Welcome to the NOAA Institutional Repository |
Stacks Logo
Advanced Search
Select up to three search categories and corresponding keywords using the fields to the right. Refer to the Help section for more detailed instructions.
 
 
Help
Clear All Simple Search
Advanced Search
A comprehensive estimate for loss of atmospheric carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) to the ocean
Filetype[PDF-2.61 MB]


Details:
  • Personal Author:
  • Description:
    Extensive undersaturations of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern Ocean surface waters indicate that atmospheric CCl4 is consumed in large amounts by the ocean. Observations made on 16 research cruises between 1987 and 2010, ranging in latitude from 60 degrees N to 77 degrees S, show that negative saturations extend over most of the surface ocean. Corrected for physical effects associated with radiative heat flux, mixing, and air injection, these anomalies were commonly on the order of 5 to 10 %, with no clear relationship to temperature, productivity, or other gross surface water characteristics other than being more negative in association with upwelling. The atmospheric flux required to sustain these undersaturations is 12.4 (9.4-15.4) Gg yr(-1), a loss rate implying a partial atmospheric lifetime with respect to the oceanic loss of 183 (147241) yr and that similar to 18 (14-22) % of atmospheric CCl4 is lost to the ocean. Although CCl4 hydrolyzes in seawater, published hydrolysis rates for this gas are too slow to support such large undersaturations, given our current understanding of air-sea gas exchange rates. The even larger undersaturations in intermediate depth waters associated with reduced oxygen levels, observed in this study and by other investigators, strongly suggest that CCl4 is ubiquitously consumed at mid-depth, presumably by microbiota. Although this subsurface sink creates a gradient that drives a downward flux of CCl4, the gradient alone is not sufficient to explain the observed surface undersaturations. Since known chemical losses are likewise insufficient to sustain the observed undersaturations, this suggests a possible biological sink for CCl4 in surface or near-surface waters of the ocean. The total atmospheric lifetime for CCl4, based on these results and the most recent studies of soil uptake and loss in the stratosphere is now 32 (26-43) yr.

  • DOI:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-10899-2016
  • Document Type:
    Journal Article
  • Collection(s):
    Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
    NOAA Cooperative Institutes
  • Main Document Checksum:
  • Supporting Files:
    No Additional Files
    1. Surrogate gas prediction model as a proxy for Delta C-14-based measurements of fossil fuel CO2
      Personal Author:
      Coakley, K. J.; Miller, J. B.; Montzka, S. A.; Sweeney, C.; Miller, B.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 121(12), 7489-7505.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      The measured C-14:C-12 isotopic ratio of atmospheric CO2 (and its associated derived Delta C-14 value) is an ideal tracer for determination of the fossil fuel derived CO2 enhancement contributing to any atmospheric CO2 measurement (C-ff). Given enoug...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.76 MB]
    2. Continuous and high-precision atmospheric concentration measurements of COS, CO2, CO and H2O using a quantum cascade laser spectrometer (QCLS)
      Personal Author:
      Kooijmans, L. M. J.; Uitslag, N. A. M.; Zahniser, M. S.; Nelson, D. D.; Montzka, S. A.; Chen, H. L.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(11), 5293-5314.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Carbonyl sulfide (COS) has been suggested as a useful tracer for gross primary production as it is taken up by plants in a similar way as CO2. To explore and verify the application of this novel tracer, it is highly desired to develop the ability to ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 5.11 MB]
    3. O-3, CH4, CO2, CO, NO2 and NMHC aircraft measurements in the Uinta Basin oil and gas region under low and high ozone conditions in winter 2012 and 2013
      Personal Author:
      Oltmans, S. J.; Karion, A.; Schnell, R. C.; Petron, G.; Helmig, D.; Montzka, S. A.; Wolter, S.; Neff, D.; Miller, B. R.; Hueber, J.; Conley, S.; Johnson, B. J.; Sweeney, C.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Elementa-Science of the Anthropocene, 4: 000132.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Instrumented aircraft measuring air composition in the Uinta Basin, Utah, during February 2012 and January-February 2013 documented dramatically different atmospheric ozone (O-3) mole fractions. In 2012 O-3 remained near levels of similar to 40 ppb i...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 6.01 MB]
    4. Controlled weather balloon ascents and descents for atmospheric research and climate monitoring
      Personal Author:
      Krauchi, A.; Philipona, R.; Romanens, G.; Hurst, D. F.; Hall, E. G.; Jordan, A. F.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(3), 929-938.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      In situ upper-air measurements are often made with instruments attached to weather balloons launched at the surface and lifted into the stratosphere. Present-day balloon-borne sensors allow near-continuous measurements from the Earth's surface to abo...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 5.50 MB]
    5. The influence of daily meteorology on boreal fire emissions and regional trace gas variability
      Personal Author:
      Wiggins, E. B.; Veraverbeke, S.; Henderson, J. M.; Karion, A.; Miller, J. B.; Lindaas, J.; Commane, R.; Sweeney, C.; Luus, K. A.; Tosca, M. G.; Dinardo, S. J.; Wofsy, S.; Miller, C. E.; Randerson, J. T.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, 121(11), 2793-2810.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Relationships between boreal wildfire emissions and day-to-day variations in meteorological variables are complex and have important implications for the sensitivity of high-latitude ecosystems to climate change. We examined the influence of environm...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.44 MB]
    6. Inverse modeling of GOSAT-retrieved ratios of total column CH4 and CO2 for 2009 and 2010
      Personal Author:
      Pandey, S.; Houweling, S.; Krol, M.; Aben, I.; Chevallier, F.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Gatti, L. V.; Gloor, E.; Miller, J. B.; Detmers, R.; Machida, T.; Rockmann, T.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16(8), 5043-5062.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      This study investigates the constraint provided by greenhouse gas measurements from space on surface fluxes. Imperfect knowledge of the light path through the atmosphere, arising from scattering by clouds and aerosols, can create biases in column mea...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 3.49 MB]
    7. The CU 2-D-MAX-DOAS instrument - Part 2: Raman scattering probability measurements and retrieval of aerosol optical properties
      Personal Author:
      Ortega, I.; Coburn, S.; Berg, L. K.; Lantz, K.; Michalsky, J.; Ferrare, R. A.; Hair, J.; Hostetler, C. A.; Volkamer, R.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(8), 3893-3910.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      The multiannual global mean of aerosol optical depth at 550 nm (AOD(550))over land is similar to 0.19, and that over oceans is similar to 0.13. About 45% of the Earth surface shows AOD550 smaller than 0.1. There is a need for measurement techniques t...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 3.76 MB]
    8. Atmospheric histories and global emissions of halons H-1211 (CBrClF2), H-1301 (CBrF3), and H-2402 (CBrF2CBrF2)
      Personal Author:
      Vollmer, M. K.; Muhle, J.; Trudinger, C. M.; Rigby, M.; Montzka, S. A.; Harth, C. M.; Miller, B. R.; Henne, S.; Krummel, P. B.; Hall, B. D.; Young, D.; Kim, J.; Arduini, J.; Wenger, A.; Yao, B.; Reimann, S.; O'Doherty, S.; Maione, M.; Etheridge, D. M.; Li, S. L.; Verdonik, D. P.; Park, S.; Dutton, G.; Steele, L. P.; Lunder, C. R.; Rhee, T. S.; Hermansen, O.; Schmidbauer, N.; Wang, R. H. J.; Hill, M.; Salameh, P. K.; Langenfelds, R. L.; Zhou, L. X.; Blunier, T.; Schwander, J.; Elkins, J. W.; Butler, J. H.; Simmonds, P. G.; Weiss, R. F.; Prinn, R. G.; Fraser, P. J.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 121(7), 3663-3686.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      We report ground-based atmospheric measurements and emission estimates for the halons H-1211 (CBrClF2), H-1301 (CBrF3), and H-2402 (CBrF2CBrF2) from the AGAGE (Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adm...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.26 MB]
    9. UTLS water vapour from SCIAMACHY limb measurements V3.01 (2002-2012)
      Personal Author:
      Weigel, K.; Rozanov, A.; Azam, F.; Bramstedt, K.; Damadeo, R.; Eichmann, K. U.; Gebhardt, C.; Hurst, D.; Kraemer, M.; Lossow, S.; Read, W.; Spelten, N.; Stiller, G. P.; Walker, K. A.; Weber, M.; Bovensmann, H.; Burrows, J. P.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(1), 133-158.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      The SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) aboard the Envisat satellite provided measurements from August 2002 until April 2012. SCIAMACHY measured the scattered or direct sunlight using different observatio...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 6.13 MB]
    10. No significant increase in long-term CH4 emissions on North Slope of Alaska despite significant increase in air temperature
      Personal Author:
      Sweeney, C.; Dlugokencky, E.; Miller, C. E.; Wofsy, S.; Karion, A.; Dinardo, S.; Chang, R. Y. W.; Miller, J. B.; Bruhwiler, L.; Crotwell, A. M.; Newberger, T.; McKain, K.; Stone, R. S.; Wolter, S. E.; Lang, P. E.; Tans, P.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Geophysical Research Letters, 43(12), 6604-6611.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Continuous measurements of atmospheric methane (CH4) mole fractions measured by NOAA's Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network in Barrow, AK (BRW), show strong enhancements above background values when winds come from the land sector from July to Dec...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 536.86 KB]
    11. Regional atmospheric CO2 inversion reveals seasonal and geographic differences in Amazon net biome exchange
      Personal Author:
      Alden, C. B.; Miller, J. B.; Gatti, L. V.; Gloor, M. M.; Guan, K.; Michalak, A. M.; van der Laan-Luijkx, I. T.; Touma, D.; Andrews, A.; Basso, L. S.; Correia, C. S. C.; Domingues, L. G.; Joiner, J.; Krol, M. C.; Lyapustin, A. I.; Peters, W.; Shiga, Y. P.; Thoning, K.; van der Velde, I. R.; van Leeuwen, T. T.; Yadav, V.; Diffenbaugh, N. S.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Global Change Biology, 22(10), 3427-3443.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Understanding tropical rainforest carbon exchange and its response to heat and drought is critical for quantifying the effects of climate change on tropical ecosystems, including global climate-carbon feedbacks. Of particular importance for the globa...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.22 MB]
    12. MIPAS IMK/IAA CFC-11 (CCl3F) and CFC-12 (CCl2F2) measurements: accuracy, precision and long-term stability
      Personal Author:
      Eckert, E.; Laeng, A.; Lossow, S.; Kellmann, S.; Stiller, G.; von Clarmann, T.; Glatthor, N.; Hopfner, M.; Kiefer, M.; Oelhaf, H.; Orphal, J.; Funke, B.; Grabowski, U.; Haenel, F.; Linden, A.; Wetzel, G.; Woiwode, W.; Bernath, P. F.; Boone, C.; Dutton, G. S.; Elkins, J. W.; Engel, A.; Gille, J. C.; Kolonjari, F.; Sugita, T.; Toon, G. C.; Walker, K. A.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(7), 3355-3389.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Profiles of CFC-11 (CCl3F) and CFC-12 (CCl2F2) of the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) aboard the European satellite Envisat have been retrieved from versions MIPAS/4.61 to MI-PAS/4.62 and MIPAS/5.02 to MIPAS/5.06 lev...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 12.56 MB]
    13. Strong regional atmospheric C-14 signature of respired CO2 observed from a tall tower over the midwestern United States
      Personal Author:
      LaFranchi, B. W.; McFarlane, K. J.; Miller, J. B.; Lehman, S. J.; Phillips, C. L.; Andrews, A. E.; Tans, P. P.; Chen, H.; Liu, Z.; Turnbull, J. C.; Xu, X.; Guilderson, T. P.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, 121(8), 2275-2295.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Radiocarbon in CO2 ((CO2)-C-14) measurements can aid in discriminating between fast (< 1 year) and slower (> 5-10 years) cycling of C between the atmosphere and the terrestrial biosphere due to the 14C disequilibrium between atmospheric and terrestri...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.28 MB]
    14. A multiyear estimate of methane fluxes in Alaska from CARVE atmospheric observations
      Personal Author:
      Miller, S. M.; Miller, C. E.; Commane, R.; Chang, R. Y. W.; Dinardo, S. J.; Henderson, J. M.; Karion, A.; Lindaas, J.; Melton, J. R.; Miller, J. B.; Sweeney, C.; Wofsy, S. C.; Michalak, A. M.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 30(10), 1441-1453.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Methane (CH4) fluxes from Alaska and other arctic regions may be sensitive to thawing permafrost and future climate change, but estimates of both current and future fluxes from the region are uncertain. This study estimates CH4 fluxes across Alaska f...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.74 MB]
    15. Mesoscale modulation of air-sea CO2 flux in Drake Passage
      Personal Author:
      Song, H.; Marshall, J.; Munro, D. R.; Dutkiewicz, S.; Sweeney, C.; McGillicuddy, D. J.; Hausmann, U.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 121(9), 6635-6649.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      We investigate the role of mesoscale eddies in modulating air-sea CO2 flux and associated biogeochemical fields in Drake Passage using in situ observations and an eddy-resolving numerical model. Both observations and model show a negative correlation...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 4.06 MB]
    16. Low-CCN concentration air masses over the eastern North Atlantic: Seasonality, meteorology, and drivers
      Personal Author:
      Wood, R.; Stemmler, J. D.; Remillard, J.; Jefferson, A.;
      Published Date:
      2017
      Source:
      Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 122(2), 1203-1223.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      A 20 month cloud condensation nucleus concentration (N-CCN) data set from Graciosa Island (39 degrees N, 28 degrees W) in the remote North Atlantic is used to characterize air masses with low cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations. Low-CCN ev...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 6.32 MB]
    17. Summertime surface O-3 behavior and deposition to tundra in the Alaskan Arctic
      Personal Author:
      Van Dam, B.; Helmig, D.; Doskey, P. V.; Oltmans, S. J.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 121(13), 8055-8066.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Atmospheric turbulence quantities, boundary layer ozone (O-3) levels, and O-3 deposition to the tundra surface were investigated at Toolik Lake, AK, during the 2011 summer season. Beginning immediately after snowmelt, a diurnal cycle of O-3 in the at...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.83 MB]
    18. Separation of biospheric and fossil fuel fluxes of CO2 by atmospheric inversion of CO2 and (CO2)-C-14 measurements: Observation System Simulations
      Personal Author:
      Basu, S.; Miller, J. B.; Lehman, S.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16(9), 5665-5683.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      National annual total CO2 emissions from combustion of fossil fuels are likely known to within 5-10aEuro-% for most developed countries. However, uncertainties are inevitably larger (by unknown amounts) for emission estimates at regional and monthly ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 6.92 MB]
    19. Rising atmospheric methane: 2007-2014 growth and isotopic shift
      Personal Author:
      Nisbet, E. G.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Manning, M. R.; Lowry, D.; Fisher, R. E.; France, J. L.; Michel, S. E.; Miller, J. B.; White, J. W. C.; Vaughn, B.; Bousquet, P.; Pyle, J. A.; Warwick, N. J.; Cain, M.; Brownlow, R.; Zazzeri, G.; Lanoiselle, M.; Manning, A. C.; Gloor, E.; Worthy, D. E. J.; Brunke, E. G.; Labuschagne, C.; Wolff, E. W.; Ganesan, A. L.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 30(9), 1356-1370.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      From 2007 to 2013, the globally averaged mole fraction of methane in the atmosphere increased by 5.7 +/- 1.2 ppb yr(-1). Simultaneously, delta C-13(CH4) (a measure of the C-13/C-12 isotope ratio in methane) has shifted to significantly more negative ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.72 MB]
    20. Advancements, measurement uncertainties, and recent comparisons of the NOAA frost point hygrometer
      Personal Author:
      Hall, E. G.; Jordan, A. F.; Hurst, D. F.; Oltmans, S. J.; Vomel, H.; Kuhnreich, B.; Ebert, V.;
      Published Date:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(9), 4295-4310.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      The NOAA frost point hygrometer (FPH) is a balloon-borne instrument flown monthly at three sites to measure water vapor profiles up to 28 km. The FPH record from Boulder, Colorado, is the longest continuous stratospheric water vapor record. The instr...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 3.06 MB]
You May Also Like:
  1. Model sensitivity studies of the decrease in atmospheric carbon tetrachloride
    Personal Author:
    Chipperfield, M. P.; Liang, Q.; Rigby, M.; Hossaini, R.; Montzka, S. A.; Dhomse, S.; Feng, W. H.; Prinn, R. G.; Weiss, R. F.; Harth, C. M.; Salameh, P. K.; Muhle, J.; O'Doherty, S.; Young, D.; Simmonds, P. G.; Krummel, P. B.; Fraser, P. J.; Steele, L. P.; Happell, J. D.; Rhew, R. C.; Butler, J.; Yvon-Lewis, S. A.; Hall, B.; Nance, D.; Moore, F.; Miller, B. R.; Elkins, J.; Harrison, J. J.; Boone, C. D.; Atlas, E. L.; Mahieu, E.;
    Published Date:
    2016
    Source:
    Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16(24), 15741-15754.
    Description:
    Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is an ozone-depleting substance, which is controlled by the Montreal Protocol and for which the atmospheric abundance is decreasing. However, the current observed rate of this decrease is known to be slower than expected b...
    File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 3.29 MB]