Simultaneous measurements of OClO, NO2 and O3 in the Arctic polar vortex by the GOMOS instrument

Abstract

We present the first nighttime measurements of OClO from a limb-viewing satellite instrument in the Arctic polar vortex. The relationship between OClO, NO2 and O3 slant column densities in the Arctic polar vortex are analyzed from the GOMOS measurements. The retrieval process is based on a differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) method applied on the weighted median GOMOS transmittances. A study of the longitudinal distributions of OClO, NO2 and O3 above 65° north in January 2008 is presented. It shows a strong halogen activation in the lower stratosphere and a strong denoxification in the entire stratosphere inside the Arctic polar vortex. Time series of temperatures and OClO, NO2 and O3 slant column densities for the winters 2002/2003 to 2007/2008 are also presented. They highlight the correlation between temperature, OClO and NO 2. The GOMOS instrument appears to be a very suitable instrument for the monitoring of OClO, NO2 and O3 in the stratosphere during nighttime.