with values of 300–400 pptv. Back-trajectories reveal that, for the case studied, the air masses came from an area of thunderstorms located upwind. After the analysis of the various possibilities, the NO<sub>2</sub> increase by lightning production appears to be the most feasible cause. Annual distribution of spikes displays a maximum in late winter and spring during the shift from midlatitude winter tropopause to summer tropopause.
Creator (Dublin Core)
Gil, M.
Yela, M.
Cuevas, E.
Carreño, V.
Date (Dublin Core)
2018-08-09
Type (Dublin Core)
Text
Format (Dublin Core)
application/pdf
Identifier (Dublin Core)
10.5194/acpd-4-2263-2004
https://acp.copernicus.org/preprints/acpd-2004-026/
Source (Dublin Core)
eISSN: 1680-7324
Language (Dublin Core)
eng
