Feng Wuhu

University of Leeds · NCAS, School of Earth and Environment; School of Chemistry

Since the discovery of atmospheric Mg⁺ on Mars in 2015 by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, there have been almost continuous observations of this meteoric ion layer in a variety of seasons, local times, and latitudes. Here, we present the most comprehensive set of observations of the persistent metal ion layer at Mars, constructi...

Hydrogen chloride (HCl) is the main reservoir species of chlorine and chemical decomposition of nitrous oxide (N2O) is the primary source of NOx (=NO + NO2) in the stratosphere. Changes in stratospheric HCl and N2O play a critical role in modulating variations in stratospheric ozone. Thus, long-term trends in stratospheric HCl and N2O have been inv...

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for the growth of marine life. Especially in the East China Sea (ECS) where phosphorus is limited compared to the rest of China's sea, the external input of phosphorus can cause changes in primary productivity, and even induce in harmful algal blooms. In May 2020, the National Natural Science Foundation of China...

This study provides a comprehensive description of the deposition of meteor-ablated metals in the upper atmosphere of Mars, accounting for the temporal, vertical, latitudinal, and seasonal distribution. For this purpose, the Leeds Chemical Ablation Model is combined with a meteoroid input function to characterize the size and velocity distributions...

Micrometeorites (MMs) offer glimpses of the diverse nature of parent bodies that accreted during the first few million years after the formation of the proto-Sun. The present work explores this by evaluating the ablation of oxygen from MMs during atmospheric entry, and the resulting effect on the oxygen isotopic composition. A Chemical ABlation MOD...

The ground-based measurements obtained from a lidar network and the 6-year OSIRIS (optical spectrograph and infrared imager system) limb-scanning radiance measurements made by the Odin satellite are used to study the climatology of the middle- and low-latitude sodium (Na) layer. Up to January 2021, four Na resonance fluorescence lidars at Beijing (...

Plain Language Summary The metal layers in the Earth's middle and upper atmosphere originate from cosmic dust (i.e., interplanetary dust particles), and they are also called meteoric metal layers. Tons of cosmic dust particles enter the atmosphere each day. Some of these particles heat up during entry to the point where they melt and their metallic...

We use TOMCAT, a 3-dimensional (3D) offline chemical transport model (CTM) forced by two different meteorological reanalysis data sets (ERA-Interim and ERA5) from the European Centre for Medium-Range weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to analyse seasonal behaviour and long-term trends in stratospheric ozone and mean age of air. The model-simulated ozone var...

We present a novel approach to derive indirect global information on the hydroxyl radical (OH), one of the most important atmospheric oxidants, using state-of-the-art satellite trace gas observations (key sinks and sources of OH) and a steady-state approximation (SSA). This is a timely study as OH observations are predominantly from spatially spars...

Mercury, a global contaminant, enters the stratosphere through convective uplift, but its chemical cycling in the stratosphere is unknown. We report the first model of stratospheric mercury chemistry based on a novel photosensitized oxidation mechanism. We find two very distinct Hg chemical regimes in the stratosphere: in the upper stratosphere, ab...

The ground-based measurements obtained from a lidar network and the six-year OSIRIS limb-scanning radiance measurements made by the Odin satellite are used to study the climatology of the middle- and low-latitude sodium (Na) layer. Up to January 2021, four Na resonance fluorescence lidars at Beijing (40.2° N, 116.2° E), Hefei (31.8° N, 117.3° E), W...

The stratospheric ozone layer, which prevents solar ultraviolet radiation from reaching the surface and thereby protects life on earth, is expected to recover from past depletion during this century due to the impact of the Montreal Protocol. However, how the ozone column over the Arctic will evolve over the next few decades is still under debate....

We use the TOMCAT 3-dimensional (3D) off-line chemical transport model (CTM) forced by two different meteorological reanalysis datasets (ERA-Interim and ERA5) from the European Centre for Medium-Range weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to study stratospheric ozone trends and variability. The model-simulated ozone variations are evaluated against two observa...

We use the TOMCAT 3-D chemical transport model with a balanced flux inventory to simulate the global distribution of atmospheric carbonyl sulfide (OCS). This is compared with limb-sounding satellite observations made by the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment – Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) and surface flask measurements made worldwide at 1...

This paper provides initial results from a multi-model ensemble analysis based on the volc-pinatubo-full experiment performed within the Model Intercomparison Project on the climatic response to Volcanic forcing (VolMIP) as part of the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The volc-pinatubo-full experiment is based on an...

A dual‐wavelength resonance fluorescence lidar facility, operating at 341 and 589 nm, was used to observe simultaneously the Ni and Na layers in the upper atmosphere over Yanqing station, Beijing (40.41°N, 116.01°E). Lidar measurements were performed on 126 nights (1090 hr in total) from April 2019 to March 2020 and April 2021 to August 2021, so th...

We present a novel approach to derive indirect global information on the hydroxyl radical (OH), one of the most important atmospheric oxidants, using state-of-art satellite trace gas observations (key sinks and sources of OH) and a steady-state approximation (SSA). This is a timely study as OH observations are predominantly from spatially sparse fi...

Until now our understanding of the 11-year solar cycle signal (SCS) in stratospheric ozone has been largely based on high-quality but sparse ozone profiles from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II or coarsely resolved ozone profiles from the nadir-viewing Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Radiometer (SBUV) satellite instruments. Here...

High-quality stratospheric ozone profile data sets are a key requirement for accurate quantification and attribution of long-term ozone changes. Satellite instruments provide stratospheric ozone profile measurements over typical mission durations of 5–15 years. Various methodologies have then been applied to merge and homogenise the different satel...

This paper provides initial results from a multi-model ensemble analysis based on the volc-pinatubo-full experiment performed within the Model Intercomparison Project on the climatic response to volcanic forcing (VolMIP) as part of the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The volc-pinatubo-full experiment is based on en...

Using multidecadal time series of ground-based and satellite Fourier transform infrared measurements of inorganic fluorine (i.e., total fluorine resident in stratospheric fluorine reservoirs), we investigate stratospheric circulation changes over the past 20 years. The representation of these changes in five modern reanalyses is further analyzed th...

The ablation of phosphorus from interplanetary dust particles entering the Earth's atmosphere is a potentially significant source of this key bioelement. In this study, the atmospheric chemistry of phosphorus is explored by developing a reaction network of possible routes from PO, the major ablation product in the upper mesosphere/lower thermospher...

Severe vortex-wide ozone loss in the Arctic would expose both ecosystems and several millions of people to unhealthy ultraviolet radiation. Adding to these worries, and extreme events as the harbingers of climate change, exceptionally low ozone with column values below 220 DU occurred over the Arctic in March and April 2020. Sporadic occurrences of...

The NCAR Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere eXtension (WACCM-X) v2.1 has been extended to include the neutral and ion–molecule chemistry and dynamics of three metals (Mg, Na, and Fe), which are injected into the upper mesosphere–lower thermosphere by meteoric ablation. Here we focus on the self-consistent elec...

The ablation of phosphorus from interplanetary dust particles entering the Earth's atmosphere is a potentially significant source of this key bioelement. In this study, the atmospheric chemistry of phosphorus is explored by developing a reaction network of possible routes from PO, the major ablation product in the upper mesosphere/lower thermospher...

Until now our understanding of the 11-year solar cycle signal (SCS) in stratospheric ozone has been largely based on high quality but sparse ozone profiles from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II or coarsely resolved ozone profiles from the nadir-viewing Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Radiometer (SBUV) satellite instruments. Here...

High quality stratospheric ozone profile datasets are a key requirement for accurate quantification and attribution of long-term ozone changes. Satellite instruments obtain stratospheric ozone profile measurements over typical mission durations of 5–15 years. Various methodologies have then been applied to merge and homogenise the different satelli...

The ozone layer, which prevents solar ultraviolet radiation from reaching the surface and thereby protects life on earth, is expected to recover from past depletion during this century due to the impact of the Montreal Protocol. However, how the ozone column over the Arctic will evolve over the next few decades is still under debate. In this study,...

Measurements from the Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment (SOFIE) in both hemispheres are used to characterize meteoric smoke in the mesosphere and to estimate the meteoric flux into Earth's atmosphere. New smoke extinction retrievals from sunrise measurements in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) are presented, which complement the previously reported...

The factors responsible for the size of Antarctic ozone hole in November are analyzed. Comparing two samples of anomalously large and small November ozone hole with respect to 1980–2017 climatology in November, the results show that the anomalously large ozone hole in austral late winter is not a precondition for the anomalously large ozone hole in...

The NCAR Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere and ionosphere eXtension (WACCM-X) v2.1 has been developed to include the neutral and ion-molecule chemistry and dynamics of three metals (Mg, Na, and Fe), which are injected into the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere by meteoric ablation. Here we focus on the self-consistent ele...

In the winter and spring of 2019/2020, the unusually cold, strong, and stable polar vortex created favorable conditions for ozone depletion in the Arctic. Chemical ozone loss started earlier than in any previous year in the satellite era and continued until late March, resulting in the unprecedented reduction of the ozone column. The vortex was loc...

Coal and coal gangue spontaneous combustion (CGSC) occurs globally, causing significant environmental pollution. However, its emissions are poorly quantified and are overlooked in global or regional air pollutant emission inventories in previous studies, resulting in the underestimation of its impacts on climate, environment, and public health. Thi...

Satellite observations of relevant trace gases and meteorological data from ERA5 were used to describe the dynamics and chemistry of the spectacular Arctic 2019/20 winter/spring season. Exceptionally low total ozone values of slightly less than 220 DU were observed in mid‐March within an unusually large stratospheric polar vortex. Very high OClO an...

Long-lived metallic ions in the Earth's atmosphere (ionosphere) have been investigated for many decades. Although the seasonal variation in ionospheric “sporadic E” layers was first observed in the 1960s, the mechanism driving the variation remains a long-standing mystery. Here, we report a study of ionospheric irregularities using scintillation da...

Plain Language Summary Ozone depletion in the polar stratosphere is caused by chlorine and bromine species which are activated by low temperatures. Chlorine and bromine are transported to the stratosphere following the surface emission of ozone‐depleting substances (ODSs). While springtime ozone depletion in the Antarctic is almost always large, it...

Severe vortex-wide ozone loss in the Arctic would expose nearly 650 million people and ecosystem to unhealthy ultra-violet radiation levels. Adding to these worries, and extreme weather events as the harbingers of climate change, clear signature of an ozone hole (ozone column values below 220 DU) appeared over the Arctic in March and April 2020. Sp...

The atmospheric concentration of trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) has been in decline since the production of ozone-depleting substances was phased out under the Montreal Protocol1,2. Since 2013, the concentration decline of CFC-11 slowed unexpectedly owing to increasing emissions, probably from unreported production, which, if sustained, would dela...

The first global atmospheric model (WACCM‐Al) of meteor‐ablated aluminum was constructed from three components: The Whole Atmospheric Community Climate Model (WACCM6); a meteoric input function for Al derived by coupling an astronomical model of dust sources in the solar system with a chemical meteoric ablation model; and a comprehensive set of neu...

Ni atoms, produced in the Earth's upper atmosphere by meteoric ablation, are challenging to measure by lidar because the Ni atom density is low, the resonance scattering cross section is relatively small, and the transitions occur in the near-UV around 340 nm where absorption by the stratospheric ozone layer starts to become significant. A new Ni l...

Accurate simulation of atmospheric circulation, particularly in the lower stratosphere, is challenging due to unresolved wave–mean flow interactions and limited high-resolution observations for validation. Gravity-induced pressure gradients lead to a small but measurable separation of heavy and light gases by molecular diffusion in the stratosphere...

The first global atmospheric model (WACCM-Al) of meteor-ablated aluminum was constructed from three components: the Whole Atmospheric Community Climate Model (WACCM6); a meteoric input function for Al derived by coupling an astronomical model of dust sources in the solar system with a chemical meteoric ablation model; and a comprehensive set of neu...

Airglow is a well-known phenomenon in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, which arises from the emissions of energetic atoms and molecules. The Meinel band emission from high vibrationally excited OH(X) radicals is one of the more important contributors to the airglow from the mesosphere/lower thermosphere. The H + O3 reaction has long been regarded as t...

Long-lived metallic ions in the Earth's atmosphere/ionosphere have been investigated for many decades. Although the seasonal variation in ionospheric sporadic E layers was first observed in the 1960s, the mechanism driving the variation remains a long-standing mystery. Here we report a study of ionospheric irregularities using scintillation data fr...

Long-lived metallic ions in the Earth’s atmosphere/ionosphere have been investigated for many decades. Although the seasonal variation in ionospheric ‘sporadic E’ layers was first observed in the 1960s, the mechanism driving the variation remains a long-standing mystery. Here we report a study of ionospheric irregularities using scintillation data...

The first global atmospheric model of Ni (WACCM‐Ni) has been developed to understand recent observations of the mesospheric Ni layer by ground‐based resonance lidars. The three components of the model comprise: the Whole Atmospheric Community Climate Model (WACCM6); a meteoric input function derived by coupling an astronomical model of dust sources...