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Trace Gas Transport in the Arctic Vortex Inferred from ATMOS ATLAS-2 Observations During April 1993Measurements of the long-lived tracers CH4, N2O, and HF from the Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) instrument during the Atmospheric Laboratory for Science and Applications-2 (ATLAS-2) Space Shuttle mission in April 1993 are used to infer average winter descent rates ranging from 0.8 km/month at 20 km to 3.2 km/month at 40 km in the Arctic polar vortex during the 1992-93 winter. Descent rates in the mid-stratosphere are similar to those deduced for the Antarctic vortex using ATMOS/ATLAS-3 measurements in November 1994, but the shorter time period of descent in the Arctic leads to smaller total distances of descent. Strong horizontal gradients observed along the vortex edge indicate that the Arctic vortex remains a significant barrier to transport at least until mid-April in the lower to middle stratosphere.
Document ID
19970023215
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Abrams, M. C.
(Science Applications International Corp. Hampton, VA United States)
Manney, G. L.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Gunson, M. R.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Abbas, M. M.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Chang, A. Y.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Goldman, A.
(Denver Univ. Boulder, CO United States)
Irion, F. W.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Michelsen, H. A.
(Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA United States)
Newchurch, M. J.
(Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA United States)
Rinsland, C, P,
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA United States)
Salawitch, R. J.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Stiller, G. P.
(Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe G.m.b.H. Karlsruhe, Germany)
Zander, R.
(Liege Univ. Belgium)
Date Acquired
August 17, 2013
Publication Date
August 15, 1996
Publication Information
Publication: ATLAS Series of Shuttle Missions
Volume: 23
Issue: 17
ISSN: 0094-8534
Subject Category
Environment Pollution
Report/Patent Number
Paper-96GL00705
Accession Number
97N23603
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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