POSSIBLE IDENTIFICATION OF VOLCANIC DUST IN THE STRATOSPHERE
Abstract
Balloon soundings of the atmospheric aerosol made at three different latitudes confirm the existence of a widespread dust layer over the Northern Hemisphere. Soundings made at Minneapolis over a period of five years show seasonal fluctuations in the total stratospheric dust by as much as a factor of four with a suggestion of a secular decrease from 1963 to 1968. Soundings made at Panama show a decrease of the dust by a factor of ten from 1966 to 1968. This rapid decrease in the amount of the equatorial dust is not inconsistent with the estimated rates of dilution and dispersion of radioactive bomb debris by horizontal and vertical eddy motion. The spectrum of particle size of the Panama aerosol is considerably flatter than that of the mid-latitude aerosol, indicating they may be of different origin. It is suggested that these additional equatorial particles are the residue of volcanic material injected into the stratosphere in the Bali explosion of 1963. A more definitive measurement of the aerosol spectrum at mid-latitude shows a slope only slightly flatter than that reported by Junge in 1961 but with considerably greater concentration of particles larger than 1 micron. This could be caused by an increase in the number of large particles after the Bali event or a loss of large volatile particles counted by filter methods.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0696526
Entities
People
- James M. Rosen
Organizations
- University of Minnesota