Pinatubo aerosols and the behavior of ozone inferred from backscatter ultraviolet measurements on the space shuttle

Abstract

Backscattered radiation measurements from the shuttle solar backscatter ultraviolet spectral radiometer were used to examine aerosol optical properties and a possible ozone decrease in the tropical region after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Observations made on two flights separated in time by 10 months show that backscattered ultraviolet radiation was greatly enhanced after the eruption as compared to the earlier measurements. Furthermore, a 16-22 Dobson unit decrease of ozone in the altitude region occupied by the aerosol cloud is consistent with the spectral dependence of the enhanced backscattered radiance. -from Authors