15
May 2003
Ozone depletion: Volcanic bromine
Reactive bromine species play an important part in stratospheric ozone chemistry, accounting for a third of the halogen-catalysed ozone depletion despite being present in smaller quantities than chlorine derivatives. The sources of atmospheric bromine are not well known, however. Now a new remote spectroscopy technique has been used to detect gaseous bromine monoxide in the volcanic plume from the Soufrière Hills volcano in Montserrat, a volcano that has been erupting since mid-1995. This is the first report of bromine monoxide in volcanic emissions and the quantities present suggest that volcanoes might contribute sufficient bromine to the atmosphere to have a significant effect on regional and perhaps global ozone concentrations.
Detection of bromine monoxide in a volcanic plume
N. BOBROWSKI, G. H�NNINGER, B. GALLE & U. PLATT
Nature
423, 273–276 (2003); doi:10.1038/nature01625
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