Observations of Antarctic Polar Vortex Breakup

Maps of Aura's Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS)  hydrogen chloride (HCI) in the lower stratosphere (520 K, 20km) detailing the springtime breakup of the 2004 Antarctic vortex. The vortex broke into several fragments between 5 and 11 December, and the evolution and erosion of those fragments are shown through late December, when only one weak fragment remains. After chlorine deactivation by early October, high vortex HCI and very strong HCI gradients across the vortex edge make it an excellent tracer of vortex evolution and morphology.

Credit : Gloria Manney, JPL MLS Team

12/2004

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MLS

Aura’s Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument uses microwave emission to measure stratospheric temperature and upper tropospheric constituents. MLS also has unique capability to measure upper tropospheric water vapor in the…

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