Articles | Volume 22, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6703-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6703-2022
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

Related authors

Characterising the long-term effects of stratospheric aerosol injection geoengineering on the stratospheric ozone layer with mid-infrared limb emission sounding instruments
Mona Kosary, Pasquale Sellitto, Michael Höpfner, Bernd Funke, Alex Hoffmann, Jörn Ungermann, Quentin Errera, Simone Tilmes, and Björn-Martin Sinnhuber
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4654,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4654, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Multi-model assessment of impacts of the 2022 Hunga eruption on stratospheric ozone and its chemical and dynamical drivers
Ewa M. Bednarz, Valentina Aquila, Amy H. Butler, Peter Colarco, Eric Fleming, Freja F. Østerstrøm, David Plummer, Ilaria Quaglia, William Randel, Michelle L. Santee, Takashi Sekiya, Simone Tilmes, Xinyue Wang, Shingo Watanabe, Wandi Yu, Jun Zhang, Yunqian Zhu, and Zhihong Zhuo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 11355–11370, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-11355-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-11355-2026, 2026
Short summary
Middle atmosphere chemical and dynamical effects in the CCMI-2022 stratospheric aerosol injection scenario
Andrin Jörimann, Timofei Sukhodolov, Simone Tilmes, David Plummer, Shingo Watanabe, Hideharu Akiyoshi, Gabriel Chiodo, Daniele Visioni, Sandro Vattioni, Eugene Rozanov, Ewa Monika Bednarz, Béatrice Josse, Yousuke Yamashita, and Thomas Peter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 11207–11234, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-11207-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-11207-2026, 2026
Short summary
Assessing the stratospheric temperature response to volcanic sulfate injections by Mt. Pinatubo: insights from the Interactive Stratospheric Aerosol Model Intercomparison Project
Katharina Perny, Timofei Sukhodolov, Ales Kuchar, Pavle Arsenovic, Bernadette Rosati, Christoph Brühl, Sandip S. Dhomse, Andrin Jörimann, Anton Laakso, Graham Mann, Ulrike Niemeier, Giovanni Pitari, Ilaria Quaglia, Takashi Sekiya, Kengo Sudo, Claudia Timmreck, Simone Tilmes, Daniele Visioni, and Harald E. Rieder
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 10997–11025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-10997-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-10997-2026, 2026
Short summary
Version 8 of IMK/IAA MIPAS reactive nitrogen reservoir gases
Gabriele P. Stiller, Thomas von Clarmann, Stefan Bender, Bernd Funke, Maya García-Comas, Norbert Glatthor, Udo Grabowski, Sylvia Kellmann, Michael Kiefer, Alexandra Laeng, Andrea Linden, and Manuel López-Puertas
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4116,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4116, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary

Cited articles

Abel, B. and Thorne, R. M.: Electron scattering loss in Earth's inner magnetosphere 1. Dominant physical processes, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 2385–2396, https://doi.org/10.1029/97JA02919, 1998. a
Andersson, M. E., Verronen, P. T., Rodger, C. J., Clilverd, M. A., and Seppälä, A.: Missing driver in the Sun-Earth connection from energetic electron precipitation impacts mesospheric ozone, Nat. Commun., 5, 5197, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms6197, 2014. a
Aplin, K. L., Marlton, G. J., and Race, V.: Stratospheric X-Rays Detected at Midlatitudes With a Miniaturized Balloon-Borne Microscintillator-PiN Diode System, Space Weather, 19, e02809, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021SW002809, 2021. a
Arsenovic, P., Rozanov, E., Stenke, A., Funke, B., Wissing, J. M., Mursula, K., Tummon, F., and Peter, T.: The influence of Middle Range Energy Electrons on atmospheric chemistry and regional climate, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 149, 180–190, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2016.04.008, 2016. a, b
Baker, D. N., Jaynes, A. N., Hoxie, V. C., Thorne, R. M., Foster, J. C., Li, X., Fennell, J. F., Wygant, J. R., Kanekal, S. G., Erickson, P. J., Kurth, W., Li, W., Ma, Q., Schiller, Q., Blum, L., Malaspina, D. M., Gerrard, A., and Lanzerotti, L. J.: An impenetrable barrier to ultrarelativistic electrons in the Van Allen radiation belts, Nature, 515, 531–534, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13956, 2014. a
Download
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.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint