Profile observations of long-lived trace gases in the Arctic vortex

Journal Article · Mon Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/91GL00552· OSTI ID:5406661

Schmidt, U; Bauer, R; Khedim, A; Klein, E; Kulessa, G; Schiller, C ^[1]

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1. Forschungszentrum Juelich (West Germany)

Five sets of vertical profiles of long-lived trace gases were measured in the stratosphere at high northern latitudes (68{degree}N) during three field campaigns of the CHEOPS-Project. Large whole air samples were collected by means of balloon-borne cryogenic samplers analyzed for their content of N{sub 2}O, CH{sub 4}, CFCl{sub 3}, CF{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}, C{sub 2}F{sub 3}Cl{sub 3}, CCl{sub 4}, CH{sub 3}Cl and CH{sub 3}CCl{sub 3}. The measured polar profiles well be compared with mean vertical distributions derived from a series of observations at midlatitudes (44{degree}N). The difference indicates a pronounced effect of subsidence in the Arctic winter stratosphere with a net downward shift of the Arctic vertical profile by about 7 km over the time period from November until February. Owing to this efficient downward transport, the abundance of chlorine in the form of reservoir and reactive species, is increased in the lower Arctic stratosphere to about twice that observed at mid-latitudes.

• OSTI ID: 5406661
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States) Vol. 18:4; ISSN 0094-8276; ISSN GPRLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR SAMPLERS
AIRSHIPS
ALKANES
ARCTIC REGIONS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
BALLOONS
CARBON TETRACHLORIDE
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
DISTRIBUTION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EQUIPMENT
FREONS
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HYDROCARBONS
LATITUDE EFFECT
LAYERS
METHANE
METHYL CHLORIDE
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NITROUS OXIDE
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE LAYER
POLAR REGIONS
SAMPLERS
STRATOSPHERE
VARIATIONS
VORTICES