Science Event S-131
In-situ Measurements of Polar Stratospheric Clouds
Spanning the Austral Winterand of Ozone from Late
Winter to Early Spring

Dr. Terry Dreshler, Principal Investigator
University of Wyoming
Department of Atmospheric Science
Laramie, Wyoming

Science Objectives

The annual stratospheric ozone hole above Antarctica is driven by chlorine compounds that interact on the surfaces of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), which form during the polar winter. It is for this reason that the hole appears in the austral spring and that ozone depletion is much more severe in polar regions than elsewhere.

By using balloon-borne instruments, this investigation provides detailed information on the actual cloud particles and the distribution of the clouds and the ozone. The measurements will provide vertical profiles of both the PSCs and ozone, size distributions of the PSC particles, and some information of their composition and physical state (liquid or solid).

The project is enhanced by cooperation with an Italian investigator who operates a lidar system at McMurdo Station. The project contributes to the World Meteorological Organization/UNEP Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change and the Global Change Initiative.