Identification

Title

Nitric acid measurements at Eureka obtained in winter 2001-2002 using solar and lunar Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy: Comparisons with observations at Thule and Kiruna and with results from three-dimensional models

Abstract

For the first time, vertical column measurements of nitric acid (HNO₂) above Eureka (80.1°N, 86.4°W), Canada, have been made during polar night using lunar spectra recorded with a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, from October 2001 to March 2002. This site is part of the primary Arctic station of the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change. These measurements were compared with FTIR measurements at two other Arctic sites: Thule, Greenland (76.5°N, 68.8°W), and Kiruna, Sweden (67.8°N, 20.4°E). Eureka lunar measurements are in good agreement with solar ones made with the same instrument. Eureka and Thule HNO₃ columns are consistent within measurement error. Differences between HNO₃ columns at Kiruna and those at Eureka and Thule can be explained on the basis of available sunlight hours and location of the polar vortex. The measurements were also compared with results from a chemistry-climate model, the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM), and from a three-dimensional chemical transport model, SLIMCAT. This is the first time that CMAM HNO₃ columns have been compared with observations in the Arctic. The comparison of CMAM HNO₃ columns with Eureka and Kiruna data shows good agreement. The warm 2001-2002 winter with almost no polar stratospheric clouds makes the comparison with this version of CMAM, which has a known warm bias, a good test for CMAM under these conditions. SLIMCAT captures the magnitude of HNO₃ columns at Eureka, and the day-to-day variability, but generally reports higher values than were measured at Thule and Kiruna.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d73f4pvj

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2007-01-09T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact