In situ measurements of carbon dioxide in the winter Arctic vortex and at midlatitudes: An indicator of the age of stratospheric air

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

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/91GL00022· OSTI ID:5565855

Schmidt, U; Khedim, A ^[1]

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1. Forschungszentrum Juelich (West Germany)

The authors report measurements of the vertical distribution of the carbon dioxide mixing ratio in the lower and middle stratosphere. They were performed during a series of balloon flights over midlatitudes (44{degree}N) during different seasons and over high latitudes (68{degree}N) during winter in the time period from 1982 until 1990. CO{sub 2} was gas chromatographically determined in air samples collected by means of cryogenic whole-air samplers. The annual increase of the CO{sub 2} content of the mid-stratospheric air is comparable to the temporal CO{sub 2} trend in the troposphere. However, the stratospheric concentrations are lagging the tropospheric ones by a mean delay time of 5.6 {plus minus} 1.1 years. This delay time may be interpreted as the age of stratospheric air masses. It is determined by the efficiency of the transport processes that mix tropospheric air into the stratosphere. The CO{sub 2} observations during the last decade suggest that these processes have varied systematically with a time period of 3 to 5 years. A rather low age of 2.3 {plus minus} 0.3 years was derived from the most recent observations over midlatitudes in summer 1989 as well as in the Arctic region during the CHEOPS III Campaign in winter 1989/90.

• OSTI ID: 5565855
• 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-)
AGE ESTIMATION
AIR SAMPLERS
AIRSHIPS
ARCTIC REGIONS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
BALLOONS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
CHROMATOGRAPHY
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EQUIPMENT
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS
LATITUDE EFFECT
LEVELS
LIFETIME
MIXING
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLAR REGIONS
SAMPLERS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STRATOSPHERE
TROPOSPHERE
VARIATIONS
VORTICES