In situ measurements of Pinatubo aerosol over Kiruna on four days between 18 January and 13 February 1992

Journal Article · Wed Jun 22 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/93GL03227· OSTI ID:6576211

Deshler, T

Vertical profiles of aerosol were measured on 18 and 27 January and 4 and 13 February, 1992, using balloonborne particle counters released from Esrange (68[degrees]N, 21[degrees]E) near Kiruna, Sweden. Condensation nuclei (CN) and aerosol with radii [ge] 0.15 [mu]m, in 8 size classes, were measured. In the lower stratosphere concentrations of the larger particles were greater, by factors of 10 to 100, than those measured on flights from Esrange in January and February 1991. CN concentrations in the two years showed no pronounced differences. The bulk of the particles were volcanic aerosol from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. On the first three flights, in air polewards of the stratospheric jet stream, there was little volcanic aerosol above 20 km, although a highly structured polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) was detected above the volcanic layer on 27 January. In the main volcanic layer, below about 16 km, the aerosol constituted 10 to 60 ppbm sulfuric acid, with a surface area density of 5 to 10 [mu]m[sup 2] cm[sup [minus]3], based on lognormal size distribution fit to the concentration measurements. These are respectively 50 and 10 times larger than the mass and surface area densities found in 1991. On the last flight in air equatorward of the jet stream, volcanic aerosol was detected up to 27 km, with peak values, near 20 km, of 100 ppbm sulfuric acid and 20 [mu]m[sup 2] cm[sup [minus]3] surface area density. These are similar to observations in the mid-latitudes at that time. 10 refs., 4 figs.

• OSTI ID: 6576211
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States) Vol. 21:13; ISSN GPRLAJ; ISSN 0094-8276
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AEROSOLS
ALTITUDE
ARCTIC REGIONS
COLLOIDS
CONDENSATION NUCLEI
CRYOSPHERE
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISPERSIONS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EUROPE
FLUIDS
GASES
POLAR REGIONS
SCANDINAVIA
SOLS
STRATOSPHERE
SWEDEN
VOLCANIC GASES
WESTERN EUROPE