SGER: The Effect of Enhanced Ionization on Droplet Formation in the Cold Stratosphere

北极和南极地区在臭氧消耗和极地平流层云（PSC）形成方面表现出显著差异。它们在高层大气的高能电子沉淀方面也有显著差异。有人提出，PSC的形成是由电子参与刺激的，通过产生轫致辐射X射线穿透平流层并电离那里的大气成分，这些成分成为液滴形成的成核中心。如果正确的话，这将部分解释为什么臭氧消耗和PSC的形成几乎只发生在南极洲：高能电子沉淀是那里的常见现象，但很少发生在北极极帽。将进行一项实验来调查这一建议。带有强局部电离源的气球有效载荷将穿过寒冷的北极平流层；照相记录将揭示电离是否导致了液滴的形成。实验的积极结果将产生广泛的影响。这将表明目前的平流层化学模型需要修订，并且需要对平流层进行进一步的实验研究。

The northern and southern polar regions exhibit striking differences in ozone depletion and polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) formation. They are also significantly different in terms of energetic electron precipitation in the upper atmosphere. The suggestion has been made that PSC formation is stimulated by electron participation by creating bremsstrahlung X rays that penetrate to the stratosphere and ionize atmospheric constituents there which become nucleation centers for droplet formation. If correct, this would partially explain why ozone depletion and PSC formation occur almost exclusively in Antarctica: energetic electron precipitation is a common phenomenon there, but rarely occurs in the Arctic polar cap. An experiment to investigate this suggestion is to be conducted. A balloon payload with a strong, localized ionization source will be flown through the cold Arctic stratosphere; a photographic record would reveal whether the ionization had caused droplet formation to occur. A positive result from the experiment would have wide ranging implications. It would indicate that current models of stratospheric chemistry need to be revised and that additional experimental investigation of the stratosphere is needed.