Stratospheric Ozone Intrusion
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- Visualizations by:
- Trent L. Schindler
- View full credits
Events called stratospheric ozone intrusions occur most often in spring and early summer, and can raise ground-level ozone concentrations in some areas to potentially unhealthy levels.
This visualization shows one such event that occurred on April 6, 2012. On that day, a fast-moving area of low pressure moved northeast across states in the Western U.S., clipping western and northern Colorado. Ozone-rich stratospheric air descended, folding into tropospheric air near the ground. Winds took hold of the air mass and pushed it in all directions, bringing stratospheric ozone to the ground in Colorado and along the Northern Front Range.
Atmospheric scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., set out to see if the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5) Chemistry-Climate Model could replicate stratospheric ozone intrusions at 25-kilometer (16-mile) resolution. High-resolution models are possible due to computing power now capable of simulating the chemistry and movement of gasses and pollutants around the atmosphere and calculating their interactions.
They show that indeed, the model could replicate small-scale features, including finger-like filaments, within the apron of ozone-rich stratospheric air that descended over Colorado on April 6, 2012.
Stratospheric Ozone Intrusion Long Version
This video is also available on our YouTube channel.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
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Animator
- Trent L. Schindler (USRA) [Lead]
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Writer
- Kathryn Hansen (SSAI)
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Scientists
- Jon Eric Neilson (SSAI)
- Steven Pawson (NASA/GSFC)
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Producer
- Alison Schuyler Ogden (NASA/GSFC)
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Project support
- Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
- Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Datasets used in this visualization
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GEOS-5 G5NR-Chem (Chemistry)
ID: 946
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.
Related Pages
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ID: 11532 Produced Video
Falling Sky
Read moreAt high altitudes, ozone—a chemical made up of three oxygen atoms—naturally forms a protective layer around the planet that helps shield Earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. But near the surface, the same chemical is a man-made pollutant that can cause respiratory distress. Sometimes air from the upper atmosphere descends to lower altitudes, transporting ozone with it. Such events, known as stratospheric ozone intrusions, may lead to unexpected spikes in ozone levels within populated areas. The mysterious events often take place over elevated terrain in mountainous states like Colorado, Nevada and California. In April 2012, curtains of ozone plunged from the upper atmosphere and covered parts of the western United States. Using a high-resolution model, NASA scientists simulated the event, showing where high concentrations of ozone made contact with the ground. Watch the video to see the event unfold. ||
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