Composition analysis of liquid particles in the Arctic stratosphere

• Main Authors: Weisser, C., Mauersberger, K., Schreiner, J., Larsen, N., Cairo, F., Adriani, A., Ovarlez, J., Deshler, T.
• Other Authors: Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (MPIK), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), Istituto di Scienze dell'Atmosfera e del Clima (ISAC), National Research Council of Italy, Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario (IFSI), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), University of Wyoming (UW)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2004
• Subjects: [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; Arctic; Kiruna
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00327871; https://hal.science/hal-00327871/document; https://hal.science/hal-00327871/file/acpd-4-2513-2004.pdf

International audience Synoptic scale polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) that formed without the presence of mountain leewaves were observed in early December 2002 from Kiruna/Sweden using balloon-borne instruments. The physical, chemical, and optical properties of the particles were measured. Within the PSC solid particles existed whenever the temperature was below the equilibrium temperature for nitric acid trihydrate and liquid particles appeared when the temperature fell below an even lower threshold about 3 K above the frost point. The correlation of liquid supercooled ternary solution aerosols with local temperatures is a pronounced feature observed during this flight although the molar ratios H 2 O/HNO 3 were about a factor of 2 higher than model predictions. In addition HCl has been measured for the first time in liquid aerosols. The chlorine isotope signature served as a unique tool to identify unambiguously HCl dissolved in STS particles. Within a narrow temperature range of about three degrees above the frost point, measured HCl molar ratios are below 1 weight%. There is only fair agreement with model predictions.