Search results for "Troposphere"

Photochemistry of oxidized Hg(I) and Hg(II) species suggests missing mercury oxidation in the troposphere.

2020

8 pags., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

Comparison of aerosol optical thickness retrieval from spectroradiometer measurements and from two radiative transfer models

2000

Abstract The spectral values of the aerosol optical thickness τ a λ in the 400–670 nm band have been determined from 500 solar direct irradiance spectra at normal incidence registered at Valencia (Spain) in the period from July 1993 to March 1997. The τ a λ values obtained from experimental measurements have been compared with the boundary layer aerosol models implemented in the radiative transfer codes ZD-LOA and LOWTRAN 7. For the ZD-LOA code, the continental and maritime models have been considered and for the LOWTRAN 7 code the rural, maritime, urban and tropospheric models have been used. The obtained results show that the aerosol model that best represents the average turbidity of the…

Monitoring Water and Energy Cycles at Climate Scale in the Third Pole Environment (CLIMATE-TPE)

2021

A better understanding of the water and energy cycles at climate scale in the Third Pole Environment is essential for assessing and understanding the causes of changes in the cryosphere and hydrosphere in relation to changes of plateau atmosphere in the Asian monsoon system and for predicting the possible changes in water resources in South and East Asia. This paper reports the following results: (1) A platform of in situ observation stations is briefly described for quantifying the interactions in hydrosphere-pedosphere-atmosphere-cryosphere-biosphere over the Tibetan Plateau. (2) A multiyear in situ L-Band microwave radiometry of land surface processes is used to develop a new microwave r…

New particle formation inside ice clouds: In-situ observations in the tropical tropopause layer of the 2017 Asian Monsoon Anticyclone

2021

Abstract. From 27 July to 10 August 2017 the airborne StratoClim mission took place in Kathmandu, Nepal where eight mission flights were conducted with the M-55 Geophysica up to altitudes of 20 km. New Particle Formation (NPF) was identified by the abundant presence of ultrafine aerosols, with particle diameters dp smaller than 15 nm, which were in-situ detected by means of condensation nuclei counting techniques. NPF fields in clear-skies as well as in the presence of cloud ice particles (dp > 3 µm) were encountered at upper troposphere/lowermost stratosphere (UT/LS) levels and within the Asian Monsoon Anticyclone (AMA). NPF-generated ultrafine particles in elevated concentrations (Nuf)…

Halogens in volcanic systems

2009

The transport, degassing and atmospheric release of halogens from active volcanism on Earth have been the 12 focus of increasing interest over the last few decades, and have recently been the subject of the 1st workshop 13 on “Halogens in volcanic systems and their environmental impacts” that was held in December of 2007 at 14 Yosemite Lodge in Yosemite National Park, California. As an introduction to this Chemical Geology special 15 issue, collecting contributions from many of the participants at the workshop, we review here recent 16 advances in this field, including experimental and theoretical investigations of halogen behaviour in volcanic 17 and related magmatic systems. We discuss pr…

Passive degassing at Nyiragongo (D.R. Congo) and Etna (Italy) volcanoes

2014

Volcanoes are well known as an impressive large natural source of trace elements into the troposphere. Etna (Italy) and Nyiragongo (D.R. Congo) are two stratovolcanoes located in different geological settings, both characterized by persistent passive degassing from their summit craters. Here, we present some results on trace element composition in volcanic plume emissions, atmospheric bulk deposition (rainwater) and their uptake by the surrounding vegetation, with the aim to compare and identify differences and similarities between these two volcanoes. Volcanic emissions were sampled by using active filter-packs for acid gases (sulfur and halogens) and specific teflon filters for particulat…

Evolution of CO2, SO2, HCl, and HNO3in the volcanic plumes from Etna

2014

The volcanic plumes from degassing Etna (Italy) were extensively probed with instruments onboard the Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt research aircraft Falcon during the contrail, volcano, and cirrus experiment CONCERT on 29/30 September 2011. Up to 10.4 ppmv SO2 and 0.3 ppmv HCl were detected with the atmospheric chemical ionization mass spectrometer AIMS at 3.1 km altitude and 20 km distance to the summit. HNO3 is the dominant reactive nitrogen component in the plumes. Linking aircraft and ground-based observations by Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory dispersion modeling, we identify two crater plumes with different compositions primarily injected by the Boc…

2018

Volcanoes are a significant halogen source to the atmosphere. After water, carbon dioxide and sulfur compounds, halogens are often the most abundant gases in volcanic plumes. In the past, less attention was given to the heavy halogens bromine and iodine. However, the discovery of bromine monoxide (BrO) in volcanic plumes led to new interest especially in volcanic bromine chemistry and its impact on atmospheric processes. The BrO detection came along with advances in volcanic remote sensing techniques, in particular, robust DOAS applications and the possibility of continuous measurements by automated instruments located at safe distances from the volcano. As one of the consequences, the volc…

BrO formation in volcanic plumes

2006

Volcanoes have only recently been recognized as a potentially major source of reactive bromine species to the atmosphere, following from the detection of bromine monoxide (BrO) in the plume emitted by Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat. However, BrO is not expected to be emitted in significant quantity from magma, presenting a puzzle regarding its formation. We report here new field measurements of the tropospheric plume emitted by Mt. Etna, Italy, which provide the first direct evidence of fast oxidation of halogen species in a volcanic plume, and lead to an explanation of how BrO is generated from magmatic HBr emissions. We show that the timescale of BrO formation (a few minutes after em…

Ozone depletion in tropospheric volcanic plumes

2010

Ground based remote sensing techniques are used to measure volcanic SO2 fluxes in efforts to characterise volcanic activity. As these measurements are made several km from source there is the potential for in-plume chemical transformation of SO2 to sulphate aerosol (conversion rates are dependent on meteorological conditions), complicating interpretation of observed SO2 flux trends. In contrast to anthropogenic plumes, SO2 lifetimes are poorly constrained for tropospheric volcanic plumes, where the few previous loss rate estimates vary widely (from 99% per hour). We report experiments conducted on the boundary layer plume of Masaya volcano, Nicaragua during the dry season. We found that SO2…