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On the unexplained stratospheric ozone losses during cold Arctic Januaries
Author(s) -
Rex M.,
Salawitch R. J.,
Santee M. L.,
Waters J. W.,
Hoppel K.,
Bevilacqua R.
Publication year - 2003
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 - 10.1029/2002gl016008
Subject(s) - ozone , atmospheric sciences , zenith , environmental science , ozone depletion , ozone layer , solar zenith angle , arctic , climatology , stratosphere , the arctic , meteorology , remote sensing , geology , geography , oceanography
Using a combination of data from Match, POAM II, POAM III and MLS we show that the chemical loss rate of Arctic O 3 during January of four cold winters (1992, 1995, 1996, and 2000) is consistently faster than can be accounted for by assuming complete activation of reactive chlorine and standard reaction kinetics. However, O 3 loss rates measured during late February and early March 1996 are shown to be consistent with observations of ClO. The faster than expected O 3 loss rates during January are shown to occur when air parcels are illuminated at high solar zenith angles (SZAs between ∼85 and 94°), and to result in cumulative O 3 loss of ∼0.5 ppmv. The cause of the rapid January O 3 loss is unclear, but may be related to a photolytic process at high SZA that is poorly represented by current photochemical models.