Lidar-Observation and Modeling of a Stratospheric Intrusion above Hampton Virginia on 2019-02-14

On 2019-02-14, at 1 UT, a stratospheric intrusion was detected above Hampton, Virginia, using the NASA Langley Mobile Ozone Lidar. Ozone levels above 70PPBV were observed down to an altitude of 4.5km. This observation was reproduced using a model, GEOS-CF, showing a good agreement between the two. MicroPulse Lidar observations indicate that depolarizing aerosols high in the troposphere had downward motions linked to the intrusion.
These model-data comparisons are important for understanding, forecasting, and addressing the high-ozone events that affect air-quality and that come from natural causes.