Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics A closer look at Arctic ozone loss and polar stratospheric clouds
Abstract. The empirical relationship found between column-integrated Arctic ozone loss and the potential vol-ume of polar stratospheric clouds inferred from meteorolog-ical analyses is recalculated in a self-consistent manner us-ing the ERA Interim reanalyses. The relationship is found to hold at di...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2010
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.618.1010 http://www.atmos-chem-phys.org/10/8499/2010/acp-10-8499-2010.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract. The empirical relationship found between column-integrated Arctic ozone loss and the potential vol-ume of polar stratospheric clouds inferred from meteorolog-ical analyses is recalculated in a self-consistent manner us-ing the ERA Interim reanalyses. The relationship is found to hold at different altitudes as well as in the column. The use of a PSC formation threshold based on temperature dependent cold aerosol formation makes little difference to the original, empirical relationship. Analysis of the photochemistry lead-ing to the ozone loss shows that activation is limited by the photolysis of nitric acid. This step produces nitrogen diox-ide which is converted to chlorine nitrate which in turn reacts with hydrogen chloride on any polar stratospheric clouds to form active chlorine. The rate-limiting step is the photolysis of nitric acid: this occurs at the same rate every year and so |
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