Stratospheric HBr mixing ratio obtained from far infrared emission spectra

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 16; no. 8; pp. 787 - 790
• Main Authors: Park, J. H., Carli, B., Barbis, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Legacy CDMS Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.1989
• Subjects: 540120 - Environment, Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-); AIRSHIPS; ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY; BALLOONS; BROMINE COMPOUNDS; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; CHEMISTRY; EARTH ATMOSPHERE; ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION; ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; Emission; Emission spectra; EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; FAR INFRARED RADIATION; FOURIER TRANSFORM SPECTROMETERS; Geophysics; HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; HYDROBROMIC ACID; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; Infrared; INFRARED RADIATION; INORGANIC ACIDS; ISOTOPES; MEASURING INSTRUMENTS; Mixing ratios; ORGANIC BROMINE COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; OZONE; PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS; RADIATIONS; Spectra; SPECTROMETERS; SPECTROSCOPY; Springs; STRATOSPHERE; TROPOSPHERE; Zenith
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1029/GL016i008p00787

Emission features of HBr isotopes have been identified in high-resolution FIR emission spectra obtained with a balloon-borne Fourier-transform spectrometer in the spring of 1979 at 32 deg N latitude. When six single-scan spectra at a zenith angle of 93.2 deg were averaged, two features of HBr isotopes at 50.054 and 50.069/cm were obtained with a signal-to-noise ratio of 2.5. The volume mixing ratio retrieved from the average spectrum is 2.0 x 10 to the -11th, which is assumed to be constant above 28 km, with an uncertainty of 35 percent. This stratospheric amount of HBr is about the same as the current level of tropospheric organic bromine compounds, 25 pptv. Thus HBr could be the major stratospheric bromine species.