Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Extremely low N2O concentrations in the springtime stratosphere at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Nature volume 332, pages 53–55 (1988)Cite this article

Abstract

Nitrous oxide is an important tracer of transport, as well as the ultimate source gas for NOx in the stratosphere. Its calculated chemical lifetime in the troposphere and lower stratosphere is longer than transport timescales worldwide, so that its mixing ratio is not expected to be strongly dependent on latitude or season. However, we have now made frequent measurements of stratos-pheric N2O using the Stony Brook millimetre-wave remote sensing spectrometer at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as part of the investigation of the 'ozone hole'1 and find N2O mixing ratios that are less than 1/5 at 20km, and less than 1/10 at 25km compared to values measured during the Antarctic summer. The observed mixing ratios are also much less than those predicted by global-scale models of stratospheric chemistry and dynamics. As the N2O signal remained very weak when McMurdo was at the edges of the ozone hole and snowed no signs of recovering during October, we conclude that the geographical and temporal extent of the region of low N2O is comparable to, or greater than that of the ozone hole. Our results argue against theories that require springtime upwelling to explain the Antarctic ozone hole, and suggest that the air in the Antarctic lower stratosphere during late winter and early spring has been subjected to considerable down-ward transport.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. World Meteorological Organization/NASA, The Stratosphere, 1981; Theory and Measurement (Report No. 16 of the WMO Global Ozone Research and Monitoring Project, NASA Headquarters, Washington, 1986).

  2. Farman, J. C., Gardiner, B. G. & Shanklin, J. D. Nature 315, 207–210 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Goldan, P. D., Kuster, W. C., Albritton, D. L., & Schmeltekopf, A. L. J. geophys. Res. 85, 413–423 (1980) 86, 5385–5386 (correction) (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Vedder, J. F., Inn, E. C. Y., Tyson, B. J., Boitnott, C. A. & O'Hara, D. J. geophys. Res. 86, 7363–7368 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Jones, R. L. & Pyle, J. A. J. geophys. Res. 89, 5263–5279 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Mahlman, J. D., Levy, H. II & Moxim, W. J. J. geophys. Res. 91, 2681–2686 (1986).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Ko, M. K. W., Tung, K. K., Weinstein, D. K. & Sze, N. D. J. geophys. Res. 90, 2313–2329 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Solomon, S. & Garcia, R. R. J. geophys. Res. 89, 11633–11644 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Schmeltekopf, A. L. et al. J. Atmos. Sci. 34, 729–736 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Goldman, A., Fernald, F. G., Murcray, F. J., Murcray, F. H. & Murcray, D. G. J. quant. Spect. Rad. Trans. 29, 189–204 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Parrish, A., deZafra, R. L., Solomon, P. M. & Barrett, J. W. Radio Sci. (in the press).

  12. Hofmann, D. J., Harder, J. W., Rolf, S. R. & Rosen, J. M. Nature 326, 59 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. deZafra, R. L. et al. Nature 328, 408–411 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Solomon, P. M. et al. Nature 328, 411–414 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Connor, B. J. et al. Geophys. Res. Lett. 14, 1254 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Tung, K. K., Ko, M. K. W., Rodriguez, J. M. & Sze, N. D. Nature 322, 811 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Tung, K. K. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 1308–1311 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Connor, B. et al. J. geophys. Res. 92, 13221–13230 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Mount, G., Sanders, R., Schmeltekopf, A. & Solomon, S. J. geophys. Res. 92, 8320–8327 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Krueger, A. J., Schoeberl, M. R. & Stolarski, R. S. Geophys. Res. Lett. 14, 527–530 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Mahlman, J. D. & Fels, S. B. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 1316–1319 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. A. Parrish: Millitech Corp., South Deerfield, Massachusetts 01373, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York, 11794, USA

    A. Parrish, R. L. de Zafra, M. Jaramillo, B. Connor, P. M. Solomon & J. W. Barrett

Authors
  1. A. Parrish
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. L. de Zafra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Jaramillo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. B. Connor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. P. M. Solomon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. J. W. Barrett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Parrish, A., de Zafra, R., Jaramillo, M. et al. Extremely low N2O concentrations in the springtime stratosphere at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Nature 332, 53–55 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/332053a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/332053a0

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing