An Empirical Approach to Determining the Boundary Layer Bromine Monoxide (BrO) Abundance from Satellite Total Column Measurements
Abstract
Unique chemistry in the Arctic boundary layer during springtime liberates bromine from sea salt, producing reactive halogen gases (e.g. atomic bromine and bromine monoxide radicals) that then drastically alter atmospheric oxidation pathways. This phenomenon causes ozone depletion events and affects mercury deposition to the snowpack. Satellite remote sensing (e.g. OMI and GOME2 observations) techniques can detect the total column abundance of BrO, which is generally the primary species of the reactive bromine family. However, BrO is also present in the stratosphere, so it is necessary to partition the satellite-observed BrO column abundance into boundary layer and non-boundary layer (primarily stratospheric) partial columns to be able to infer boundary layer abundances and hence chemical affects near the Earth's surface (i.e. ozone and mercury impacts). In this presentation, we describe an empirical method for partitioning the BrO total column and apply it globally during spring 2008. The method indicates that some BrO total column enhancements ("hotspots") are not actually enhancements in the boundary layer BrO abundance but occur aloft. Movies and a statistical analysis of the inferred boundary layer BrO abundance are presented. The method has been tested and performs well at the Barrow field site. However, in areas that lack routine ground truth BrO measurements (e.g. Hudson Bay, Canada), large tropospheric BrO abundances are indicated. It is not clear if these inferred boundary layer BrO events are real or if the simple empirical method described here is failing in those locations. Verification of this method over large spatial regions of the Arctic is needed.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009AGUFM.A43A0222S
- Keywords:
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- 0365 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE / Troposphere: composition and chemistry;
- 0750 CRYOSPHERE / Sea ice;
- 3305 ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES / Climate change and variability;
- 3360 ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES / Remote sensing