Research Activities in Japan and other Asian Countries

1. Ground-based observation

- AGAGE monitoring stations: China, Korea, and Japan

- NDACC stations: Japan

an example: Ozone profiles over Japan have been observed with millimeter-wave radiometers since September 1995 at Tsukuba and March 1999 at Rikubetsu

2. Observation plans from the space

- Space measurements of ozone by China

- JEM/SMILES

Takashi Imamura (NIES)

Semiannual variation were clearly observed at 60 and 76 km.

The phase at 60 km seems to be the inverse of that at 76 km.

The amplitude at 60 km is smaller than that at 76 km.

The variation at 50 km is clearly annual with the peak near winter solstices.

Annual Variation of O3 in the middle atmosphere

(Nagahama et al 2003)

JEM/SMILES

To be launched in 2009 To be launched in 2009 by HTV/H-IIBby HTV/H-IIB

A Superconductive Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) is being designed for installation in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on the International Space Station (ISS).

Mission Objectives of JEM/SMILES:

i) Space demonstration of superconductive mixer and 4-K mechanical cooler for the submillimeter limb-emission sounding,

ii) Global observations of atmospheric minor constituents in the stratosphere, contributing to the atmospheric sciences.

JEM/SMILES will make measurements on ozone and other minor species relevant to ozone loss (normal O3, HCl, HOCl, HNO3, H2O2, and CH3CN).

SMILES will also measure a few radical species crucial to the ozone chemistry (ClO, BrO, and HO2).

The SMILES will also try to observe isotopic composition of ozone.

(courtesy of SMILES team)

3. Japanese Research Project on Stratospheric Ozone supported by MOE

(i) detection of the variation of water vapor in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere in the tropics

(ii) determination of the mean age of stratospheric air

(iii) evaluation on reproducibility of chemical and meteorological fields in the stratosphere calculated by CCSR/NIES CCM

(iv) understanding of the impact of solar activity change on ozone distribution using CCSR/NIES CCM and climate models

Studies on the Variability of Stratospheric Processes and Uncertainties in the Future Projection of Stratospheric Ozone (FY: 2007 – 2009)

Investigations conducted in this project are:

already dehydrated air

Water vapor is controlled at the cold point

Temp

Ozone Water vapor

Ice Saturation

Water vapor

Ice saturation

Water vapor measurements in TTL

Tropopause Variation of water vapor in LS

(courtesy of M. Fujiwara)

Mean age = 5.1 ± 0.4 years

mean age = 5.4 ± 0.6 years

.

Determination of the mean age of stratospheric air

CO2

SF6

Whole air is sampled in the stratosphere using a cryogenic sampler on board scientific balloon over Japan.

Stratosphere (20-30km) over Japan

Tropical upper troposphere

Time variation of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere

(Sugawara et al. unpublished data)

Projection of Ozone hole area

○ ： fixed GHGs and SST

● ： future scenario for ODSs, GHG, and SST

Effects of increase of GHGs on ozone recovery

EESC

CCly

Expected recovery of EESC and Cly

(as an example of numerical experiments with CCSR/NIES CCM)

(courtesy of H. Akiyoshi)

Thank you

Normal run

ODSs: future scenario

GHGs and SST: fixed

Ozone above 20hPa

Ozone below 20hPa

Total column ozone

Future change of ozone in the low latitude region

Time variation of water vapor at 19-21 km in the tropics

Gravitational separation of O2 and N2 isotopes in the stratosphere