The relationship between stratospheric CH4 and hydrogen fluoride (HF) observed simultaneously by the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) has been examined globally. The meridional structures of the two long-lived species for the equinox and solstice seasons are found to be very similar. There is no universal relationship between CH4 and HF. The HF mixing ratios are observed to change up to 20-35% for a given CH4 from different dynamically isolated regions such as the polar vortex, midlatitudes, and the tropics, and the same magnitudes of change in CH4 could also be found for a fixed HF. Therefore one must be cautious in the usage of correlation-inferring methods for any pair of tracers in place of unavailable measurements or for evaluating chemical disturbances. -from Authors

A comparison between the HALOE HF column above 20 km and the ATMOS 1985 measurements is used to estimate the annual rate of increase of stratospheric HF. Exponential rates of 4.9-6.6% yr-1 and linear growth rates of 6-8.6% yr-1 in 1985 and 4.3-5.5% yr-1 in 1992-1993 are found. This species behaves like a conserved tracer and its distribution shows an area of enhanced mixing ratios correlated with the polar vortex that has a clear latitude boundary. -from Authors