Chloromethanes in the North American troposphere and lower stratosphere over the past two decades

Smith, K., Atlas, E., Apel, E. C., Blake, D. R., Dutton, G., et al. (2024). Chloromethanes in the North American troposphere and lower stratosphere over the past two decades. Geophysical Research Letters, doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108710

Title Chloromethanes in the North American troposphere and lower stratosphere over the past two decades
Genre Article
Author(s) K. Smith, E. Atlas, Eric C. Apel, D. R. Blake, G. Dutton, Rebecca Hornbrook, S. Montzka, J. Mühle, Sue Schauffler, V. Treadaway
Abstract Aircraft observations of the four chloromethanes: carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), methyl chloride (CH3Cl), dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), and chloroform (CHCl3), collected over North America between 2000 and 2022, were used to evaluate their vertical distributions and temporal trends in the atmosphere. We examine the vertical profiles, from the surface to the lower stratosphere (LS), of these increasingly important contributors to ozone-depleting chlorine in both altitude and potential temperature space. Airborne chloromethane trends were compared with those measured at long-term, ground-based monitoring stations. Below 20 km altitude, CCl4 trends were decreasing at all levels studied in the North American atmosphere (-1.1 ppt yr(-1)). CHCl3 and CH2Cl2 airborne observations were comparable to ground network measurements: CHCl3 increased between 2000 and 2018 and then decreased leading to a negligible trend over the 22 years studied and CH2Cl2 has been increasing at all levels in the troposphere (+2.41 ppt yr(-1), 2000-2022,
Publication Title Geophysical Research Letters
Publication Date Aug 16, 2024
Publisher's Version of Record https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108710
OpenSky Citable URL https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7th8rx0
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ACOM Affiliations ESS

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