Rate of Formation of the ClO Dimer in the Polar Stratosphere: Implications for Ozone Loss
The gas-phase recombination of chlorine monoxide (ClO) has been investigated under the conditions of pressure and temperature that prevail in the Antarctic stratosphere during the period of maximum ozone (O_3) disappearance. Measured rate constants are less than one-half as great as the previously a...
Published in: | Science |
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Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
American Association for the Advancement of Science
1989
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49270/ https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140905-090620093 |
Summary: | The gas-phase recombination of chlorine monoxide (ClO) has been investigated under the conditions of pressure and temperature that prevail in the Antarctic stratosphere during the period of maximum ozone (O_3) disappearance. Measured rate constants are less than one-half as great as the previously accepted values. One-dimensional model calculations based on the new rate data indicate that currently accepted chemical mechanisms can quantitatively account for the observed O_3 losses in late spring (17 September to 7 October). A qualitative assessment indicates that the existing mechanisms can only account for at most one-half of the measured O3 depletion in the early spring (28 August to 17 September), indicating that there may be additional catalytic cycles, besides those currently recognized, that destroy O_3. |
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