A compilation of tropospheric measurements of gas-phase and aerosol chemistry in polar regions

R Sander,J Bottenheim

doi:10.5194/essd-4-215-2012

Abstract

Abstract. Measurements of atmospheric chemistry in polar regions have been made for more than half a century. Probably the first Antarctic ozone data were recorded in 1958 during the International Geophysical Year. Since then, many measurement campaigns followed, and the results are now spread over many publications in several journals. Here, we have compiled measurements of tropospheric gas-phase and aerosol chemistry made in the Arctic and the Antarctic. It is hoped that this data collection is worth more than the sum of its components and serves as a basis for future analyses of spatial and temporal trends in polar atmospheric chemistry.

Highlights

Atmospheric chemists have been investigating several phenomena in the troposphere of polar regions
We have compiled measurements of tropospheric gas-phase and aerosol chemistry made in the Arctic and the Antarctic
It is hoped that this data collection is worth more than the sum of its components and serves as a basis for future analyses of spatial and temporal trends in polar atmospheric chemistry

Summary

Introduction

Atmospheric chemists have been investigating several phenomena in the troposphere of polar regions. Bromine-induced ozone depletion events (Barrie et al, 1988; Simpson et al, 2007b) and mercury depletion events (Schroeder et al, 1998; Steffen et al, 2008) were discovered. Many measurements of tropospheric gas-phase and aerosol chemistry in polar regions have been made, and the main results have been summarized in several review papers This work is an update of the data compilation that was published as a supplement to Simpson et al (2007b), which only contained measurements until 2007. In addition to the new publications, the updated list contains several additional papers from before 2007 that were previously overlooked. Our list contains direct measurements (e.g. CIMS, Huey et al, 2004), remote sensing (e.g. DOAS, Hausmann and Platt, 1994), and indirect methods (e.g. Cl atoms via the “hydrocarbon clock” method, Jobson et al, 1994)

Literature data

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