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Mechanisms for Midlatitude Ozone Loss: Heterogeneous Chemistry in the Lowermost Stratosphere?The question of midlatitude ozone erosion by chlorine free radical catalysis is examined. We present and analyze simultaneous, high-resolution observations of ClO, H2O, tropopause height, particle reactive surface area, and ice saturation occurrence frequency obtained from the NASA ER-2 aircraft. The objective is to test the hypothesis that the existence of cirrus clouds or cold aerosols in the first few kilometers above the tropopause at midlatitudes is responsible for increasing the ratio of chlorine free radicals to total inorganic chlorine, thus amplifying the rate of catalytic ozone destruction. The observations reveal a sharp decrease in ice saturation frequency at the tropopause, a marked degree of undersaturation just above the tropopause, a corresponding sharp gradient in the product of cold aerosol reactive surface area and reaction probability, gamma-S(sub a), and, finally, the consistent absence of enhanced concentrations of ClO immediately above the tropopause. These results suggest that midlatitude ozone loss is not controlled in situ by the mechanism of cirrus cloud and/or cold aerosol enhancement of chlorine radicals in the vicinity of the tropopause.
Document ID
20010064577
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Smith, Jessica B.
(Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA United States)
Hintsa, Eric J.
(Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA United States)
Allen, Norton T.
(Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA United States)
Stimpfle, Richard M.
(Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA United States)
Anderson, James G.
(Harvard Univ. Cambridge, MA United States)
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 16, 2001
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
Volume: 106
Issue: D1
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Environment Pollution
Report/Patent Number
Paper-2000JD900464
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG1-2007
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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