Determining the polar cosmic ray effect on cloud microphysics and the Earth's ozone layer

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dc.contributor.advisorSkone, Susan
dc.contributor.advisorO'Keefe, Kyle
dc.contributor.authorRadons Beckie, Charlene
dc.date.accessioned2017-12-18T22:36:28Z
dc.date.available2017-12-18T22:36:28Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.descriptionBibliography: p. 121-127en
dc.descriptionSome pages are in colour.en
dc.description.abstractEarth's changing climate is an important topic where atmospheric ozone plays a critical role. Ozone has a direct influence on the amount and type of solar radiation received by the Earth. This study addresses how cosmic rays may influence the ozone layer by ionizing Earth's atmosphere and enhancing the growth of cloud condensation nuclei and rate of chemical reactions on polar ice cloud surfaces. This theory was largely based on the lifetime work by Lu [2010]. The region of interest was centered over the Thule, Greenland neutron monitor station. Using cosmic ray, satellite-based ISCCP and ICARE project cloud data along with TOMSĀ­OMI-SBUV and TEMIS total column ozone data, data comparisons were done. Plots of cosmic rays versus Antarctic atmospheric ozone from Lu [2009] were reproduced using regional Arctic data and extended to include years from 1983 to 2011. Comparisons to the research by Harris et al. [2010] were made by substituting ice cloud optical thickness for the cloud parameter and seasonal total column ozone for winter stratospheric ozone loss. The results of these data evaluations showed that the regional Arctic view matched very closely to Lu's work from the Antarctic. The ozone 3-point moving average case demonstrated a statistically significant correlation of -0.508. Extending the data duration exposed a cosmic ray data peak that was 14 percent larger than the two previous 11-year cycles. Ice cloud tau / ozone data comparisons did not produce the strong correlations from Harris et al. [2010]. Five years of low stratospheric temperatures and increased volumes of polar stratospheric clouds, identified by Rex et al. [2006], matched significant years of total column ozone minimums. Polar atmospheric CO2 trended along with ice cloud tau and oppositely to total column ozone, suggesting that lower stratospheric temperatures are instrumental in ozone reduction. Future work would involve using more extensive datasets, focusing on parameters such as ice water content and effective radius, or altitude specific studies concerning the stratosphere. Continued results from laboratory studies at the CERN facility may lead to a deeper understanding of cosmic ray, cloud microphysics and ozone relationships in nature.
dc.format.extentxvii, 142 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.en
dc.identifier.citationRadons Beckie, C. (2012). Determining the polar cosmic ray effect on cloud microphysics and the Earth's ozone layer (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/5010en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/5010
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/106011
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.titleDetermining the polar cosmic ray effect on cloud microphysics and the Earth's ozone layer
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineGeomatics Engineering
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Engineering (MEng)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
ucalgary.thesis.accessionTheses Collection 58.002:Box 2116 627942986
ucalgary.thesis.notesUARCen
ucalgary.thesis.uarcreleaseyen
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