Record Details

Particle production in the outflow of a midlatitude storm

ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

Field Value
Title Particle production in the outflow of a midlatitude storm
Names Clement, C F. (creator)
Ford, I. J. (creator)
Twohy, Cynthia (creator)
Weinheimer, A. (creator)
Campos, T. (creator)
Date Issued 2002 (iso8601)
Note copyrighted by American Geophysical Union
Abstract The concentrations of atmospheric gases and condensation nuclei (CN) or aerosol in
the outflow of a storm were measured aboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft, as described in a
companion paper [Twohy et al., 2002]. The data are used here to study the production of
the aerosol. Major fluctuations in CN concentration are observed, in correlation with gasphase
species, but these are shown to arise as the result of the mixing of two distinct air
masses. It is deduced that the CN originated in a storm outflow air mass and that its
concentration before mixing was approximately uniform over a flight distance of about
200 km. The formation of the aerosol by nucleation followed by growth and coagulation is
analyzed assuming that it consists of water and sulphuric acid produced locally by the
oxidation of SO₂. The analysis uses analytic models, and it is concluded that a 5 min burst
of nucleation was followed by growth and coagulation over a period of about 5 hours.
Both the mass and number concentrations of the observed aerosol can be reproduced by
this analysis within a timescale consistent with that of the storm. The final number
concentration is very insensitive to the initial SO₂ concentration.
Genre Article
Identifier Clement, C. F., Ford, I. J., Twohy, C. H., Weinheimer, A. and Campos, T., 2002, Particle production in the outflow of a mid-latitude storm: J. Geophys. Res., v. 107, p. 4,559.

© Western Waters Digital Library - GWLA member projects - Designed by the J. Willard Marriott Library - Hosted by Oregon State University Libraries and Press