Forecast and simulation of stratospheric ozone filaments: A validation of a high-resolution potential vorticity advection model by airborne ozone lidar measurements in winter 1998/1999

Abstract : In the framework of the Third European Stratospheric Experiment on Ozone project Meridional Transport of Ozone in the Lower Stratosphere (METRO) an airborne ozone lidar has been flown on the French Falcon (Mystere 20) during winter 1998/1999 to investigate polar and subtropical filaments at midlatitudes. The objective of the METRO project is to quantify the proportion of the transport of polar and subtropical air and their mixing into midlatitude air masses. The dynamical evolution of the northern winter hemisphere was simulated using a high‐resolution advection model for potential vorticity (PV): Modele Isentropique de transport Mesoechelle de l'Ozone Stratospherique par Advection (MIMOSA). To validate the model for further studies, it was first utilized to forecast the appearance of filaments inside the range of the airplane so that each flight of the airborne campaign could be planned precisely. The vertical ozone distribution measured along the flight tracks was then compared to the respective PV distribution simulated by the advection model. Correlation coefficients between 0.5 and 0.7 found over the altitude range where the filaments were observed show a good agreement between PV and ozone filaments. An improvement of the correlation up to 0.8 by horizontal shifting of the ozone profiles against the PV evolution showed that small displacements of less than 1° of the modeled PV filaments can occur. These displacements can be explained by the uncertainties of the input wind velocity data and of the lidar data. Thus we can conclude that the PV advection model MIMOSA reproduces the position, size, and structure of polar filaments and subtropical intrusions well in the range of the expected accuracy. The model is a suitable tool for further studies of the quantification of the global, long‐term transport and mixing of polar and subtropical air into mid‐latitudes.