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The potential of cirrus clouds for heterogeneous chlorine activation
Author(s) -
Borrmann Stephan,
Solomon Susan,
Dye James E.,
Luo Beiping
Publication year - 1996
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 - 10.1029/96gl01957
Subject(s) - cirrus , tropopause , chlorine , atmospheric sciences , ozone , atmospheric chemistry , scattering , relative humidity , chemistry , environmental science , physics , troposphere , meteorology , optics , organic chemistry
The ER‐2 data from ascents and descents through layers of cirrus clouds are utilized to study the heterogeneous reactions of ClONO 2 with H 2 O, of HOCl and ClONO 2 with HCl, and their potential role for the activation of chlorine in the tropopause region, which could affect ozone there. Lacking measured data for the three chlorine containing molecules their abundances as a function of altitude have been calculated from a 2D model. The aerosol surface data measured by a Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP‐300) on the ER‐2 were corrected for the expected asphericity of cirrus cloud particles by means of a T‐matrix method. The results indicate considerable potential of cirrus clouds for chlorine activation. If ClONO 2 and HCl are present in the tropopause region they are likely to be quickly converted to active chlorine by cirrus clouds.