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Reductions of Antarctic ozone due to synergistic interactions of chlorine and bromine

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Abstract

The vertical column density of ozone observed in October over Antarctica has fallen precipitously over the past 10 yr. The concentration at Halley Bay (76° S 27° W), expressed conventionally in Dobson units (DU) (1 DU = 10−3 atmos. cm = 2.7×1016 molecules cm−2), has dropped from about 300 DU in 1975 to <200 DUin 1984 (ref. 1). Values in 1985 were even lower, comparable with the lowest values recorded anywhere on Earth2. We suggest here that the loss of O3 in Antarctica may be attributed to catalysis of O3 recombination by a scheme in which the rate-limiting step is defined by the reaction ClO+BrO→Cl+Br+O2. Concentrations of NO2 must be low and heterogenous reactions involving particles in the polar stratospheric clouds must be an important element of the relevant chemistry. Industrial sources make important contributions to the contemporary budgets of both BrO and ClO and are likely to grow significantly in the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard University, Center for Earth and Planetary Physics, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA

    Michael B. McElroy, Ross J. Salawitch, Steven C. Wofsy & Jennifer A. Logan

Authors
  1. Michael B. McElroy
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  2. Ross J. Salawitch
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  3. Steven C. Wofsy
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  4. Jennifer A. Logan
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McElroy, M., Salawitch, R., Wofsy, S. et al. Reductions of Antarctic ozone due to synergistic interactions of chlorine and bromine. Nature 321, 759–762 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/321759a0

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