Lagrangian analysis of microphysical and chemical processes in the Antarctic stratosphere: a case study ...

• Main Authors: Di Liberto, Luca, Lehmann, Ralph, Tritscher, I., Fierli, Federico, Mercer, J.L., Snels, Marcel, Di Donfrancesco, Guido, Deshler, Terry, Luo, Beiping P., Grooß, Jens-Uwe, Arnone, Enrico, Dinelli, Bianca M., Cairo, Francesco
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2015
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000102826; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/102826

We investigated chemical and microphysical processes in the late winter in the Antarctic lower stratosphere, after the first chlorine activation and initial ozone depletion. We focused on a time interval when both further chlorine activation and ozone loss, but also chlorine deactivation, occur. We performed a comprehensive Lagrangian analysis to simulate the evolution of an air mass along a 10-day trajectory, coupling a detailed microphysical box model to a chemistry model. Model results have been compared with in situ and remote sensing measurements of particles and ozone at the start and end points of the trajectory, and satellite measurements of key chemical species and clouds along it. Different model runs have been performed to understand the relative role of solid and liquid polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) particles for the heterogeneous chemistry, and for the denitrification caused by particle sedimentation. According to model results, under the conditions investigated, ozone depletion is not ... : Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 15 (12) ...