| Volumes and Issues Contents of Issue 5 Special Issue |
www.atmos-chem-phys.net/5/1371/2005/
doi:10.5194/acp-5-1371-2005
© Author(s) 2005. This work is licensed
under a Creative Commons License.
Nitric Acid Trihydrate (NAT) formation at low NAT supersaturation in Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs)
1Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre (IPA), DLR Oberpfaffenhofen, 82234 Wessling, Germany
2Institut für Atmosphäre und Klima, ETH Zürich, Hönggerberg HPP, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
3Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre, Universität Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany
4Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, 55128 Mainz, Germany
5School of Environment, University of Leeds LS9JT, UK
6Forschungszentrum Jülich, ICG-I, 52425 Jülich, Germany
7Central aerological observatory, Moscow, reg. 141700, Russia
Abstract. A PSC was detected on 6 February 2003 in the Arctic stratosphere by in-situ measurements onboard the high-altitude research aircraft Geophysica. Low number densities (~10-4cm-3) of small nitric acid (HNO3) containing particles (d<6µm) were observed at altitudes between 18 and 20km. Provided the temperatures remain below the NAT equilibrium temperature TNAT, these NAT particles have the potential to grow further and to remove HNO3 from the stratosphere, thereby enhancing polar ozone loss. Interestingly, the NAT particles formed in less than a day at temperatures just slightly below TNAT (T>TNAT-3.1K). This unique measurement of PSC formation at extremely low NAT saturation ratios (SNAT≤10) constrains current NAT nucleation theories. We suggest, that the NAT particles have formed heterogeneously, but for certain not on ice. Conversely, meteoritic particles may be favorable candidates for triggering NAT nucleation at the observed low number densities.
Final Revised Paper (PDF, 1392 KB) Discussion Paper (ACPD) Special Issue
Citation: Voigt, C., Schlager, H., Luo, B. P., Dörnbrack, A., Roiger, A., Stock, P., Curtius, J., Vössing, H., Borrmann, S., Davies, S., Konopka, P., Schiller, C., Shur, G., and Peter, T.: Nitric Acid Trihydrate (NAT) formation at low NAT supersaturation in Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 1371-1380, doi:10.5194/acp-5-1371-2005, 2005. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
