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Science 26 March 1999:
Vol. 283. no. 5410, pp. 2064 - 2069
DOI: 10.1126/science.283.5410.2064
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Reports

Arctic Ozone Loss Due to Denitrification

A. E. Waibel, 1* Th. Peter, 1dagger K. S. Carslaw, 1ddagger H. Oelhaf, 2 G. Wetzel, 2 P. J. Crutzen, 1 U. Pöschl, 1§ A. Tsias, 1 E. Reimer, 3 H. Fischer 1

Measurements from the winter of 1994-95 indicating removal of total reactive nitrogen from the Arctic stratosphere by particle sedimentation were used to constrain a microphysical model. The model suggests that denitrification is caused predominantly by nitric acid trihydrate particles in small number densities. The denitrification is shown to increase Arctic ozone loss substantially. Sensitivity studies indicate that the Arctic stratosphere is currently at a threshold of denitrification. This implies that future stratospheric cooling, induced by an increase in the anthropogenic carbon dioxide burden, is likely to enhance denitrification and to delay until late in the next century the return of Arctic stratospheric ozone to preindustrial values.

1 Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Post Office Box 3060, 55020 Mainz, Germany.
2 Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung, Post Office Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany.
3 FU Berlin, Institut für Meteorologie, Carl-Heinrich-Becker-Weg 6-10, D-12165 Berlin, Germany.
*   Present address: Lufthansa Systems, FRA4E/DCS, Hugo-Eckner-Ring, D-60549 Frankfurt, Germany.

dagger    To whom correspondence should be addressed. Present address: Institute for Atmospheric Sciences, ETH Zürich, HPP Hönggerberg, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland. E-mail: thomas.peter{at}atmos.umnw.ethz.ch

ddagger    Present address: Environment Centre, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.

§   Present address: Institut für Wasserchemie, TU München, Marchioninistrabeta e 17, D-81377 München, Germany.

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