The potential for ozone depletion in the Arctic polar stratosphere

Journal Article · Fri May 31 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.252.5010.1260· OSTI ID:6014822

Brune, W H ^[1]; Anderson, J G; Toohey, D W ^[2]; Fahey, D W; Kawa, S R ^[3]; Jones, R L ^[4]; McKenna, D S ^[5]; Poole, L R ^[6]

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1. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park (United States)
2. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
3. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO (United States)
4. Univ. of Cambridge (England)
5. United Kingdom Meteorological Office, Berkshire (England)
6. NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA (United States)

The nature of the Arctic polar stratosphere is observed to be similar in many respects to that of the Antarctic polar stratosphere, where an ozone hole has been identified. most of the available chlorine (HCl and ClONO{sub 2}) was converted by reactions on polar stratospheric clouds to reactive ClO and Cl{sub 2}O{sub 2} throughout the Arctic polar vortex before midwinter. Reactive nitrogen was converted to HNO{sub 3}, and some, with spatial inhomogeneity, fell out of the stratosphere. These chemical changes ensured characteristic ozone losses of 10 to 15% at altitudes inside the polar vortex where polar stratospheric clouds had occurred. These local losses can translate into 5 to 8% losses in the vertical column abundance of ozone. As the amount of stratospheric chlorine inevitably increases by 50% over the next two decades, ozone losses recognizable as an ozone hole may well appear.

• OSTI ID: 6014822
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Vol. 252:5010; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ARCTIC REGIONS
OZONE LAYER
LOSSES
ANTARCTICA
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CHLORINE NITRATES
CHLORINE OXIDES
CLOUDS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
MONITORING
NITRIC ACID
OZONE
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
STRATOSPHERE
VORTICES
ANTARCTIC REGIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EVALUATION
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
LAYERS
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLAR REGIONS
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)