The Seasonal Evolution of Reactive Chlorine in the Northern Hemisphere Stratosphere

In situ measurements of chlorine monoxide (ClO) at mid- and high northern latitudes are reported for the period October 1991 to February 1992. As early as mid-December and throughout the winter, significant enhancements of this ozone-destroying radical were observed within the polar vortex shortly a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1993-08, Vol.261 (5125), p.1134-1136
Main Authors: Toohey, D. W., Avallone, L. M., Lait, L. R., Newman, P. A., Schoeberl, M. R., Fahey, D. W., Woodbridge, E. L., Anderson, J. G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
540110
AEROSOLS
Air masses
Arctic Ozone: AASE II Observations
ARCTIC REGIONS
Atmospheric composition. Chemical and photochemical reactions
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
Chlorine
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
CHLORINE NITRATES
CHLORINE OXIDES
COLLOIDS
CRYOSPHERE
DISPERSIONS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH PLANET
Earth, ocean, space
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
Environmental aspects
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ERUPTION
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Geophysics
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
LAYERS
LOSSES
Meteorology
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NITROGEN OXIDES
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
Ozone
OZONE LAYER
Photolysis
Physics of the high neutral atmosphere
PLANETS
POLAR REGIONS
Polar vortex
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SOLS
STRATOSPHERE
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
Trajectories
VARIATIONS
VOLCANOES
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Description
Summary:In situ measurements of chlorine monoxide (ClO) at mid- and high northern latitudes are reported for the period October 1991 to February 1992. As early as mid-December and throughout the winter, significant enhancements of this ozone-destroying radical were observed within the polar vortex shortly after temperatures dropped below 195 k. Decreases in ClO observed in February were consistent with the rapid formation of chlorine nitrate (ClONO$_2$) by recombination of ClO with nitrogen dioxide (NO$_2$) released photochemically from nitric acid (HNO$_3$). Outside the vortex, ClO abundances were higher than in previous years as a result of NO$_x$ suppression by heterogeneous reactions on sulfate aerosols enhanced by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.261.5125.1134