Use of zirconium 95 data from Chinese atmospheric thermonuclear explosions to study stratospheric transport in a one-dimensional parameterization

Journal Article · Sun Aug 20 04:00:00 EDT 1978 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JC083iC08p04019· OSTI ID:6854327

Bauer, E; Oliver, R C; Wasylkiwskyj, W

We analyze data (Telegadas, 1974, 1976) on the transport of /sup 95/Zr from five Chinese 3-Mt thermonuclear explosions which deposited their debris clouds at approximately 18-km altitude and location (40/sup 0/N, 90/sup 0/E) in terms of one-dimensional diffusive transport into the troposphere. The motivation for the work is that the dynamics of oxides of nitrogen and other materials injected into the lower stratosphere by supersonic transport aircraft in the general region of 15- to 18-km altitude, 40/sup 0/-60/sup 0/N latitude, is not well known, and different parameterizations of the transport by different authors vary substantially. A technique is developed here that allows data from pulsed sources at different seasons to be used to parameterize stratospheric motions in terms of a mean stratospheric eddy diffusivity K-bar and a mean tropopause height z/sub 0/ (which characterizes an effective height of injection above the local tropopause) and thus to estimate the atmospheric residence time (equal to burden divided by flux) and also the 'injection coefficient' of McElroy et al. (1974) for continuous sources. A correction is made for the sedimentation of the particulate tracers used.

• Research Organization: Institute for Defense Analyses, Arlington, Virginia 22202
• OSTI ID: 6854327
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States) Vol. 83:C8; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640202* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Effects of Nuclear Detonations
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATMOSPHERIC EXPLOSIONS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIFFUSION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPLOSIONS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEI
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
STRATOSPHERE
TROPOPAUSE
TROPOSPHERE
ZIRCONIUM 95
ZIRCONIUM ISOTOPES