Response of lightning NOx emissions and ozone production to climate change: Insights from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project
Abstract Results from an ensemble of models are used to investigate the response of lightning nitrogen oxide emissions to climate change and the consequent impacts on ozone production. Most models generate lightning using a parameterization based on cloud top height. With this approach and a present...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-05-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068825 |
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| author | D. L. Finney R. M. Doherty O. Wild P. J. Young A. Butler |
| author_facet | D. L. Finney R. M. Doherty O. Wild P. J. Young A. Butler |
| author_sort | D. L. Finney |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Results from an ensemble of models are used to investigate the response of lightning nitrogen oxide emissions to climate change and the consequent impacts on ozone production. Most models generate lightning using a parameterization based on cloud top height. With this approach and a present‐day global emission of 5 TgN, we estimate a linear response with respect to changes in global surface temperature of +0.44 ± 0.05 TgN K−1. However, two models using alternative approaches give +0.14 and −0.55 TgN K−1 suggesting that the simulated response is highly dependent on lightning parameterization. Lightning NOx is found to have an ozone production efficiency of 6.5 ± 4.7 times that of surface NOx sources. This wide range of efficiencies across models is partly due to the assumed vertical distribution of the lightning source and partly to the treatment of nonmethane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) chemistry. Careful consideration of the vertical distribution of emissions is needed, given its large influence on ozone production. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-70d11bc927ff4037abd3d49d839062ad |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-70d11bc927ff4037abd3d49d839062ad2025-08-20T03:49:37ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072016-05-0143105492550010.1002/2016GL068825Response of lightning NOx emissions and ozone production to climate change: Insights from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison ProjectD. L. Finney0R. M. Doherty1O. Wild2P. J. Young3A. Butler4School of GeoSciences University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UKSchool of GeoSciences University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UKLancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster UKLancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster UKBiomathematics and Statistics Scotland Edinburgh UKAbstract Results from an ensemble of models are used to investigate the response of lightning nitrogen oxide emissions to climate change and the consequent impacts on ozone production. Most models generate lightning using a parameterization based on cloud top height. With this approach and a present‐day global emission of 5 TgN, we estimate a linear response with respect to changes in global surface temperature of +0.44 ± 0.05 TgN K−1. However, two models using alternative approaches give +0.14 and −0.55 TgN K−1 suggesting that the simulated response is highly dependent on lightning parameterization. Lightning NOx is found to have an ozone production efficiency of 6.5 ± 4.7 times that of surface NOx sources. This wide range of efficiencies across models is partly due to the assumed vertical distribution of the lightning source and partly to the treatment of nonmethane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) chemistry. Careful consideration of the vertical distribution of emissions is needed, given its large influence on ozone production.https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068825lightningclimate changeozoneACCMIPlinear mixed effect model |
| spellingShingle | D. L. Finney R. M. Doherty O. Wild P. J. Young A. Butler Response of lightning NOx emissions and ozone production to climate change: Insights from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project Geophysical Research Letters lightning climate change ozone ACCMIP linear mixed effect model |
| title | Response of lightning NOx emissions and ozone production to climate change: Insights from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project |
| title_full | Response of lightning NOx emissions and ozone production to climate change: Insights from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project |
| title_fullStr | Response of lightning NOx emissions and ozone production to climate change: Insights from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project |
| title_full_unstemmed | Response of lightning NOx emissions and ozone production to climate change: Insights from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project |
| title_short | Response of lightning NOx emissions and ozone production to climate change: Insights from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project |
| title_sort | response of lightning nox emissions and ozone production to climate change insights from the atmospheric chemistry and climate model intercomparison project |
| topic | lightning climate change ozone ACCMIP linear mixed effect model |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068825 |
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