National Research Council of the National Academies, Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

The United States National Research Council’s (NRC) Committee on The Future of Atmospheric Chemistry Research is inviting input from the atmospheric chemistry research community including scientists, students, and postdocs from academia, government, and the private sector on topics such as:

• Key scientific questions that will drive fundamental atmospheric chemistry science over the next decade;
• Important societal and interdisciplinary science challenges affected by and affecting atmospheric chemistry science; and
• Current and future infrastructure or community capabilities, such as measurement technologies, models, observational platforms, or other infrastructure investments.

To this end, the committee has opened a "virtual town hall" questionnaire at
http://nas-sites.org/atmchem/virtual-town-hall/.

In addition, the committee will hold four in-person town halls in Boulder, Boston, DC and
Irvine in the US over the next two months. For a full schedule of the meetings please see
http://nas-sites.org/atmchem/town-hall-meetings/.

Further information on the study and the community input phase may be found at
http://nas-sites.org/atmchem/.

Call for Papers

Changes in water availability and quality are occurring mainly as consequences of global and local changes including environmental factors, climate change and human-induced changes. Science-based knowledge to assess water resources over a range of scales in space and time is essential to develop methodologies for water resources assessments to improve sustainable water management practices. Linked to the dynamic assessment of water resources is the ability to provide reliable seasonal predictions of water availability and water quality.

Important research efforts focus on issues such as possible changes or intensification of the hydrological cycle, predictions of freshwater availability under climate change, and the ability to predict the variations of global and regional hydrological processes and water resources. The capability for dynamic water resources assessment linked to seasonal and inter-annual variations of the water balance serves as a basis for interaction with water managers and policy makers at regional and national scales.

The conference is meant to provide a platform for scientists and practitioners to exchange their views on monitoring, assessment and prediction of key variables for water management.

Target Group

The conference aims to reach scientists and water managers actively involved in world water balance research, as well as the development and application of new approaches to water resources assessments and decision-making in water policies and water management. Demand driven-applications to meet requirements of the target group are expected to cover improvements in the observation of the elements of the world water balance, methods for water resources assessments, and the predictability of world and regional water balances. Likewise, quantifiable impacts of changes of the temporal and spatial availability of water resources for integrated water resources management practices will be addressed.

Call for Papers

If your domain of expertise is in one or more of the thematic topics, you are invited to submit an abstract in English language of not more than 500 words to the conference secretariat ()

Conference Secretariat

Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany

Ms Ana Maria Conde

Find website.

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

Stratospheric and mesospheric HO₂ observations from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder. By L. Millán et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Trends of ozone total columns and vertical distribution from FTIR observations at eight NDACC stations around the globe. By C. Vigouroux et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Revisiting the hemispheric asymmetry in mid-latitude ozone changes following the Mount Pinatubo eruption: A 3-D model study. By S.S. Dhomse et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Intercomparison of vertically resolved merged satellite ozone data sets: interannual variability and long-term trends. By F. Tummon et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Composition and Physical Properties of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer and the North American Tropospheric Aerosol Layer. By P. Yu et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Discussion Papers – open for comment

Transport of Antarctic stratospheric strongly dehydrated air into the troposphere observed during the HALO-ESMVal campaign 2012. By C. Rolf et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

Upper-troposphere and lower-stratosphere water vapor retrievals from the 1400 and 1900 nm water vapor bands. By B.C. Kindel et al. in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.

Simulating the impact of emissions of brominated very short-lived substances on past stratospheric ozone trends. By B.-M. Sinnhuber and S. Meul in Geophysical Research Letters.

Vertical Evolution of Potential Energy Density and Vertical Wavenumber Spectrum of Antarctic Gravity Waves from 35 to 105 km at McMurdo (77.8°S, 166.7°E). By X. Lu et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Two decades of water vapor measurements with the FISH fluorescence hygrometer: a review. By J. Meyer et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Extraordinary halocarbon emissions initiated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. By T. Saito et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Discussion Papers – open for comment

Trapping, chemistry and export of trace gases in the South Asian summer monsoon observed during CARIBIC flights in 2008. By A. Rauthe-Schöch et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Abstract submission deadline: 31 March 2015

Description

The workshop is jointly organized by the WCRP Working Group on Coupled Modelling (WGCM) and the European Commission FP7 project EMBRACE (Earth system Model Bias Reduction and assessing Abrupt Climate).

The workshop has three primary aims; following the format of the WCRP CMIP5 model analysis workshop held in 2012, to present and discuss:

• Multi-model CMIP5 analyses taking advantage of the large suite of CMIP5 experiments
• Earth system model improvements that help reduce systematic biases and/or increase the realism of models in terms of climate change response.
• The main aims of CMIP6, in particular presentations of CMIP6-Endorsed Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs).

The workshop will be structured around the three scientific questions:

1. How does the Earth system respond to forcing?
2. What are the origins and consequences of systematic model biases?
3. How can we assess future climate change given climate variability, predictability and uncertainty in scenarios.

Workshop approach

Short-presentation/poster format

The workshop will consist of a series of half-day sessions. Each session will begin with presenters in that session given a 3 minute time slot to show no more than one slide summarizing the main conclusions of their poster. The rest of the half-day session will consist of viewing posters of that session.

Participation is limited by the size of the venue (~150 people) and format of the workshop.

Timeline

Abstract submission opens: 20th Feb 2015

Abstract submission deadline: 31st Mar 2015

Abstract acceptance deadline: 15th Jun 2015

The WGCM will meet in conjunction with this workshop 18th-20th October 2015, also at the Hotel Excelsior.

For further information on the workshop and to submit an abstract please visit the workshop website.

The next S-RIP workshop will be held at Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie (UPMC; Pierre and Marie Curie University), Paris, France during 12-14 October 2015. The SPARC Data Assimilation (DA) workshop will be held at the same place during 14-16 October 2015, with 14 October for a joint S-RIP – SPARC-DA workshop.

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

A parameterization of gravity waves emitted by fronts and jets. By A. de la Cámara and F. Lott in Geophysical Research Letters.

Northern Hemisphere stratospheric winds in higher midlatitudes: longitudinal distribution and long-term trends. By M. Kozubek et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Measurements of CH₃O₂NO₂ in the upper troposphere. By B.A. Nault et al. in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.

Copernicus stratospheric ozone service, 2009–2012: validation, system intercomparison and roles of input data sets. By K. Lefever et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

A new Dobson Umkehr ozone profile retrieval method optimising information content and resolution. By K. Sonte et al. in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.

Ensemble simulations of the role of the stratosphere in the attribution of northern extratropical tropospheric ozone variability. By P. Hess et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Long-term changes in the relationship between stratospheric circulation and East Asian winter monsoon. By K. Wei et al. in Atmospheric Science Letters.

First quasi-Lagrangian in situ measurements of Antarctic Polar springtime ozone: observed ozone loss rates from the Concordiasi long-duration balloon campaign. By R. Schofield et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

On the Incident Solar Radiation in CMIP5 Models. By L. Zhou et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Discussion Papers – open for comment

Global OZone Chemistry And Related Datasets for the Stratosphere (GOZCARDS): methodology and sample results with a focus on HCl, H2O, and O3. By L. Froidevaux et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) from MIPAS in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere 2002–2012. By M. Höpfner et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

Interannual variability in the large-scale dynamics of the South Asian summer monsoon. By J.M. Walker et al. in the Journal of Climate.

A Total Ozone Dependent Ozone Profile Climatology based on Ozone-Sondes and Aura MLS Data. By G.J. Labow et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Contribution of liquid, NAT and ice particles to chlorine activation and ozone depletion in Antarctic winter and spring. By O. Kirner et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Increasing concentrations of dichloromethane, CH₂Cl₂, inferred from CARIBIC air samples collected 1998–2012. By E.C. Leedham Elvidge et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Discussion Papers – open for comment

Aircraft measurements of gravity waves in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere during the START08 Field Experiment. By F. Zhang et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Polar processing in a split vortex: early winter Arctic ozone loss in 2012/13. G.L. Manney et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Momentum forcing of the QBO by equatorial waves in recent reanalyses. By Y.-H. Kim and H.-Y. Chun in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Unusual stratospheric ozone anomalies observed in 22 years of measurements from Lauder, New Zealand. G.E. Nedoluha et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

Efficiency of short-lived halogens at influencing climate through depletion of stratospheric ozone. By R. Hossaini et al. in Nature Geoscience.

Improvements in statistical forecasts of monthly and bi-monthly surface air temperatures from stratospheric predictor. By A.Y Karpechko in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Global survey of concentric gravity waves in AIRS images and ECMWF analysis. By J. Gong et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Quantifying the effects of mixing and residual circulation on trends of stratospheric mean age of air. By F. Ploeger et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Discussion papers – open for comment

Impact of the 2009 major stratospheric sudden warming on the composition of the stratosphere. By M. Tao et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Global distributions of overlapping gravity waves in HIRDLS data. By C.J. Wright et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Data assimilation of satellite retrieved ozone, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide with ECMWF’s Composition-IFS. By A. Inness et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

A perturbed parameter model ensemble to investigate 1991 Mt Pinatubo’s initial sulfur mass emission. By J.-X. Sheng et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Abstract submission deadline: 27 July 2015, Registration deadline: 24 Aug 2015

Description:

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 or CTC) is a major ozone-depleting substance and greenhouse gas. However, estimated CTC sources and sinks are inconsistent with abundance observations. Recent work suggests that there is a large unknown CTC source of about 39 Gg yr-1 and a 35-year lifetime. This workshop’s purpose is to bring together science, industry, and technology experts to exchange information and to coordinate research activities across disciplines for fully closing the CTC budget.
This workshop will involve solicited and submitted presentations related to all aspects
of the CTC problem.

Topics:

1. Emissions or Sources:

• CTC consumption and production for both historic and current usage
• CTC feedstock usage, and potential fugitive emissions
• Legacy emissions from brown-field sites
• Top-down global and regional emissions estimate for CTC

2. Loss Processes: Photochemical, ocean, and soil losses of CTC

3. Observations: CTC measurements from ground stations, aircraft, balloon, satellite,
and ships to constrain the CTC budget

4. Modeling: Reconciling the emission and loss processes of CTC with observations in a global modeling perspective

The outcome of the workshop will be summarized in the SPARC newsletter. We will strongly encourage all participants to reformulate their presentations into written papers. From these presentation and papers, we plan to organize a peer-reviewed special issue on all aspects of the CTC problem.

Timeline:

27 July 2015: Abstract Deadline.

24 August 2015: Registration Deadline.

5-6 October 2015: Workshop

Organizing Committee:

Stefan Reimann (Empa, Switzerland), Paul Newman (NASA, USA),
Qing Liang (USRA/NASA, USA)

For more information on this SPARC activity, please visit the following link at: http://www.aparc-climate.org/activities/emerging-activities/