A comparison of observations and model simulations of NOx/NOy in the lower stratosphere

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 26; no. 8; pp. 1153 - 1156
• Main Authors: Gao, R. S., Fahey, D. W., Del Negro, L. A., Donnelly, S. G., Keim, E. R., Neuman, J. A., Teverovskaia, E., Wennberg, P. O., Hanisco, T. F., Lanzendorf, E. J., Proffitt, M. H., Margitan, J. J., Wilson, J. C., Elkins, J. W., Stimpfle, R. M., Cohen, R. C., McElroy, C. T., Bui, T. P., Salawitch, R. J., Brown, S. S., Ravishankara, A. R., Portmann, R. W., Ko, M. K. W., Weisenstein, D. K., Newman, P. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Blackwell Publishing Ltd 15-04-1999; American Geophysical Union
• Subjects: Atmospheric composition. Chemical and photochemical reactions; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Physics of the high neutral atmosphere; Nitrogen oxide; Box model; Nitric oxide; Aircraft observation; Stratosphere; Observation data; Numerical simulation; Chemical composition; Rate constant; Altitudinal distribution
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1029/1999GL900162

Extensive airborne measurements of the reactive nitrogen reservoir (NOy) and its component nitric oxide (NO) have been made in the lower stratosphere. Box model simulations that are constrained by observations of radical and long‐lived species and which include heterogeneous chemistry systematically underpredict the NOx (= NO + NO2) to NOy ratio. The model agreement is substantially improved if newly measured rate coefficients for the OH + NO2 and OH + HNO3 reactions are used. When included in 2‐D models, the new rate coefficients significantly increase the calculated ozone loss due to NOx and modestly change the calculated ozone abundances in the lower stratosphere. Ozone changes associated with the emissions of a fleet of supersonic aircraft are also altered.