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A quantitative analysis of stratospheric HCl, HNO 3 , and O 3 in the tropopause region near the subtropical jet
Author(s) -
Jurkat T.,
Voigt C.,
Kaufmann S.,
Zahn A.,
Sprenger M.,
Hoor P.,
Bozem H.,
Müller S.,
Dörnbrack A.,
Schlager H.,
Bönisch H.,
Engel A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2013gl059159
Subject(s) - tropopause , stratosphere , troposphere , atmospheric sciences , tracer , extratropical cyclone , environmental science , altitude (triangle) , mixing ratio , climatology , subtropics , physics , geology , geometry , mathematics , fishery , nuclear physics , biology
The effects of chemical two‐way mixing on the Extratropical Transition Layer (ExTL) near the subtropical jet are investigated by stratospheric tracer‐tracer correlations. To this end, in situ measurements were performed west of Africa (25–32°N) during the Transport and Composition of the Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere (UTLS)/Earth System Model Validation (TACTS/ESMVal) mission in August/September 2012. The Atmospheric chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer sampling HCl and HNO 3 was for the first time deployed on the new German High Altitude and Long range research aircraft (HALO). Measurements of O 3 , CO, European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis, and the tight correlation of the unambiguous tracer HCl to O 3 and HNO 3 in the lower stratosphere were used to quantify the stratospheric content of these species in the ExTL. With increasing distance from the tropopause, the stratospheric content increased from 10 % to 100 % with differing profiles for HNO 3 and O 3 . Tropospheric fractions of 20 % HNO 3 and 40 % O 3 were detected up to a distance of 30 K above the tropopause.