Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2017

DOI

10.1002/2017gl075122

Publication Title

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume

44

Issue

20

Pages

10735-10743

Abstract

The distributions of the four most abundant isotopologues and isotopomers (N2O, 15NNO, N15NO, and NN18O of nitrous oxide have been measured in the Earth's stratosphere by infrared remote sensing with the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) Fourier transform spectrometer. These satellite observations have provided a near-global picture of N2O isotopic fractionation. The relative abundances of the heavier species increase with altitude and with latitude in the stratosphere as the air becomes older. The heavy isotopologues are enriched by 20-30% in the upper stratosphere and even more over the poles. These observations are in general agreement with model predictions made with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM). A detailed 3-D chemical transport model is needed to account for the global isotopic distributions of N2O and to infer sources and sinks.

Original Publication Citation

Bernath, P. F., Yousefi, M., Buzan, E., & Boone, C. D. (2017). A near-global atmospheric distribution of N2O isotopologues. Geophysical Research Letters, 44(20), 10735-10743. doi:10.1002/2017gl075122

ORCID

0000-0002-1255-396X (Bernath), 0000-0003-1905-6808 (Buzan)

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