In situ trace gas and particle measurements in the summer lower stratosphere during STREAM II: Implications for O-3 production

Abstract

In situ aircraft measurements of O3, CO,HNO3, and aerosol particles are presented,performed over the North Sea region in the summerlower stratosphere during the STREAM II campaign(Stratosphere Troposphere Experiments by AircraftMeasurements) in July 1994. Occasionally, high COconcentrations of 200-300 pbbv were measured in thelowermost stratosphere, together with relatively highHNO3 concentrations up to 1.6 ppbv. The particlenumber concentration (at standard pressure andtemperature) between 0.018-1 μm decreased acrossthe tropopause, from >1000 cm-3 in the uppertroposphere to <500 cm-3 in the lowermoststratosphere. Since the CO sources are found in thetroposphere, the elevated CO mixing ratios areattributed to mixing of polluted tropospheric air intothe lowermost extratropical stratosphere. Further wehave used a chemical model to illustrate that nitrogenoxide reservoir species (mainly HNO3) determinethe availability of NOx (=NO + NO2) andtherefore largely control the total net O3production in the lower kilometers of thestratosphere. Model simulations, applying additionalNOx perturbations from aircraft, show that theO3 production efficiency of NOx is smallerthan previously assumed, under conditions withrelatively high HNO3 mixing ratios, as observedduring STREAM II. The model simulations furthersuggest a relatively high O3 productionefficiency from CO oxidation, as a result of therelatively high ambient HNO3 and NOxconcentrations, implying that upward transport of COrich air enhances O3 production in the lowermoststratosphere. Analysis of the measurements and themodel calculations suggest that the lowermoststratosphere is a transition region in which thechemistry deviates from both the upper troposphere andlower stratosphere.