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Total reactive nitrogen, N 2 O, and ozone in the winter Arctic stratosphere
Author(s) -
Kondo Y.,
Schmidt U.,
Sugita T.,
Aimedieu P.,
Koike M.,
Ziereis H.,
Iwasaka Y.
Publication year - 1994
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 - 10.1029/93gl03071
Subject(s) - stratosphere , ozone , atmospheric sciences , mixing ratio , descent (aeronautics) , polar vortex , environmental science , reactive nitrogen , nitrogen , nitrogen dioxide , arctic , atmosphere (unit) , climatology , the arctic , meteorology , chemistry , physics , geology , oceanography , organic chemistry
Total reactive nitrogen (NO y ) and ozone were measured between 14 and 31 km during ascent on board a balloon launched from Kiruna, Sweden on January 31, 1992. Measurements of N 2 O were also made from the same gondola but during the fast parachute descent. Kiruna was located outside the polar vortex below 20 km and inside it above 23 km. The observed strong positive correlation between NO y and ozone as well as the negative correlation between NO y and N 2 O up to 22 km suggests the absence of denitrification at these altitudes. Very low N 2 O mixing ratios of about 13 ppbv were observed at altitudes between 23 and 27 km. In this region, the NO y mixing ratio was 13.6±0.5 ppbv, deviating from the above linear relationship by 6 ppbv. This deficit in NO y is interpreted in terms of downward transport of air from the upper stratosphere where photochemical NO y loss occurs.