easurements of atmospheric bromine monoxide at 80N during spring 2008
Despite its low concentrations in the atmosphere, bromine monoxide (BrO) accounts for up to half of springtime catalytic ozone depletion in the stratosphere. In the troposphere, large quantities of BrO can appear suddenly and linger for several days. These bromine explosions have been linked to mercury deposition in the Arctic.Retrieval of BrO is difficult and measurements of bromine species at high latitudes are scarce. Therefore, there are large uncertainties in our knowledge of the amount of bromine in the atmosphere. In order to improve this situation, we measured BrO columns with two ground-based UV-visible spectrometers at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Nunavut, Canada (80oN, 86oW) in spring 2008. This research is an integral part the larger CANDAC (Canadian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Change) project at PEARL to study Arctic atmospheric processes through 2007-2009, the International Polar Year (IPY), and beyond.We will discuss the techniques and challenges for ground-based BrO measurements. Furthermore, we will discuss comparisons between the ground-based measurements of BrO above Eureka and those made by the OSIRIS and OMI satellite instruments, distinguishing between tropospheric and stratospheric BrO concentrations.
Helmholtz Research Programs > PACES I (2009-2013) > TOPIC 1: The Changing Arctic and Antarctic > WP 1.2: Aerosol, Water Vapour, and Ozone Feedbacks in the Arctic Climate System