Infra-red FTS Measurements of CH 4 , N 2 O, O 3 , HNO 3 , HCl, CFC-11 and CFC-12 from the MANTRA Balloon Campaign

The Middle Atmosphere Nitrogen TRend Assessment (MANTRA) campaign is intended to address the question of whether possible changes in the mid-latitude nitrogen budget can account for discrepancies between predicted and observed ozone loss at these latitudes. In addition, MANTRA seeks to establish consistency between old and new measurement techniques. We report here the results of infra-red spectral measurements made with a high resolution Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) during the August 1998 MANTRA flight. Vertical mixing ratio profiles of methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, nitric acid, hydrogen chloride, CFC-11 and CFC-12 are presented. The error estimates on the retrieved values are larger than typical for this type of measurement, due mostly to instrument problems that occurred during flight. In addition, the CFC values are larger than expected. Possible reasons for this are discussed.