The role of extraterrestrial particles in the formation of the ozone hole. Part I: The concentration of extraterrestrial particles at ozone hole formation
2001
The object of this paper is to assess the possibility that particles of extraterrestrial origin play a significant role in the formation of the ozone hole. Preliminary analysis shows that air in the ozone layer over South Pole tends to be stable, saturated, and essentially particle-free just prior to ozone hole formation. Further, gas-phase reactions generally responsible for ozone loss in the atmosphere are unrelated to ozone hole formation. According to Part I of this paper, a massive influx of extraterrestrial particles invades the ozone layer over South Pole precisely at ozone hole formation. We hypothesize that ozone diffuses to the surfaces of these particles, where it is adsorbed and enters into a series of reactions leading to its net loss in the atmosphere. To test this hypothesis, we have constructed a mathematical model of this process. We have also identified principal features in ozone hole formation in field data for 1986. These include the start of ozone hole formation three weeks before sunrise, a spike in ozone concentration at sunrise, and cessation in ozone depletion before disintegration of the circumpolar vortex. Projections of the model are in good agreement with these features. To conclude, this analysis has developed strong evidence that the ozone hole is primarily a natural phenomenon caused by the depletion of ozone in reactions on the surfaces of extraterrestrial particles. PACS 92.60 - Meteorology. PACS 94.10 - Physics of the neutral atmosphere. PACS 94.10.Fa - Atmospheric composition (atomic or molecular), chemical reactions and processes. PACS 82.40.We - Atmospheric chemistry.
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