Arctic Ozone Depletion Observed by UARS MLS during the 1994-95 Winter
The Arctic lower stratosphere was unusually cold and the polar vortex
Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Jarnot, R. F..
The Arctic lower stratosphere was unusually cold and the polar vortex
The Earth's northern hemisphere lower stratosphere was unusually cold in December 1995 and January 1995. Temperatures low enough for polar stratospheric cloud formation persisted until mid-March 1995, and the polar vortex was exceptionally strong throughout the winter. Previous and current Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) measurements indicating ozone depletion are given.
UARS MLS measurements of lower stratospheric CIO during the 1992-93 and 1993-94 Arctic winters are presented.
The severe depletion of stratospheric ozone over Antarctica in late winter and early spring is caused by enhanced CLO abundances arising from heterogeneous reactions on polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). CLO abundances comparable to those over Antarctica have also been observed throughout the Arctic Vortex, but the accompanying loss of Arctic ozone has been much less severe.
Global ozone observations from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) aboard the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) are presented, in both vertically resolved and column abundance formats.
The microwave limb sounder (MLS) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is the first satellite experiment using limb sounding techniques at microwave frequencies. Primary measurement objectives are stratospheric ClO, O3, H2O, temperature, and pressure. Measurements are of thermal emission: all are performed simultaneously and continuously and are not degraded by ice clouds or volcanic aerosols. The instrument has a 1.6-m mechanically scanning antenna system and contains heterodyne radiometers in spectral bands centred near 63, 183, and 205 GHz. The radiometers operate at ambient temperature and use Schottky-diode mixers with local oscillators derived from phase-locked Gunn oscillators. Frequency tripling by varactor multipliers generates the 183- and 205-GHz local oscillators, and quasi-optical techniques inject these into the mixers. Six 15-channel filter banks spectrally resolve stratospheric thermal emission lines and produce an output spectrum every 2 s. Thermal stability is sufficient for 'total power' measurements which do not require fast chopping. Radiometric calibration, consisting of measurements of cold space and an internal target, is performed every 65-s limb scan. Instrument in-orbit performance has been excellent, and all objectives are being met.
The effects of the break-up of the Antarctic vortex on the water vapor distribution are studied using MLS measurements of water vapor made during September 1991 and November 1991. In early November at 22 hPa a moist area is found within the polar vortex, consistent with an observed descent of order 10 km and strong radiative cooling. As the vortex erodes (beginning of November 1991), parcels of moist air become detached from the edge of the vortex and mix rapidly (within 2-3 days) with drier mid-latitude air. When the vortex breaks up (mid-November), larger parcels of moist air from both the edge and the inner vortex migrate to mid-latitudes. These parcels have a longer lifetime than those produced by vortex erosion, probably because they are correlated with higher potential vorticity gradients. The break-up of the vortex is accompanied by a mean adiabatic equatorward transport resulting in a significant increase in midstratospheric water vapor values at mid-latitudes in late spring.
Concentrations of atmospheric ozone and of ClO (the predominant form of reactive chlorine responsible for stratospheric ozone depletion) are reported for both the Arctic and Antarctic winters of the past 18 months. Chlorine in the lower stratosphere was almost completely converted to chemically reactive forms in both the northern and southern polar winter vortices. This occurred in the south long before the development of the Antarctic ozone hole, suggesting that ozone loss can be masked by influx of ozone-rich air.
Stratospheric ClO and O3 vertical profiles were measured at 32-deg N in May 1985 and October 1986. The ClO profiles and diurnal variation are in general agreement with theory, but have somewhat less midday ClO near 34 km. Measured 35-45 km O3 is larger than theoretical, and no stratospheric O3 diurnal variation was observed, as expected. HNO3 was detected, and an H2O2 upper limit was obtained.
The balloon-borne Microwave Limb Sounder (BMLS) measures atmospheric thermal emission from millimeter wavelength spectral lines to determine vertical profiles of stratospheric species. The instrument flown to data operates at 205 BHz to measure ClO, O3, and H2O2. A 63 GHz radiometer is added to test the technique for determining tangent point pressure from the MLS experiment on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). Many additional species is also measured by the BLMS. A radiometer at 270 GHz would provide measurements of HO2, NO2, HNO3, N2O, 16O18O16O, and HCN. With this addition the BMLS can test the current theory of O3 heavy ozone photochemical balance in the upper stratosphere.
The balloon-borne microwave limb sounder (BMLS) measures atmospheric thermal emission from millimeter wavelength spectral lines to determine vertical profiles of stratospheric species. The instrument flown to date operates at 205 GHz to measure ClO, O3, and H2O2. A 63 GHz radiometer will be added to test the technique for determining tangent point pressure from the MLS experiment on the upper atmosphere research satellite (UARS). Many additional species could also be measured by the BMLS. A radiometer at 270 GHz would provide measurements of HO2, NO2, HNO3, N2O, O-16O-18O-16, and HCN. With this addition, the BMLS can test the current theory of O3 photochemical balance in the upper stratosphere.
Profiles of stratospheric ozone and chlorine monoxide radical (ClO) have been obtained from balloon measurements of atmospheric limb thermal emission at millimeter wavelengths. The ClO measurements, important for assessing the predicted depletion of stratospheric ozone by chlorine from industrial sources, are in close agreement with present theory. The predicted decrease of ClO at sunset was measured. A tentative value for the stratospheric abundance of hydrogen peroxide was also determined.
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The design and construction of a balloon-borne instrument for remote-sensing of stratospheric composition is described. Thermal emission from the constituents is detected and the spectral selectivity of the instrument is tailored to a specific gas by the use of a cell of the same gas in the optical path of the radiometer. The pressure of the gas in the cell is cycled and the resultant transmission function is shown to be highly selective to radiation from the same gas in the atmosphere. The first flight of the instrument and the retrieval of a water vapour profile in the range 15-40 km is described.
A further flight of the balloon-borne pressure-modulated radiometer (PMR) instrument (Chaloner et al., 1978) is described when simultaneous measurements of NO and NO2 concentrations were made through dawn. A detailed description of the retrieval methods used and the precautions taken against interference from signals from the other gases is given. Profiles of NO(x) through dawn are also briefly considered