Article (Scientific journals)
Polar stratospheric descent of NOy and CO and Arctic denitrification during winter 1992-1993
Rinsland, C. P.; Salawitch, R. J.; Gunson, M. R. et al.
1999In Journal of Geophysical Research. Atmospheres, 104 (D1), p. 1847-1861
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Keywords :
ATMOS instrument; remote sensing; polar stratosphere
Abstract :
[en] Observations inside the November 1994 Antarctic stratospheric vortex and inside the April 1993 remnant Arctic stratospheric vortex by the Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) Fourier transform spectrometer are reported. In both instances, elevated volume mixing ratios (VMRs) of carbon monoxide (CO) were measured. A peak Antarctic CO VMR of 60 ppbv (where 1 ppbv = 10(-9) per unit volume) was measured at a potential temperature (Theta) of 710 K (similar to 27 km), about 1 km below the altitude of a pocket of elevated NOy (total reactive nitrogen) at a deep minimum in N2O (<5 ppbv). The Arctic observations also show a region of elevated vortex CO with a peak VMR of 90 ppbv at 630-670 K (similar to 25 km) but no corresponding enhancement in NOy, perhaps because of stronger dynamical activity in the northern hemisphere polar winter and/or interannual variability in the production of mesospheric NO. By comparing vortex and extravortex observations of NOy obtained at the same N2O VMR, Arctic vortex denitrification of 5 +/- 2 ppbv at 470 K (similar to 18 km) is inferred. We show that our conclusion of substantial Arctic winter 1992-1993 denitrification is robust by comparing our extravortex observations with previous polar measurements obtained over a wide range of winter conditions. Correlations of NOy with N2O measured at the same Theta by ATMOS in the Arctic vortex and at midlatitudes on board the ER-2 aircraft several weeks later lie along the same mixing line. The result demonstrates the consistency of the two data sets and confirms that the ER-2 sampled fragments of the denitrified Arctic vortex following its breakup, An analysis of the ATMOS Arctic measurements of total hydrogen shows no evidence for significant dehydration inside the vortex.
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Author, co-author :
Rinsland, C. P.
Salawitch, R. J.
Gunson, M. R.
Solomon, S.
Zander, Rodolphe ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Services généraux (Faculté des sciences) > Relations académiques et scientifiques (Sciences)
Mahieu, Emmanuel  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Groupe infra-rouge de phys. atmosph. et solaire (GIRPAS)
Goldman, A.
Newchurch, M. J.
Irion, F. W.
Chang, A. Y.
Language :
English
Title :
Polar stratospheric descent of NOy and CO and Arctic denitrification during winter 1992-1993
Publication date :
20 January 1999
Journal title :
Journal of Geophysical Research. Atmospheres
ISSN :
2169-897X
eISSN :
2169-8996
Publisher :
Amer Geophysical Union, Washington, United States - Washington
Volume :
104
Issue :
D1
Pages :
1847-1861
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Available on ORBi :
since 15 June 2009

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