L Millan1, N. Livesey1, S. Wang1 , W. Read1 , D. Kinnison2
1 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
2 National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
This study describes updated stratospheric and mesospheric BrO and HO2 estimates from the EOS Microwave Limb Sounder on the Aura satellite. BrO is of particular importance, as it is the dominant form of bromine in the stratosphere, a significant contributor to chemical ozone loss, and one whose importance is set to increase in the light of declining stratospheric chlorine levels. HO2 is of particular interest because odd hydrogen (HOx = OH + HO2 + H) chemistry controls the atmospheric ozone destruction at heights above around 40 km.
MLS BrO and HO2 observations have weak signal to noise, necessitating significant averaging and specifically optimized retrieval algorithms for the best results. A detailed description of the retrieval methodology, error budget, and a comparison with expectations are presented. We infer a 2005 yearly total inorganic Bry using the measured MLS BrO to be 20. 3± 4. 5 pptv, which implies a contribution from very short lived substances to the stratospheric bromine budget of 5± 4. 5 pptv. We also compare HO2 profiles with photochemical model simulations testing different kinetic parameters to investigate the HOx dilemma.
© 2013 California Institute of Technology. U.S. Government sponsorship acknowledged.
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