Partitioning of reactive nitrogen in the midlatitude lower stratosphere

Citation
Y. Kondo et al., Partitioning of reactive nitrogen in the midlatitude lower stratosphere, J GEO RES-A, 105(D1), 2000, pp. 1417-1424
Citations number
34
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Earth Sciences
Volume
105
Issue
D1
Year of publication
2000
Pages
1417 - 1424
Database
ISI
SICI code
Abstract
Balloon-borne in situ measurements of total reactive nitrogen (NO,), nitric oxide (NO), nitric acid (HNO3), ozone (O-3), and aerosols were conducted o ver Are sur l'Adour, France (44 degrees N), between October 11 and 12, 1994 , NO, and NO were measured by chemiluminescence NO detectors combined with a gold catalytic converter, and HNO3, was measured by ion mass spectrometry . Two independent box models (Goddard Space Flight Center and Atmospheric a nd Environment Inc.) run on isentropic trajectories were used to interpret the observed partitioning of reactive nitrogen. The NO partitioning calcula ted by the two models agreed within 10% of each other. The model-calculated NO/ NO ratios increase by similar to 25% when the updated reaction rates o f NO2 + OH, HNO3 + OH, and NO2 + O [Portpnann et al., 1999] were used inste ad of those given by DeMore ei al. [1997], leading to a better agreement wi th the observations by the same amount. At 21-25 km the calculated NO/NOy, ratios depended sensitively on the estimate of aerosol surface area. Within the uncertainty of the estimate of aerosol surface area the NO/NOy, and HN O3/NOy ratios calculated by the models reproduced those observed within 20% . The same trajectory models also reproduced the NO/NOy ratios measured bel ow 25 km under high aerosol loading in October and November 1992 within +/- 20%, which is the accuracy level of the measurements.