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Atmospheric Effects of Energetic Particle Precipitation in the Arctic Winter 1978-1979 RevisitedThe Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) measured polar stratospheric enhancements of NO2 mixing ratios due to energetic particle precipitation (EPP) in the Arctic winter of 1978-1979. Recently reprocessed LIMS data are compared to more recent measurements from the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) and the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometer (ACE-FTS) to place the LIMS measurements in the context of current observations. The amount of NOx (NO + NO2) entering the stratosphere that has been created by EPP in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (EPP-NOx) has been quantified for the 1978-1979 and 2002-2003 through 2008-2009 Arctic winters. The NO2 enhancements in the LIMS data are similar to those in MIPAS and ACE-FTS data in the Arctic winters of 2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2006-2007, and 2007-2008. The largest enhancement by far is in 2003-2004 (approximately 2.2 Gmol at 1500 K), which is attributed to a combination of elevated EPP and unusual dynamics that led to strong descent in the upper stratosphere/lower mesosphere in late winter. The enhancements in 2005-2006 and 2008-2009, during which large stratospheric NOx enhancements were caused by a dynamical situation similar to that in 2003 2004, are larger than in all the other years (except 2003-2004) at 3000 K. However, by 2000 K the enhancements in 2005-2006 (2008-2009) are on the same order of magnitude as (smaller than) all other years. These results highlight the importance of the timing of the descent in determining the potential of EPP-NOx for reaching the middle stratosphere.
Document ID
20120003522
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Holt, L. A.
(Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Randall, C. E.
(Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Harvey, V. L.
(Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Remsberg, E. E.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Stiller, G. P.
(Karlsruhe Univ. Germany)
Funke, B.
(Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia Granada, Spain)
Bernath, P. F.
(York Univ. United Kingdom)
Walker, K. A.
(Toronto Univ. Ontario, Canada)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
March 15, 2012
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
Volume: 117
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
NF1676L-14217
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX10AQ54G
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF AGS-0940124
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX06AC05G
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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