i
A comprehensive estimate for loss of atmospheric carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) to the ocean
-
2016
Source: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16(17), 10899-10910.
[PDF-2.61 MB]
Details:
-
Journal Title:Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
-
Personal Author:
-
NOAA Program & Office:
-
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.
-
Source:Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16(17), 10899-10910.
-
Document Type:
-
Rights Information:CC BY
-
Compliance:Submitted
-
Main Document Checksum:urn:sha256:9c11f2f5b5fd2ed16ac52b874a2a57abdf61bcc11819c3280c1c6f57b3c6e4ae
-
File Type:
Supporting Files
-
No Additional Files
More +
Related Documents
-
Personal Author:McDuffie, Erin E. ;Edwards, Peter M....2016 | Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 121(14), 8712-8729.Description:Tropospheric O-3 has been decreasing across much of the eastern U.S. but has remained steady or even increased in some western regions. Recent increas...Personal Author:Nisbet, E. G. ;Dlugokencky, E. J....2016 | Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 30(9), 1356-1370.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(CH...Advancements, measurement uncertainties, and recent comparisons of the NOAA frost point hygrometerCite2016 | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(9), 4295-4310.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 ...2016 | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16(8), 5043-5062.Description:This study investigates the constraint provided by greenhouse gas measurements from space on surface fluxes. Imperfect knowledge of the light path thr...2016 | Earth System Science Data, 8(2), 461-490.Description:In this paper, we describe the construction of the Stratospheric Water and Ozone Satellite Homogenized (SWOOSH) database, which includes vertically re...2016 | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(8), 3893-3910.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 ...Personal Author:PATRA, Prabir K. ;SAEKI, Tazu...2016 | Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, 94(1), 91-113.Description:Methane (CH4) plays important roles in atmospheric chemistry and short-term forcing of climate. A clear understanding of atmospheric CH4's budget of e...2016 | Biogeosciences, 13(4), 1329-1339.Description:Existing estimates of methane (CH4) fluxes from North American wetlands vary widely in both magnitude and distribution. In light of these differences,...Personal Author:Feingold, Graham ;McComiskey, Allison...2016 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(21), 5812-5819.Description:The topic of cloud radiative forcing associated with the atmospheric aerosol has been the focus of intense scrutiny for decades. The enormity of the p...Personal Author:Van Dam, Brie ;Helmig, Detlev...2016 | Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 121(13), 8055-8066.Description:Atmospheric turbulence quantities, boundary layer ozone (O-3) levels, and O-3 deposition to the tundra surface were investigated at Toolik Lake, AK, d...2016 | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16(9), 5665-5683.Description:National annual total CO2 emissions from combustion of fossil fuels are likely known to within 5-10aEuro-% for most developed countries. However, unce...Investigating Alaskan methane and carbon dioxide fluxes using measurements from the CARVE towerCite2016 | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16(8), 5383-5398.Description:Northern high-latitude carbon sources and sinks, including those resulting from degrading permafrost, are thought to be sensitive to the rapidly warmi...Personal Author:Sweeney, Colm ;Dlugokencky, Edward...2016 | Geophysical Research Letters, 43(12), 6604-6611.Description:Continuous measurements of atmospheric methane (CH4) mole fractions measured by NOAA's Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network in Barrow, AK (BRW), sh...Personal Author:Alden, Caroline B. ;Miller, John B....2016 | Global Change Biology, 22(10), 3427-3443.Description:Understanding tropical rainforest carbon exchange and its response to heat and drought is critical for quantifying the effects of climate change on tr...Personal Author:Song, Hajoon ;Marshall, John...2016 | Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 121(9), 6635-6649.Description:We investigate the role of mesoscale eddies in modulating air-sea CO2 flux and associated biogeochemical fields in Drake Passage using in situ observa...2016 | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(11), 5293-5314.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 expl...2017 | Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 122(2), 1203-1223.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...2016 | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(7), 3355-3389.Description:Profiles of CFC-11 (CCl3F) and CFC-12 (CCl2F2) of the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) aboard the European satellite ...Personal Author:Vollmer, Martin K. ;Mühle, Jens...2016 | Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 121(7), 3663-3686.Description:We report ground-based atmospheric measurements and emission estimates for the halons H-1211 (CBrClF2), H-1301 (CBrF3), and H-2402 (CBrF2CBrF2) from t...Controlled weather balloon ascents and descents for atmospheric research and climate monitoringCite2016 | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(3), 929-938.Description:In situ upper-air measurements are often made with instruments attached to weather balloons launched at the surface and lifted into the stratosphere. ...
More +
You May Also Like
2016 | 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 d...
2018 | Geophysical Research Letters, 46, 472– 482
Description:
We provide new estimates of the air-sea flux of CCl4 using simulations from a global ocean biogeochemistry model (NEMO-PlankTOM) in combination with d...
Checkout today's featured content at repository.library.noaa.gov