Effects of the solar eclipse on 15 January 2010 on the surface O₃, NO, NO₂, NH₃, CO mixing ratio and the meteorological parameters at Thiruvanathapuram, India

Abstract. In this paper, we present the effect of total solar eclipse on surface O₃, NO, NO₂, NH₃, CO mixing ratio and the meteorological parameters on 15 January 2010 at Thiruvanathapuram, India. On the day of total solar eclipse (i.e., 15 January 2010), the decrease in mixing ratio of surface O₃ and NO₂ is observed after the beginning of the solar eclipse events (11:15 to 15:30). Decrease in surface O₃ may be due to decreased efficiency of the photochemical ozone formation, whereas, mixing ratio of NO and NH₃ have been changed following the night time chemistry. Surface O₃ reduced to 20.3 ppb after 22 min of full phase of the eclipse. During the solar eclipse period, the ambient temperature and wind speed have decreased, whereas, relative humidity has increased as expected.