Authors: M. Sigmond: Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;
M. C. Reader: School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada;
J. C. Fyfe and N. P. Gillett: Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, Environment Canada, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
9. Chlorine radicals measured in Eyjafjallajkull volcanic plume
When the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajkull erupted in spring 2010, it disrupted commercial air travel, stranding passengers across Europe and beyond. In response to the lack of information on the volcanic ash load and dispersion, scientific instruments were deployed on a number of special flights to observe the composition and chemistry of the volcanic plume, which included three deployments aboard a Lufthansa aircraft of the Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container (CARIBIC; see http://www.caribic-atmospheric.com) observational instrument package. Baker et al. report on the first observation-based estimates of chlorine radical concentrations in the volcanic plume. Previous studies had suggested that chlorine radicals could exist in volcanic plumes. This study, the first to identify chlorine radical chemistry and quantify chlorine radicals in a volcanic plume, will help researchers to more fully understand volcanic chemistry, particularly halogen chemistry, and its effects on the atmosphere.
Source:
Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2011GL047571, 2011
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2011GL047571
Title: Investigation of chlorine radical chemistry in the Eyjafjallajkull volcanic plume using observed depletions in non-methane hydrocarbons
Authors:
Angela K. Baker, Armin Rauthe-Schch, Tanja J. Schuck, a
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| Contact: Maria-Jos Vias mjvinas@agu.org 202-777-7530 American Geophysical Union Source:Eurekalert |