Nitric Acid Trihydrate (NAT) formation at low NAT supersaturation in Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs)

C. Voigt (1) , H. Schlager (1) , B. P. Luo (2) , A. Dörnbrack (1) , Anke Roiger (1) , P. Stock (1) , J. Curtius (1) , H. Vössing (1) , S. Borrmann (1, 3) , S. Davies (4) , P. Konopka (5) , C. Schiller (5) , G. Shur (6) , T. Peter (2)

1 IPA - DLR Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre = DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics
2 IAC - Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science [Zürich]
3 MPIC - Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie
4 School of Environment
5 FZJ - Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH | Centre de recherche de Jülich | Jülich Research Centre
6 CAO - Central Aerological Observatory

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 T_NAT, 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 T_NAT (T>T_NAT-3.1K). This unique measurement of PSC formation at extremely low NAT saturation ratios (S_NAT?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.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

C. Voigt, H. Schlager, B. P. Luo, A. Dörnbrack, Anke Roiger, et al.. Nitric Acid Trihydrate (NAT) formation at low NAT supersaturation in Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2005, 5 (5), pp.1371-1380. ⟨hal-00295666⟩