Search results for "Troposphere"
showing 10 items of 206 documents
Aircraft-based measurements of High Arctic springtime aerosol show evidence for vertically varying sources, transport and composition
2019
The sources, chemical transformations and removal mechanisms of aerosol transported to the Arctic are key factors that control Arctic aerosol–climate interactions. Our understanding of sources and processes is limited by a lack of vertically resolved observations in remote Arctic regions. We present vertically resolved observations of trace gases and aerosol composition in High Arctic springtime, made largely north of 80∘ N, during the NETCARE campaign. Trace gas gradients observed on these flights defined the polar dome as north of 66–68∘ 30′ N and below potential temperatures of 283.5–287.5 K. In the polar dome, we observe evidence for vertically varying source…
The airborne mass spectrometer AIMS – Part 1: AIMS-H<sub>2</sub>O for UTLS water vapor measurements
2016
Abstract. In the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), the accurate quantification of low water vapor concentrations has presented a significant measurement challenge. The instrumental uncertainties are passed on to estimates of H2O transport, cloud formation and the role of H2O in the UTLS energy budget and resulting effects on surface temperatures. To address the uncertainty in UTLS H2O determination, the airborne mass spectrometer AIMS-H2O, with in-flight calibration, has been developed for fast and accurate airborne water vapor measurements. We present a new setup to measure water vapor by direct ionization of ambient air. Air is sampled via a backward facing inlet that inclu…
Arctic black carbon during PAMARCMiP 2018 and previous aircraft experiments in spring
2021
Vertical profiles of the mass concentration of black carbon (BC) were measured at altitudes up to 5 km during the PAMARCMiP (Polar Airborne Measurements and Arctic Regional Climate Model simulation Project) aircraft-based field experiment conducted around the northern Greenland Sea (Fram Strait) during March and April 2018 from operation base Station Nord (81.6∘ N, 16.7∘ W). Median BC mass concentrations in individual altitude ranges were 7–18 ng m−3 at standard temperature and pressure at altitudes below 4.5 km. These concentrations were systematically lower than previous observations in the Arctic in spring, conducted by ARCTAS-A in 2008 and NETCARE in 2015, and similar to those observed …
The tropospheric processing of acidic gases and hydrogen sulphide in volcanic gas plumes as inferred from field and model investigations
2007
Abstract. Improving the constraints on the atmospheric fate and depletion rates of acidic compounds persistently emitted by non-erupting (quiescent) volcanoes is important for quantitatively predicting the environmental impact of volcanic gas plumes. Here, we present new experimental data coupled with modelling studies to investigate the chemical processing of acidic volcanogenic species during tropospheric dispersion. Diffusive tube samplers were deployed at Mount Etna, a very active open-conduit basaltic volcano in eastern Sicily, and Vulcano Island, a closed-conduit quiescent volcano in the Aeolian Islands (northern Sicily). Sulphur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), hydrogen chlori…
Saharan dust absorption and refractive index from aircraft-based observations during SAMUM 2006
2009
During the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment (SAMUM) conducted in summer 2006 in southeast Morocco, the complex refractive index of desert dust was determined from airborne measurements of particle size distributions and aerosol absorption coefficients at three different wavelengths in the blue (467 nm), green (530 nm) and red (660 nm) spectral regions. The vertical structure of the dust layers was analysed by an airborne high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL). The origin of the investigated dust layers was estimated from trajectory analyses, combined with Meteosat 2nd Generation (MSG) scenes and wind field data analyses. The real part n of the dust refractive index was found almost constant w…
The primary volcanic aerosol emission from Mt Etna: Size-resolved particles with SO2 and role in plume reactive halogen chemistry
2018
International audience; Volcanoes are an important source of aerosols to the troposphere. Within minutes after emission, volcanic plume aerosol catalyses conversion of co-emitted HBr, HCl into highly reactive halogens (e.g. BrO, OClO) through chemical cycles that cause substantial ozone depletion in the dispersing downwind plume.This study quantifies the sub-to-supramicron primary volcanic aerosol emission (0.2-5 μm diameter) and its role in this process. An in-situ ground-based study at Mt Etna (Italy) during passive degassing co-deployed an optical particle counter and Multi-Gas SO2 sensors at high time resolution (0.1 Hz) enabling to characterize the aerosol number, size-distribution and…
The ATAL within the 2017 Asian Monsoon Anticyclone: Microphysical aerosol properties derived from aircraft-borne in situ measurements
2021
The Asian summer monsoon is an effective pathway for aerosol particles and precursors from the planetary boundary layer over Central, South, and East Asia into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. An enhancement of aerosol particles within the Asian monsoon anticyclone (AMA), called the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL), has been observed by satellites. We discuss airborne in situ and remote sensing observations of aerosol microphysical properties conducted during the 2017 StratoClim field campaign within the AMA region. The aerosol particle measurements aboard the high-altitude research aircraft M55 Geophysica (maximum altitude reached of about 20.5 km) were conducted with a m…
A quantitative analysis of stratospheric HCl, HNO3, and O3 in the tropopause region near the subtropical jet
2014
The effects of chemical two-way mixing on the Extratropical Transition Layer (ExTL) near the subtropical jet are investigated by stratospheric tracer-tracer correlations. To this end, in situ measurements were performed west of Africa (25-32 ◦ N) during the Transport and Composition of the Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere (UTLS)/Earth System Model Validation (TACTS/ESMVal) mission in August/September 2012. The Atmospheric chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer sampling HCl and HNO3 was for the first time deployed on the new German High Altitude and Long range research aircraft (HALO). Measurements of O3, CO, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis, and the tig…
Radical Formation by Fine Particulate Matter Associated with Highly Oxygenated Molecules
2019
Highly oxygenated molecules (HOMs) play an important role in the formation and evolution of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). However, the abundance of HOMs in different environments and their relation to the oxidative potential of fine particulate matter (PM) are largely unknown. Here, we investigated the relative HOM abundance and radical yield of laboratory-generated SOA and fine PM in ambient air ranging from remote forest areas to highly polluted megacities. By electron paramagnetic resonance and mass spectrometric investigations, we found that the relative abundance of HOMs, especially the dimeric and low-volatility types, in ambient fine PM was positively correlated with the formatio…
Identification and climatology of cut-off lows near the tropopause.
2008
Cut-off low pressure systems (COLs) are defined as closed lows in the upper troposphere that have become completely detached from the main westerly current. These slow-moving systems often affect the weather conditions at the earth's surface and also work as a mechanism of mass transfer between the stratosphere and the troposphere, playing a significant role in the net flow of tropospheric ozone. In the first part of this work we provide a comprehensive summary of results obtained in previous studies of COLs. Following this, we present three long-term climatologies of COLs. The first two climatologies are based on the conceptual model of a COL, using European Centre for Medium-range Weather…