Abstract
In-situ measurements of nitric acid (HNO3), ozone (O3), and nitrous oxide (N2O) were made from the NASA DC-8 during the Polar Aura Validation Experiment in January/February 2005. In the lower stratosphere (9–12.5 km, potential temperature 300–350 K) characteristic compact relationships were observed between all three gases. The ratio HNO3/O3 averaged 3.5 (±0.7) ppt/ppb. Samples with enhanced HNO3/O3 (>4.0) were most abundant under the edge of the Arctic Polar vortex in airmasses with enhanced mixing ratios of both gases (>400 ppb O3 and >2000 ppt HNO3) and reduced mixing ratios of N2O (<305 ppb), indicating air from higher levels in the stratosphere. Relationships to N2O in the anomalous samples under the vortex edge indicate that increases in HNO3/O3 reflect renitrification at DC-8 flight levels, with no indication of significant O3 loss. Renitrified air was only observed at potential temperatures above 340 K, and was most abundant on the PAVE flights on 27 and 29 January.
Department
Earth Sciences, Earth Systems Research Center
Publication Date
6-2006
Journal Title
Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher
Wiley
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1029/2006GL026243
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Dibb, J. E., E. Scheuer, M. Avery, J. Plant, and G. Sachse (2006), In situ evidence for renitrification in the Arctic lower stratosphere during the polar aura validation experiment (PAVE), Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L12815, doi:10.1029/2006GL026243.
Rights
Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.