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Balloon observations of nitric acid aerosol formation in the Arctic stratosphere: II. Aerosol
Author(s) -
Hofmann D. J.,
Deshler T.,
Arnold F.,
Schlager H.
Publication year - 1990
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/gl017i009p01279
Subject(s) - aerosol , cloud condensation nuclei , supersaturation , stratosphere , nitric acid , atmospheric sciences , mixing ratio , altitude (triangle) , water vapor , environmental science , air mass (solar energy) , condensation , meteorology , chemistry , physics , inorganic chemistry , geometry , mathematics , organic chemistry , boundary layer , thermodynamics
Balloonborne aerosol measurements over the size range r = 0.01 to 10 μm on 31 January 1990 are used to determine the HNO 3 vapor mass deposited in Arctic nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) clouds in the 21–24 km region. The clouds consisted mainly of small (r≈ 0.2 μm) particles and appeared to have been formed during recent cooling because the r ≥ 0.15 μm aerosol concentration in the coldest part of the cloud was nearly equal to the condensation nuclei concentration, suggesting a large vapor supersaturation. The maximum inferred HNO 3 vapor mixing ratio which condensed in the cloud was about 4 ppbv, in good agreement with the observed depletion of HNO 3 vapor in the same altitude region under similar temperature conditions 23 hours earlier.