Open AccessPartitioning of the reactive nitrogen reservoir in the lower stratosphere of the southern hemisphere: Observations and modeling
Author(s) -
Gao R. S.,
Fahey D. W.,
Salawitch R. J.,
Lloyd S. A.,
Anderson D. E.,
DeMajistre R.,
McElroy C. T.,
Woodbridge E. L.,
Wamsley R. C.,
Donnelly S. G.,
Del Negro L. A.,
Proffitt M. H.,
Stimpfle R. M.,
Kohn D. W.,
Kawa S. R.,
Lait L. R.,
Loewenstein M.,
Podolske J. R.,
Keim E. R.,
Dye J. E.,
Wilson J. C.,
Chan K. R.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/96jd01967
Subject(s) - stratosphere , atmospheric sciences , ozone , northern hemisphere , nitrogen dioxide , environmental science , plume , reactive nitrogen , photodissociation , nitrogen , latitude , flux (metallurgy) , ozone layer , chemistry , meteorology , physics , photochemistry , organic chemistry , astronomy
Measurements of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and total reactive nitrogen (NO y = NO + NO 2 + NO 3 + HNO 3 + ClONO 2 + 2N 2 O 5 + …) were made during austral fall, winter, and spring 1994 as part of the NASA Airborne Southern Hemisphere Ozone Experiment/Measurements for Assessing the Effects of Stratospheric Aircraft mission. Comparisons between measured NO 2 values and those calculated using a steady state (SS) approximation are presented for flights at mid and high latitudes. The SS results agree with the measurements to within 8%, suggesting that the kinetic rate coefficients and calculated NO 2 photolysis rate used in the SS approximation are reasonably accurate for conditions in the lower stratosphere. However, NO 2 values observed in the Concorde exhaust plume were significantly less than SS values. Calculated NO 2 photolysis rates showed good agreement with values inferred from solar flux measurements, indicating a strong self‐consistency in our understanding of UV radiation transmission in the lower stratosphere. Model comparisons using a full diurnal, photochemical steady state model also show good agreement with the NO and NO 2 measurements, suggesting that the reactions affecting the partitioning of the NO y reservoir are well understood in the lower stratosphere.