scostep 2010 (stp12) - Leibniz-Institut für Atmosphärenphysik an der ...

STP12 Abstracts
Berlin, 12 - 16 July 2010
SCOSTEP Symposium 2010
Three dimensional model simulations of the impact of ion-chemistry induced by solar
particle precipitation onto chlorine species
Wieters Nadine 1 , Winkler Holger 1 , Sinnhuber Miriam 1 , Notholt Justus 1 , Wissing Jan Maik 2 , Berger
Uwe 3 , Stiller Gabriele 4 , Von Clarmann Thomas 4 , Funke Bernd 5
1 Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, 2 University of Osnabrück, 3 Leibniz-
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Kühlungsborn, 4 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute
for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK-ASF), 5 Instituto de Astrosica de Andalucia, Granada,
Spain
Solar Energetic Particle Events and geomagnetic storms can produce fluxes of high-energy
protons and electrons, which can enter the Earth’s atmosphere especially in polar regions.
These particle fluxes primarily cause ionisation and excitation in the upper atmosphere, and
thereby the production of HOx and NOx compounds, which are catalysts for the reduction of
ozone.
Besides the increase of HOx and NOx , the abundance of other species like chlorine are
effected by solar particle induced ion-chemistry, as observations indicate.
To simulate such particle events and their effect on chlorine species, ionisation rates
calculated by the Atmospheric Ionization Module Osnabrück AIMOS (University of
Osnabrück) have been implemented into the Bremen 3D Chemistry and Transport Model. The
model is driven by meteorological data provided by the Leibniz-Institute Middle Atmosphere
Model LIMA (IAP Kühlungsborn), to cover altitudes up to the mesopause. To account for the
ion-chemistry regarding chlorine species in the neutral chemistry scheme of the Bremen 3D
CTM, parameterised production rates calculated by the University of Bremen Ion-Chemistry
model UBIC are included into the model.
Model calculations for the solar proton event in October/November 2003 have been carried
out and results will be presented and compared to measurements by the Michelson
Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding MIPAS (ENVISAT) instrument.