Small Interannual Variability of Global Atmospheric Hydroxyl
Abstract
The oxidizing capacity of the global atmosphere is largely determined by hydroxyl (OH) radicals and is diagnosed by analyzing methyl chloroform (CH3CCl3) measurements. Previously, large year-to-year changes in global mean OH concentrations have been inferred from such measurements, suggesting that the atmospheric oxidizing capacity is sensitive to perturbations by widespread air pollution and natural influences. We show how the interannual variability in OH has been more precisely estimated from CH3CCl3 measurements since 1998, when atmospheric gradients of CH3CCl3 had diminished as a result of the Montreal Protocol. We infer a small interannual OH variability as a result, indicating that global OH is generally well buffered against perturbations. This small variability is consistent with measurements of methane and other trace gases oxidized primarily by OH, as well as global photochemical model calculations.
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Published In
Science
Volume 331 | Issue 6013
7 January 2011
7 January 2011
Copyright
Copyright © 2011, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Submission history
Received: 10 September 2010
Accepted: 22 November 2010
Published in print: 7 January 2011
Acknowledgments
We thank C. Siso, B. Miller, L. Miller, D. Mondeel, L. Bruhwiler, P. Novelli, B. Weatherhead, J. W. Elkins, J. H. Butler, station personnel involved with sampling flasks, C. M. Spivakovsky, R. G. Prinn, and other AGAGE scientists, P. Bergamaschi, and J.-F. Meirink. Supported in part by the Atmospheric Composition and Climate Program of NOAA’s Climate Program Office and by the Stichting Nationale Computerfaciliteiten (National Computing Facilities Foundation).
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