Stratospheric aerosol mass and latitudinal distribution of the El Chichon eruption cloud for October 1982

A coordinated aircraft flight mission to determine the spatial distribution and aerosol characteristics of the El Chichon‐produced stratospheric material is described. The mission covered 46°N to 46°S in October‐November 1982. Rendezvous with balloon‐, aircraft‐, and satellite‐borne measurements were accomplished. This paper presents the aircraft lidar data from the flight mission. From these data, the global stratospheric mass of the material produced by the El Chichon eruptions of late March/early April 1982 is estimated to be 12 megatonnes (1.2×10 13 gm). The bulk of this material nearly 7 months after the eruptions resided between latitudes of from 5‐7°S to 35‐37°N, and was concentrated above 21 km in a layer peaked at 24‐25 km. In this latitude region, peak scattering ratios at λ = 0.6943 µm were approximately 24. Peak values over the latitudes 30‐45°S were 2 to 3 with the layer spread smoothly from 15 to 25 km. Peak scattering ratio values over latitudes 40‐45°N were between 7 and 13 with the layer residing mainly between 20 and 25 km.