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Freezing temperatures of H 2 SO 4 /HNO 3 /H 2 O mixtures: Implications for polar stratospheric clouds
Author(s) -
Song Naihui
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 - 10.1029/94gl02459
Subject(s) - nitric acid , polar , supercooling , water vapor , stratosphere , atmospheric sciences , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemistry , environmental chemistry , meteorology , inorganic chemistry , geology , organic chemistry , physics , astronomy
The freezing temperatures of H 2 SO 4 /HNO 3 /H 2 O mixtures were systematically documented. Nitric acid was found to affect freezing significantly. Measurements show that nitric acid can cause substantial supercooling over a broad composition range. However, some ternary compositions, like to those in polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), have high freezing temperatures. The freezing of PSC particles could be controlled by the temperature and vapor pressure of both nitric acid and water in a non‐linear way. Formation of polar stratospheric clouds may be forecasted on the basis of conditions of temperature and vapor contents of water and nitric acid.