Comparisons between ACE‐FTS and ground‐based measurements of stratospheric HCl and ClONO₂ loadings at northern latitudes

Abstract

We report first comparisons of stratospheric column abundances of hydrogen chloride (HCl) and chlorine nitrate (ClONO 2 ) derived from infrared solar spectra recorded in 2004 at selected northern latitudes by the spaceborne Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment‐Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE‐FTS) and by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) instruments at the NDSC (Network for Detection of Stratospheric Change)‐affiliated sites of Thule (Greenland), Kiruna (Sweden), Jungfraujoch (Switzerland), and Egbert and Toronto (Canada). Overall, and within the respective uncertainties of the independent measurement approaches, the comparisons show that the ACE‐FTS measurements produce very good stratospheric volume mixing ratio profiles. Their internal precision allows to identify characteristic distribution features associated with latitudinal, dynamical, seasonal and chemical changes occurring in the atmosphere.