Microphysical properties of synoptic-scale polar stratospheric clouds: in situ measurements of unexpectedly large HNO3-containing particles in the Arctic vortex

• Published in: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
• Main Authors: Molleker, S., Borrmann, Stefan, Schlager, Hans, Luo, Beiping, Frey, W., Klingebiel, M., Weigel, R., Ebert, M., Mitev, V., Matthey, R., Woiwode, W., Oelhaf, Hermann, Dörnbrack, Andreas, Stratmann, Greta, Grooß, Jens-Uwe, Günther, G., Vogel, B., Müller, Rolf, Krämer, M., Meyer, J., Cairo, F.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: German
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2014
• Subjects: Atmosphärische Spurenstoffe; Verkehrsmeteorologie; Arctic
• Online Access: https://elib.dlr.de/92880/; https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-10785-2014

In January 2010 and December 2011, synopticscale polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) fields were probed during seven flights of the high-altitude research aircraft M- 55 Geophysica within the RECONCILE (Reconciliation of essential process parameters for an enhanced predictability of Arctic stratospheric ozone loss and its climate interaction) and the ESSenCe (ESSenCe: ESA Sounder Campaign) projects. Particle size distributions in a diameter range between 0.46 and 40 μm were recorded by four different optical in situ instruments. Three of these particle instruments are based on the detection of forward-scattered light by single particles. The fourth instrument is a grayscale optical array imaging probe. Optical particle diameters of up to 35 μm were detected with particle number densities and total particle volumes exceeding previous Arctic measurements. Also, gas-phase and particle-bound NOy was measured, as well as water vapor concentrations.