Surface ozone depletion in Arctic spring sustained by bromine reactions on aerosols

NEAR-TOTAL depletion of the ozone in surface air is often observed in the Arctic spring, coincident with high atmospheric concentrations of inorganic bromine. A mechanism based on known aqueous-phase chemistry is proposed which rapidly converts HBr, HOBr, and BrNO3 back to Br and BrO radicals. This mechanism should be particularly efficient in the presence of the high concentrations of sulphuric acid aerosols observed during ozone depletion events.