Balloon observations of nitric acid aerosol formation in the Arctic stratosphere: II. Aerosol

Journal Article · Wed Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL017i009p01279· OSTI ID:6217977

Hofmann, D J; Deshler, T ^[1]; Arnold, F; Schlager, H ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie (USA)
2. Max Planck Institute fur Kernphysik, Heidelberg (West Germany)

Balloonborne aerosol measurements over the size range r = 0.01 to 10 {mu}m on 31 January 1990 are used to determine the HNO{sub 3} vapor mass deposited in Arctic nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) clouds in the 21-24 km region. The clouds consisted mainly of small (r {approx} 0.2 {mu}m) particles and appeared to have been formed during recent cooling because the r {ge} 0.15 {mu}m aerosol concentration in the coldest part of the cloud was nearly equal to the condensation nuclei concentration, suggesting a large vapor supersaturation. The maximum inferred HNO{sub 3} vapor mixing ratio which condensed in the cloud was about 4 ppbv, in good agreement with the observed depletion of HNO{sub 3} vapor in the same altitude region under similar temperature conditions 23 hours earlier.

• OSTI ID: 6217977
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA) Vol. 17:9; ISSN 0094-8276; ISSN GPRLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AEROSOLS
AIRSHIPS
ARCTIC REGIONS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
BALLOONS
CHEMISTRY
CLOUDS
COLLOIDS
CONDENSATION NUCLEI
DISPERSIONS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
HYDRATES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
NITRIC ACID
OZONE
PARTICLE SIZE
POLAR REGIONS
QUANTITY RATIO
SATURATION
SIZE
SOLS
STRATOSPHERE
SUPERSATURATION
SYNTHESIS
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT