Visualizations by
Jesse Allen
Released on April 9, 1999
Key to understanding the chlorine chemistry in the polar stratosphere is the measurement of polar stratospheric clouds, chlorine monoxide, and the reservoir gas chlorine nitrate. Polar stratospheric clouds are seen by the Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder, ISAMS, and chlorine nitrate has been measured by the Cryogen Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer, CLAES. Both ISAMS and CLAES make measurements by looking at infrared emission from cloud particles and trace gases.