An improved estimate of the oceanic lifetime of atmospheric CH3Br Academic Article

abstract

• Previous estimates of the partial atmospheric lifetime of CH3Br with respect to degradation in the ocean have not fully accounted for covariation of seasurface and boundary layer properties. Here we substantially reduce uncertainty in this calculation by using a coupled, oceanatmosphere box model and a tightly gridded data set of oceanic and atmospheric properties. The best estimate of the partial atmospheric lifetime of CH3Br with respect to the ocean is 2.7 y with a possible range, due mainly to the choice of computational procedures for critical terms, of 2.4 to 6.5 y. This range is about onethird of that estimated previously. The total atmospheric lifetime, based upon oceanic, atmospheric, and proposed soil losses with all of their uncertainties, is 0.8 (0.6 to 1.4) y. Only 28% of this total uncertainty is attributable to the uncertainty in oceanic loss.

authors

• Yvon-Lewis, Shari

published proceedings

• GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS

author list (cited authors)

• Yvon, S. A., & Butler, J. H.

citation count

• 66

complete list of authors

• Yvon, SA||Butler, JH

publication date

• January 1996

publisher

• American Geophysical Union (AGU)  Publisher

keywords

• 37 Earth Sciences
• 3708 Oceanography

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1029/95GL03022

start page

• 53

end page

• 56

volume

• 23

issue

• 1

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/95gl03022