Exceptional middle latitude electron precipitation detected by balloon observations: implications for atmospheric composition

Mironova, Irina; Sinnhuber, Miriam; Bazilevskaya, Galina; Clilverd, Mark; Funke, Bernd; Makhmutov, Vladimir; Rozanov, Eugene; Santee, Michelle L.; Sukhodolov, Timofei; Ulich, Thomas

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6703-2022

Articles | Volume 22, issue 10

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6703-2022

© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6703-2022

© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 22, issue 10

Research article

|

24 May 2022

Research article |

| 24 May 2022

Exceptional middle latitude electron precipitation detected by balloon observations: implications for atmospheric composition

Irina Mironova, Miriam Sinnhuber, Galina Bazilevskaya, Mark Clilverd, Bernd Funke, Vladimir Makhmutov, Eugene Rozanov, Michelle L. Santee, Timofei Sukhodolov, and Thomas Ulich

Data sets

IMK/IAA generated MIPAS/ENVISAT data Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research - Atmospheric Trace Gases and Remote Sensing https://www.imk-asf.kit.edu/english/308.php

NOAA/POES Space Environment Monitor National Centers for Environmental Information http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/satellite/poes

MLS/Aura data NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System https://acdisc.gesdisc.eosdis.nasa.gov/data/Aura_MLS_Level2/ML2HNO3.004

Short summary

From balloon measurements, we detected unprecedented, extremely powerful, electron precipitation over the middle latitudes. The robustness of this event is confirmed by satellite observations of electron fluxes and chemical composition, as well as by ground-based observations of the radio signal propagation. The applied chemistry–climate model shows the almost complete destruction of ozone in the mesosphere over the region where high-energy electrons were observed.