As one part of a chemical-microphysical model, a stratospheric aerosol mode
l has been developed for the implementation in the Hamburg climate model EC
HAM. This model treats the formation, the development and the transport of
stratospheric sulfuric acid aerosol. The aerosol size distribution and the
chemical composition of the droplets are calculated dependent on the atmosp
heric conditions (temperature, air pressure) and the partial pressure of H2
SO4 and H2O. Binary homogeneous nucleation of H2SO3/H2O condensation and ev
aporation of H2SO4 and H2O, Brownian coagulation and gravitational sediment
ation are included.
Sensitivity studies with the microphysical model were performed in order to
study the influence of the nucleation and condensation parameterization on
the aerosol size distribution. The impact of the initial conditions (tempe
rature, water vapor, SO2, OH) on the aerosol size distribution is also inve
stigated,
Box simulations of the stratospheric background aerosol are in good agreeme
nt with in situ measurements above 73 hPa in middle and high latitudes. The
model is able to reproduce important features of the stratospheric aerosol
, like the observed strong increase of the aerosol size ratio above 50 hPa
and the decrease of the aerosol mixing ratio. Due to the neglect of advecti
on and diffusion processes the microphysical model alone is not able to rep
roduce observations from regions with strong vertical exchange processes. T
he simulated temporal development of the aerosol spectrum in a volcanically
perturbed atmosphere is close to observations. After four to five years th
e background level is reached again.