The variability of ClONO{sub 2} and HNO{sub 3} in the Arctic polar vortex: Comparison of Transall Michelso interferometer for passive atmospheric sounding measurements and three-dimensional model results

Journal Article · Sat May 20 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · Journal of Geophysical Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/94JD02309· OSTI ID:159761

Chipperfield, M P; Pyle, J A ^[1]; Blom, C E ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Cambridge (United Kingdom)
2. Universitaet Karlsruhe (Germany); and others

The authors compare aircraft based infrared measurements of column amounts of nitric acid and chlorine nitrate in the northern European stratosphere with a three-dimensional stratospheric model which incorporates detailed chemical reactions, including heterogeneous processing effects on polar stratospheric clouds. In particular the authors compare the model and measurements in the region of the polar vortex, where during late January the measurements showed a marked gradient of chlorine nitrate across the vortex. This is consistent with model results which indicate strong horizontal gradients. The model has fairly coarse resolution and could not well reproduce the variation through the vortex where observed gradient were quite large. In March, with the appearance of distortions in the polar vortex, the experiment showed high densities of chlorine nitrate at high altitudes at the northern latitudes, and as one moved south in the polar vortex, the densities increased at lower altitudes. This is consistent with model predictions when the vortex begins to distort.

• OSTI ID: 159761
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research Journal Issue: D5 Vol. 100; ISSN JGREA2; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ANNUAL VARIATIONS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CHLORINE NITRATES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
NITRIC ACID
POLAR REGIONS
STRATOSPHERE
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS