Articles | Volume 7, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-1995-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-1995-2026
Research article
 | 
13 Oct 2026
Research article |  | 13 Oct 2026

Stratosphere–troposphere exchange and surface ozone pollution over tropical regions: a case study of Rossby wave breaking and tropopause folding

Clemente Lopez-Bravo, Ernesto Caetano, and Armenia Franco-Díaz

Cited articles

Appenzeller, C. and Davies, H. C.: Structure of Stratospheric Intrusions into the Troposphere, Nature, 358, 570–572, https://doi.org/10.1038/358570a0, 1992. a
Barnes, E. A. and Hartmann, D. L.: Detection of Rossby Wave Breaking and Its Response to Shifts of the Midlatitude Jet with Climate Change, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 117, D09117, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD017469, 2012. a
Barrett, B. S., Raga, G. B., Retama, A., and Leonard, C.: A Multiscale Analysis of the Tropospheric and Stratospheric Mechanisms Leading to the March 2016 Extreme Surface Ozone Event in Mexico City, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 124, 4782–4799, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029918, 2019. a, b, c, d
Bates, K. H. and Jacob, D. J.: An Expanded Definition of the Odd Oxygen Family for Tropospheric Ozone Budgets: Implications for Ozone Lifetime and Stratospheric Influence, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2019GL084486, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL084486, 2020. a
Binder, H. and Wernli, H.: Frequency anomalies and characteristics of extratropical cyclones during extremely wet, dry, windy, and calm seasons in the extratropics, Weather Clim. Dynam., 6, 151–170, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-6-151-2025, 2025. a
Download
Short summary
We investigated why pollution increased in Mexico City during March 2016. By examining weather conditions and air-movement pathways, we found that an unusual winter-like system, together with the surrounding mountains, brought ozone-rich air from higher in the atmosphere toward the city. This shows that weather disturbances far from the tropics can affect local air quality, highlighting the need to include these events in air-quality monitoring and forecasts.
Share