TRENDS IN ATMOSPHERIC HCL, HFC−134A AND CHF3 FROM THE ACE SATELLITE MISSION

Fernando, Anton Madushanka

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/100481 Copy

Description

Title

TRENDS IN ATMOSPHERIC HCL, HFC−134A AND CHF3 FROM THE ACE SATELLITE MISSION

Author(s)

Fernando, Anton Madushanka

Contributor(s)

• Boone, Chris
• Bernath, Peter F.

Issue Date

06/19/18

Keyword(s)

Atmospheric science

Abstract

The Montreal Protocol has banned the production of major ozone depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to protect the Earth’s ozone layer. These chlorinated compounds eventually form a large reservoir of \chem{HCl} in the upper atmosphere. Therefore, the success of the Montreal Protocol can be determined by measuring the stratospheric \chem{HCl} abundance. The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) measures infrared solar occultation spectra of the Earth’s atmosphere from which altitude profiles of \chem{HCl} volume mixing ratios (VMRs) are determined. The stratospheric \chem{HCl} VMR time series has a linear trend of -4.9$\pm{0.4} $\% per decade for 2004-2017, highlighting the continuing success of the Montreal Protocol. The emission of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) has increased in order to replace the CFCs since they are not restricted by the Montreal Protocol. As a result, the atmospheric abundance of HFCs are rapidly increasing. Even though these HFCs do not contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer, they are powerful greenhouse gases with large global warming potentials. In 2016, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol was introduced in order to phaseout long-lived HFCs. The VMRs of the two most abundant HFCs in the atmosphere, \chem{HFC-134a} and \chem{CHF_3}, are also measured by the ACE-FTS. These measurements will be useful for monitoring the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The ACE observations and trends for atmospheric \chem{HCl}, \chem{HFC-134a} and \chem{CHF_3} will be presented.

Publisher

International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy

Type of Resource

text

Language

English

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/100481

DOI

10.15278/isms.2018.TF04

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