Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2013

DOI

10.5194/acp-13-7405-2013

Publication Title

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

Volume

13

Issue

15

Pages

7405-7413

Abstract

This work reports the first infrared satellite remote-sensing measurements of acetonitrile (CH3CN) in the Earth's atmosphere using solar occultation measurements made by the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometer (ACE-FTS) between 2004 and 2011. The retrieval scheme uses new quantitative laboratory spectroscopic measurements of acetonitrile (Harrison and Bernath, 2012). Although individual ACE-FTS profile measurements are dominated by measurement noise, median profiles in 10 degrees latitude bins show a steady decline in volume mixing ratio from similar to 150 ppt (parts per trillion) at 11.5 km to < 40 ppt at 25.5-29.5 km. These new measurements agree well with the scant available air-and balloon-borne data in the lower stratosphere. An acetonitrile stratospheric lifetime of 73 ± 20 yr has been determined.

Original Publication Citation

Harrison, J. J., & Bernath, P. F. (2013). ACE-FTS observations of acetonitrile in the lower stratosphere. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 13(15), 7405-7413. doi: 10.5194/acp-13-7405-2013

ORCID

0000-0002-1255-396X (Bernath)

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