Mesopause, or cold point mesopause: CPM, known as the temperature minimum region. And solar activity affects the variations of ozone density in the mesopause, which in turn causes the temperature change of the middle atmosphere.

However, how the solar activities affect variations of ozone density?

A research by Dr. Chaoli Tang in the group of Prof. WEI Heli of Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (AIOFM), Hefei Institutes of Physical Science may give the answer.

The team took a close look at the response of variations of ozone density to solar activity and compare with its response to the abundances of atomic oxygen and atomic hydrogen. In addition to the study of the response, the team also conducted a study on the temperature from the viewpoint of variations of ozone density as a function of temporal and latitudinal variation over 15 years between ±83° latitude.

Based on the continuous observations data of the global ozone in mesopause region with coverage of more than one complete solar cycle, the team investigated the influences of solar activity on the variations of ozone density in mesopause.

In the study, the global changes of variations of ozone density and the solar cycle dependence were presented through analyzing the ozone data of SABER (the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry) measurements during March 1, 2002 to February 28, 2017.

On the basis of the 4,443,282 samples, the magnitude of the response of variations of ozone density to solar activity at different latitudes was obtained through least squares fitting. The variations of ozone density are symmetric between the North and South. However, the solar response of variations of ozone density in latitudinal distribution decreases gradually from the South to the North.

The present analysis by the team has demonstrated that the global inter-annual variations of ozone density, which is in accordance with 11-year solar cycle, is significantly correlated to solar radiation, atomic oxygen density and temperature, and is not correlated to the atomic hydrogen density in mesopause.

These significant correlations were presented, and the main driver behind is solar activity, the team thought.

This work was partly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Link to the paper: The Responses of Ozone Density to Solar Activity in the Mesopause Region and the Mutual Relationship Based on SABER Measurements During 2002–2016

Figure. (a) Profile of the ozone VMR for 17 altitude layers in the near-space in the altitude ranges from 25 km to 105 km; (b) Latitudinal distribution of the 15-year zonal average of O₃-CPM for 16 latitude zones; (c) The normalized interannual variations of O₃-CPM in different latitude zones with contour interval of 3%; (d) The solar response ranges of O₃-CPM for 16 latitude zones, and the vertical bars show the standard deviation of solar response; (e) The global year average of O₃-CPM and [O]-CPM during 2002–2016; (f) The global year average of O₃-CPM and [H]-CPM during 2002–2016; (g) The global year average of O₃-CPM and T-CPM during 2002–2016
(Image by TANG Chaoli)

Contact:

ZHOU Shu

Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (http://english.hf.cas.cn/)

Email: zhous@hfcas.ac.cn