410
Photochemistry
of
Planetary
Atmospheres
Figure
10.38
Scatter plot
of
observed
NOr/NO,,
and
ClO/Cl,,
with
observed
areosol surface area density (solid
circles)
in
high
and low
aerosol
conditions.
Gas
phase only (open
circles)
and
heterogeneous cases
(crosses) model calculations
are
included.
The
vertical dashed line
represents background areosol surface
area density.
The
curves represent
the
dependence
on
surface area
in two
heterogeneous models.
After
Fahey,
D. W. et
al.,
1993,
"In
Measurements
Constraining
the
Role
of
Sulfate
Aerosols
in
Midlatitude
Ozone Depletion." Nature 363, 509.
the
stratosphere during quiescent periods
is of the
order
of 1 Mt
equivalent
of
SC>2,
the
bulk
of it
residing
in
H2SO4 aerosols.
In the
stratosphere
SO
2
gets
oxidized
by
reacting
with
OH:
Note that
the
HO
V
radicals
act as a
catalyst
in the
oxidation
of
SO
2
to
H
2
SC>4.
Once
formed,
the
vapor pressure
of
H
2
SO4
at
stratospheric temperatures
is so low
that
it
rapidly
condenses into aerosol particles. This
is the
terminal product.
The
only
removal
mechanism
is
transport
to the
troposphere, followed
by
rainout.
Although
there
is no
direct
effect
of
H
2
SO4
aerosols
on
stratospheric chemistry,
the
surfaces
of
H
2
SO4
aerosols
act as
sites
for
heterogeneous reactions
(10.77)-(10.81).
The
rate-limiting step
in a
heterogeneous reaction
is
often
the
adsorption
of a
molecule
onto
an
aerosol surface:
with
a
unimolecular rate
coefficient
given
by
where
y is the
sticking
coefficient,
v is the
molecular
speed,
and A is the
total surface
area
of
aerosols
per
unit
volume. Figure 10.37 shows
the
surface area
per
unit
volume