Infrared Measurements of Several Nitrogen Species Above the South Pole in December 1980 and November - December 1986

In December 1980 and November-December 1986, the University of Denver atmospheric spectroscopy group recorded numerous high-resolution infrared solar absorption spectra from the Amundsen-Scott south pole station. These spectra were obtained by Frank J. Murcray and Frank H. Murcray with a Michelson-type Fourier transform spectrometer and show absorption features of a number of minor and trace atmospheric gases with a minimum of atmospheric water vapor absorption. Quantifications of the total column amounts of O3, CH4, N2O, and H2O from the 1980 observations and RCI from the 1986 observations have been reported along with an atlas of the 750-960/ cm spectral region. In the present study, we report measurements of HNO3 total column amounts deduced from both data sets and NO, and NO2 total column amounts from the 1986 data set. Nitric acid may be important in the chemistry which creates the spring Antarctic ozone minimum, since it may condense in the cold winter polar stratosphere and become the dominant component of polar stratospheric clouds. The present measurements were obtained shortly after the austral spring ozone minimum and define for the first time the ambient levels of these nitrogen species immediately following the breakup of the polar vortex.