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Gaseous sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide measurements in the Arctic troposphere and lower stratosphere: Implications for hydroxyl radical abundances
Author(s) -
Möhler O.,
Arnold F.
Publication year - 1992
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 - 10.1029/92gl01807
Subject(s) - troposphere , stratosphere , tropopause , mixing ratio , atmospheric sciences , sulfur dioxide , environmental science , sulfuric acid , arctic , atmospheric chemistry , climatology , volume (thermodynamics) , ozone , meteorology , chemistry , geology , oceanography , physics , inorganic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Measurements of gaseous sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide were made in the winter arctic troposphere and lower stratosphere, using aircraft‐borne mass spectrometers. The measurements, covering altitudes between 3.5 and 11.4 km, took place on 14 and 18 February, 1987 in Northern Scandinavia. The abundance of H 2 SO 4 was around 0.01 to 0.06 pptv (parts per trillion by volume) and the measured SO 2 volume mixing ratios are around 50 to 400 pptv in the troposphere and decrease steeply above the tropopause to about 10 pptv. This decrease above the tropopause is in contrast to previous measurements showing constant or even increasing SO 2 mixing ratios. The combined H 2 SO 4 and SO 2 measurements offer an interesting opportunity to infer hydroxyl radical concentrations. Inferred OH concentrations are around 0.1–1.0 × 10 5 cm −3 being roughly consistent with model predictions for winter time high latitudes.