Premium
About the increase of HNO 3 in the stratopause region during the Halloween 2003 solar proton event
Author(s) -
Verronen P. T.,
Funke B.,
LópezPuertas M.,
Stiller G. P.,
von Clarmann T.,
Glatthor N.,
Enell C.F.,
Turunen E.,
Tamminen J.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2008gl035312
Subject(s) - stratopause , ion , proton , event (particle physics) , atmospheric sciences , polar , mixing ratio , environmental science , physics , atmosphere (unit) , stratosphere , meteorology , mesosphere , astrophysics , nuclear physics , astronomy , quantum mechanics
In this paper, we explain the HNO 3 observations made with the MIPAS/Envisat instrument in the northern polar region at the time of the October‐November 2003 solar proton event. Increases of 0.5–5.5 ppbv are seen at altitudes 35–58 km after the onset of the event. Results from the Sodankylä Ion and Neutral Chemistry model are in good agreement with the MIPAS observations, except at around 58 km where the modeled mixing ratios are about a factor of two larger. According to the model results, HNO 3 production at altitudes above 35 km is almost entirely due to ion‐ion recombination between NO 3 − and H + cluster ions. At 35 km and below, there is contribution also from N 2 O 5 reacting with ions as well as from NO 2 reacting with OH.