Chlorine chemistry on polar stratospheric cloud particles in the Arctic winter

Journal Article · Fri Aug 27 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.261.5125.1130· OSTI ID:5648933

Webster, C R; May, R D ^[1]; Toohey, D W ^[2]; Avallone, L M; Anderson, J G ^[3]; Newman, P; Lait, L; Schoeberl, M R ^[4]; Elkins, J W ^[5]; Chan, K R ^[6]

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1. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (United States)
2. Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)
3. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
4. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD (United States)
5. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency, Boulder, CO (United States)
6. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA (United States)

Simultaneous in situ measurements of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and chlorine monoxide (ClO) in the Arctic winter vortex showed large HCl losses, of up to 1 part per billion by volume (ppbv), which were correlated with high ClO levels of up to 1.4 ppbv. Air parcel trajectory analysis identified that this conversion of inorganic chlorine occurred at air temperatures of less than 196 [plus minus]4 kelvin. High ClO was always accompanied by loss of HCl mixing ratios equal to 1/2(ClO + 2Cl[sub 2]O[sub 2]). These data indicate that the heterogeneous reaction HCl + ClONO[sub 2] [yields] Cl[sub 2] + HNO[sub 3] on particles of polar stratospheric clouds establishes the chlorine partitioning, which, contrary to earlier notions, begins with an excess of ClONO[sub 2], not HCl.

• OSTI ID: 5648933
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 261:5125; ISSN SCIEAS; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540110*
ARCTIC REGIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORINE
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
CHLORINE NITRATES
CHLORINE OXIDES
CLOUDS
CRYOSPHERE
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELEMENTS
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HALOGENS
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
KINETICS
LAYERS
LOSSES
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE LAYER
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
POLAR REGIONS
REACTION KINETICS
STRATOSPHERE