Abstract
RECENT measurements1–7 in the Arctic have revealed episodic destruction of boundary-layer ozone from 30–40 parts per 109 by volume (p.p.b.v.) to undetectable levels on a timescale of less than a day, during periods when the boundary layer is very stable. The ozone destruction begins at polar sunrise, continues for the months of March and April, and is strongly associated with levels of filterable bromine which are much greater than during the rest of the year. Here we suggest that sea-salt Br− reaches high concentrations in the snow pack during the long polar night, and is evolved into the atmosphere as Br2at polar sunrise. Ordinarily, gas-phase photochemistry would convert Br2 to HBr or brominated organic compounds with consequently little destruction of boundary-layer ozone. In view of several laboratory experiments8–11, and by analogy with the marine boundary layer12, we propose that the HBr and brominated organic compounds will be scavenged by the ambient aerosols and ice crystals, and that these heterogeneous reactions release Br2 back to the atmosphere. We argue that this cycling of bromine between the aerosol and the gas phase should maintain sufficiently high levels of Br atoms and BrO radicals to destroy ozone, in agreement with observations1–7.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barrie, L. A., Bottenheim, J. W., Schnell, R. C., Crutzen, P. J. & Rasmussen, R. A. Nature 334, 138–141 (1988).
Barrie, L. A., den Hartog, G., Bottenheim, J. W. & Landsberger, S. J. atmos. Chem. 9, 101–127 (1989).
Leaitch, W. R., Hoff, R. M. & McPherson, J. I. J. atmos. Chem. 9, 187–211 (1989).
Mickle, R. E., Bottenheim, J. W., Leaitch, W. R. & Evans, W. F. J. Atmos. Envir. 23, 2443–2449 (1989).
Oltmans, S. J. et al. Atmos. Envir. 23, 2431–2441 (1989).
Sturges, W. T. et al. Atmos. Envir. (submitted).
Bottenheim, J. W. et al. J. geophys. Res. 95, 18555–18568 (1990).
Power, J. F., Sharma, D. K., Langford, C. H., Bonneau, R. & Joussot-Dubien, J. in Photochemistry of Environmental Aquatic Systems (ed. Zika, R.) 157–173 (1987).
Carey, J. H. & Langford, C. H. Can. J. Chem. 53, 2436–2440 (1975).
Behnke, W. & Zetzsch, C. in Ozone in the Atmosphere (eds Bojkov. R. D. & Fabian, P.) 519–523 (1989).
Zetzsch, C., Pfahler, G. & Behnke, W. J. Aerosol Sci. 19, 1203–1206 (1988).
Rancher, J. & Kritz, M. A. J. geophys. Res. 85, 5581–5587 (1980).
Finlayson-Pitts, B. J., Livingston, F. E. & Berko, H. N. Nature 343, 622–625 (1990).
Patterson, D. E. & Husar, R. B. Atmos. Envir. 15, 1479–1482 (1981).
Barrie, L. A. Atmos. Envir. 20, 643–663 (1986).
Barrie, L. A. & Barrie, M. J. J. atmos. Chem. 11, 211–226 (1990).
Keene, W. C. et al. Global biogeochem. Cycles 4, 407–430 (1990).
Duce, R. A., Winchester, J. W. & Van Nahl, T. W. J. geophys. Res. 70, 1775–1799 (1965).
Gloersen, P. & Campbell, W. J. Nature 352, 33–36 (1991).
Koerner, R. M. in Polar Bridge, Snow Chemistry Report Appendix E (Weber, G. R., Dexter, L., Holloway, C. & Buxton, M.) (Key Porter, Toronto, 1990).
Yarwood, G., Peng, N. & Niki, H. J. phys. Chem. (in the press).
Kieser, B. N., Bottenheim, J. W., Niki, H. & Sideris, T. Atmos. Envir. (submitted).
Berg, W. W., Sperry, P. D., Rahn, A. & Gladney, E. S. J. geophys. Res. 88, 6719–6736 (1983).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McConnell, J., Henderson, G., Barrie, L. et al. Photochemical bromine production implicated in Arctic boundary-layer ozone depletion. Nature 355, 150–152 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/355150a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/355150a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Widespread detection of chlorine oxyacids in the Arctic atmosphere
Nature Communications (2023)
-
Arctic snowpack bromine release
Nature Geoscience (2013)
-
Photochemical production of molecular bromine in Arctic surface snowpacks
Nature Geoscience (2013)
-
Bromine-induced oxidation of mercury in the mid-latitude atmosphere
Nature Geoscience (2011)
-
Atmospheric depletion of mercury over Antarctica during glacial periods
Nature Geoscience (2009)