Large nitric acid particles at the top of an Arctic stratospheric cloud

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research
• Main Authors: Deshler, Terry, Larsen, Niels, Weissner, Christoph, Schreiner, Jochen, Mauersberger, Konrad, Cairo, Francesco, Adriani, Alberto, Di Donfrancesco, Guido, Ovarlez, Joelle, Ovarlez, Henri, Blum, Ulrich, Fricke, K. H., Dörnbrack, Andreas
• Other Authors: 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)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2003
• Subjects: Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Cloud physics and chemistry; Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Middle atmosphere-composition and chemistry; polar stratospheric clouds; in situ stratospheric cloud measurements; Arctic stratospheric clouds; polar stratospheric cloud composition; balloon-borne aerosol measurements; large polar stratospheric cloud particles; Earth Science; [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Arctic
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04110023; https://hal.science/hal-04110023/document; https://hal.science/hal-04110023/file/Journal%20of%20Geophysical%20Research%20Atmospheres%20-%202003%20-%20Deshler%20-%20Large%20nitric%20acid%20particles%20at%20the%20top%20of%20an%20Arctic.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JD003479

International audience In early December 2001, balloon-borne in situ measurements of particle composition, size, number, phase, and backscatter were completed in an Arctic stratospheric cloud composed of three distinct layers between 22 and 26 km. Below 24.5 km, liquid solution droplets of water, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid and a thin ice layer were observed. Above this layer the particles were primarily solid nitric acid trihydrate. Just above 26 km, at cloud top, where temperatures were near or above the equilibrium temperature for nitric acid trihydrate, there was a thin layer of solid particles narrowly distributed around a radius of 2.0 μm at concentrations of <0.001 cm -3 . Lidar backscatter and particle phase measurements approximately 200 km upwind of the in situ measurements indicate a similar vertical structure for the cloud. These in situ measurements represent, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive in situ observations of all phases of polar stratospheric cloud particles, while the large particles at cloud top have not been previously observed and may have implications for producing particles large enough to remove reactive nitrogen from the polar stratosphere.