ONE-DIMENSIONAL MODEL DESCRIBING AEROSOL FORMATION AND EVOLUTION IN THE STRATOSPHERE - 1. PHYSICAL PROCESSES AND MATHEMATICAL ANALOGS.

Abstract

A time-dependent one-dimensional model of the stratospheric sulfate aerosol layer is developed. The simulation, which extends from the surface to an altitude of 58 km, includes the troposphere as a source of gases and condensation nuclei and as a sink for aerosol droplets; however, tropospheric aerosol physics and chemistry are not fully analyzed in the present model. A set of continuity equations has been derived which describes the temporal and spatial variations of aerosol droplet and condensation nuclei concentrations in air, as well as the sizes of cores in droplets; techniques to solve these equations accurately and efficiently have also been formulated. Calculations are presented which illustrate the precision and potential applications of the model.