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Science 27 August 1993:
Vol. 261. no. 5125, pp. 1150 - 1154
DOI: 10.1126/science.261.5125.1150
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Articles

Ozone Loss Inside the Northern Polar Vortex During the 1991-1992 Winter

M. H. Proffitt 1, K. Aikin 1, J. J. Margitan 2, M. Loewenstein 3, J. R. Podolske 3, A. Weaver 3, K. R. Chan 3, H. Fast 4, and J. W. Elkins 5

1 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aeronomy Lab, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303 and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
2 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109
3 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035
4 Atmospheric Environmental Service, Downs-view, Ontario M3H 5T4, Canada
5 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303

Measurements made in the outer ring of the northern polar vortex from October 1991 through March 1992 reveal an altitude-dependent change in ozone, with a decrease at the bottom of the vortex and a substantial increase at the highest altitudes accessible to measurement. The increase is the result of ozone-rich air entering the vortex, and the decrease reflects ozone loss accumulated after the descent of the air through high concentrations of reactive chlorine. The depleted air that is released out of the bottom of the vortex is sufficient to significantly reduce column ozone at mid-latitudes.

Submitted on February 19, 1993
Accepted on June 25, 1993


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Probing Stratospheric Ozone.
J. M. Rodriguez (1993)
Science 261, 1128-1129
   PDF »
Chemical Loss of Ozone in the Arctic Polar Vortex in the Winter of 1991-1992.
R. J. Salawitch, S. C. Wofsy, E. W. Gottlieb, L. R. Lait, P. A. Newman, M. R. Schoeberl, M. Loewenstein, J. R. Podolske, S. E. Strahan, M. H. Proffitt, et al. (1993)
Science 261, 1146-1149
   Abstract »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)