Lidar observations of polar stratospheric clouds at the South Pole .2. Stratospheric perturbed conditions, 1992 and 1993

Observations of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), carried out at the Amundsen Scott South Pole Station by lidar from May 1992 through October 1993, are reported and compared with previously obtained results. At that time the Antarctic stratosphere was loaded with sulfuric acid aerosol due to the eruptions of Mount Pinatubo, primarily, and of Mount Hudson. The seasonal evolution of the backscatter profiles has been investigated in relation to the presence of the volcanic aerosol and to the processes of PSC formation, particle sedimentation, and dehydration. During the first winter after the eruptions the PSC activity was more intense than in the following year, particularly above 12.5 km, where the amount of volcanic aerosol was larger in 1992 than in 1993. At lower altitudes the volcanic aerosol loading as well as the PSC phenomenon were comparable during the 2 years. No substantial changes in the signal due to the volcanic aerosol has been observed comparing the backscattering profiles before and after the PSC periods (June-September), except for a downward shift, attributed to the subsidence of the air inside the polar vortex. It is concluded that only a small fraction of the aerosol particles, probably those with the largest radii, were involved in the nucleation of PSC particles.