Odd-Hydrogen Photochemistry and Inferring Water Vapor in the Arctic Summer Mesosphere: Implications for Polar Mesospheric Clouds

Details Odd-Hydrogen Photochemistry and Inferring Water Vapor in the Arctic Summer Mesosphere: Implications for Polar Mesospheric Clouds Odd-Hydrogen Photochemistry and Inferring Water Vapor in the Arctic Summer Mesosphere: Implications for Polar Mesospheric Clouds

May 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agusm..sa32b07s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2001, abstract #SA32B-07

Physics

0300 Atmospheric Composition And Structure, 0317 Chemical Kinetic And Photochemical Properties, 0340 Middle Atmosphere--Composition And Chemistry, 0341 Middle Atmosphere--, Onstituent Transport And Chemistry (3334)

Scientific paper

We will present results of an investigation of odd-hydrogen (HOx = H + OH + HO2) and odd-oxygen (Ox = O + O3) photochemistry in the Arctic mesosphere. In these studies we utilize a one-dimensional photochemical model of Ox/HOx species to compare with high latitude observations of OH and O3 from the August, 1997 flight of the CRISTA (Cryogenic Infrared and Telescopes for the Atmosphere)/MAHRSI (Middle Atmosphere High Resolution Spectrograph Investigation) mission. As we have found in our previous studies of low latitude CRISTA/MAHRSI data, standard HOx chemistry overpredicts the observed high latitude mesospheric OH by an amount that is consistent with the recommended rate for O + HO2 --> OH + O2 being too high by 50%. Using the MAHRSI OH measurements as a proxy for water vapor, we find a narrow layer of enhanced water vapor centered between 82-84 km altitude that exhibits water vapor mixing ratios of ~15ppmv. This water vapor layer is consistent with recently re-processed daily averaged HALOE H2O data in the polar mesospheric cloud (PMC) region. These results indicate that a higher degree of supersaturation is present in the PMC formation region than previously believed. This also suggests that PMCs are efficient at dehydrating air flowing vertically through them and thus effective at sequestering total water (both ice particles and vapor) within the layer.

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