"N00014-70-A-0266-0002." "AD-A010 227." "Filmed 6-26-75 NTIS." Microfiche.

Recently much attention has been given to the possible pollution of the stratosphere in anticipation of man's invasion into this high-altitude region of the atmosphere. However, very little effort in terms of quantitative measurements has been made to assess the sources of natural stratospheric 'pollution, ' which may be so large that man could never compete with them. By virtue of its size and energy density a well-developed hurricane should be able to influence the distribution of trace constituents in the lower stratosphere, at least locally if not on a global basis. The authors describe the results of the first attempt to determine the influence of a hurricane on the vertical profile of aerosol within a 500 mile radius of the center of the storm. Aerosol profiles were obtained over hurricane Gilda in October of 1973. The results show a relatively clean upper troposphere which has been tentatively attributed to a removal process associated with the storm itself.