LAUSR

Abstract The volume mixing ratios (VMRs) of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) and NOx [Nitric Oxide (NO) + Nitrogen-di-Oxide (NO2)] derived from the radiance measured by the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) Fourier infrared spectrometer, for the period 2007–2011 have been used to study their seasonal, interannual as well as Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) related variations in the equatorial (5°N-5°S) stratosphere. Both N2O and NOx VMR show a clear seasonal variation around 45 km. The N2O VMR exhibits minimum (around 200 ppbv) during July–August and remains at 250–300 ppbv during the rest of the months. The NOx VMR is found to be minimum (around 10 ppbv) during May–July, whereas it shows higher values (∼15–17 ppbv) in the other months. Higher values are found in N2O and NOx VMRs in the years 2008 and 2010 in the northern tropics (10–30°N) when the QBO is in westward phase favouring high residual meridional circulation. During the SSW of 2009, NOx VMR is found to increase by 3 ppbv. Using a primitive chemistry-transport model, the increase in NOx during the SSW is demonstrated to be due to the enhanced vertical upwelling as well as meridional circulation prior to the onset of the SSW in response to the larger planetary wave activity.