Gravitational separation of the stratospheric air over Syowa, Antarctica and its connection with meteorological fields

Shigeyuki Ishidoya, Satoshi Sugawara, Yoichi Inai, Shinji Morimoto, Hideyuki Honda, Chusaku Ikeda, Gen Hashida, Toshinobu Machida, Yoshihiro Tomikawa, Sakae Toyoda, Daisuke Goto, Shuji Aoki, Takakiyo Nakazawa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

To examine gravitational separation of the stratospheric air over Antarctica in austral summer, we collected air samples from altitudes of 10 to 30 km over Syowa Station (69.0°S, 39.6°E) using balloon-borne cryogenic samplers for the period 1998–2013, and then analyzed them for δ15N of N2, δ18O of O2, δ(Ar/N2) and δ40Ar. The normalized mass ratio “δ,” calculated using their measured values, decreases with increasing altitude, implying an upward enhancement of the gravitational separation effect. The observed stratospheric δ profiles are generally well reproduced by a two-dimensional atmospheric model, but the model tends to underestimate the observed δ values in the middle stratosphere above 26 km. We also observe interannual variation in the δ vertical profile in the middle stratosphere. A backward trajectory analysis suggests that this variation is attributable to different horizontal mixing of the stratospheric air over Antarctica from year to year.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere857
JournalAtmospheric Science Letters
Volume19
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018 Nov

Keywords

  • Balloon-borne cryogenic air sampler
  • Gravitational separation of the atmosphere
  • Meteorological field
  • Stratosphere over Antarctica

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