skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Measurements and modeling of contemporary radiocarbon in the stratosphere

Journal Article · · Geophysical Research Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL066921· OSTI ID:1357349
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [2]
  1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  2. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
  3. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  4. Univ. of Miami, Miami, FL (United States)
  5. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Measurements of the 14C content of carbon dioxide in air collected by high-altitude balloon flights in 2003–2005 reveal the contemporary radiocarbon distribution in the northern midlatitude stratosphere, four decades after the Limited Test Ban Treaty restricted atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. Comparisons with results from a 3-D chemical-transport model show that the 14CO2 distribution is now largely governed by the altitude/latitude dependence of the natural cosmogenic production rate, stratospheric transport, and propagation into the stratosphere of the decreasing radiocarbon trend in tropospheric CO2 due to fossil fuel combustion. From the observed correlation of 14CO2 with N2O mixing ratios, an annual global mean net flux of 14CO2 to the troposphere of 1.6(±0.4) × 1017‰ mol CO2 yr–1 and a global production rate of 2.2(±0.6) × 1026 atoms 14C yr–1 are empirically derived. Furthermore, the results also indicate that contemporary 14CO2 observations provide highly sensitive diagnostics for stratospheric transport and residence times in models.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1357349
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-677786
Journal Information:
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, Issue 3; ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 7 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (60)

Observations and modelling of the global distribution and long-term trend of atmospheric 14 CO 2 journal January 2010
Beryllium 10/beryllium 7 as a tracer of stratospheric transport journal February 1998
Temporal Fluctuations of Atmospheric 14C: Causal Factors and Implications journal May 1978
On the Global Exchange of Mass between the Stratosphere and Troposphere journal February 1990
Production of carbon 14 by cosmic-ray neutrons journal January 1963
Simulations of cosmogenic 14 CO using the three-dimensional atmospheric model MATCH: Effects of 14 C production distribution and the solar cycle journal May 1999
An estimate of the flux of stratospheric reactive nitrogen and ozone into the troposphere journal January 1994
Time dependent worldwide distribution of atmospheric neutrons and of their products: 2. Calculation journal June 1973
Stratospheric ozone in 3-D models: A simple chemistry and the cross-tropopause flux journal June 2000
The preindustrial atmospheric 14 CO 2 latitudinal gradient as related to exchanges among atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial reservoirs journal December 1995
Long-term changes in stratospheric age spectra in the 21st century in the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model (GEOSCCM): LONG-TERM CHANGES IN AGE SPECTRA journal October 2012
Stratospheric N 2 O-NO y system: Testing uncertainties in a three-dimensional framework journal November 2001
Evaluation of excess carbon 14 and strontium 90 data for suitability to test two-dimensional stratospheric models journal January 1989
Technical Note: Review of methods for linear least-squares fitting of data and application to atmospheric chemistry problems journal January 2008
Solar Influences on Climate journal January 2010
Secular variations of the cosmic-ray-produced carbon 14 in the atmosphere and their interpretations journal December 1965
Decreases in stratospheric water vapor after 2001: Links to changes in the tropical tropopause and the Brewer-Dobson circulation journal January 2006
Predicted net efflux of radiocarbon from the ocean and increase in atmospheric radiocarbon content journal October 1998
Radiocarbon – A Unique Tracer of Global Carbon Cycle Dynamics journal January 2000
Early validation analyses of atmospheric profiles from EOS MLS on the aura Satellite journal May 2006
Ablation, Flux, and Atmospheric Implications of Meteors Inferred from Stratospheric Aerosol journal March 2001
Age of stratospheric air unchanged within uncertainties over the past 30 years journal December 2008
Tracer interrelationships in the stratosphere: TRACER INTERRELATIONSHIPS journal December 2007
A Simple Procedure for Evaluating Global Cosmogenic 14 C Production in the Atmosphere Using Neutron Monitor Data journal January 2002
Atmospheric response time of cosmogenic 14 CO to changes in solar activity journal March 2000
Model study of atmospheric transport using carbon 14 and strontium 90 as inert tracers journal January 1994
A comparison of the lower stratospheric age spectra derived from a general circulation model and two data assimilation systems: LOWER STRATOSPHERIC AGE SPECTRA journal February 2003
Measurement of 14 C Concentrations of Stratospheric CO 2 by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry journal January 1992
Triple-isotope composition of atmospheric oxygen as a tracer of biosphere productivity journal August 1999
Mean ages of stratospheric air derived from in situ observations of CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O journal December 2001
Radiocarbon as a diagnostic tracer in ocean and carbon cycle modeling journal September 2000
Secular variations in the production of cosmogenic isotopes in the Earth's atmosphere journal January 1979
Interrelationships between mixing ratios of long-lived stratospheric constituents journal June 1992
Observed temporal evolution of global mean age of stratospheric air for the 2002 to 2010 period journal January 2012
Radiocarbon Concentration in Modern Wood journal September 1955
IMPACT, the LLNL 3-D global atmospheric chemical transport model for the combined troposphere and stratosphere: Model description and analysis of ozone and other trace gases: IMPACT, THE LLNL 3-D GLOBAL MODEL journal February 2004
The 13 C, 14 C, and 18 O isotopic composition of CO, CH 4 , and CO 2 in the higher southern latitudes lower stratosphere journal January 1995
Stratospheric residence time and its relationship to mean age journal March 2000
Absorption of solar radiation by O 2 : Implications for O 3 and lifetimes of N 2 O, CFCl 3 , and CF 2 Cl 2 journal January 1993
Stratospheric Mean Ages and Transport Rates from Observations of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide journal November 1996
A new model of cosmogenic production of radiocarbon 14C in the atmosphere journal July 2012
Seasonal variations in 14C concentrations of stratospheric CO2 measured with accelerator mass spectrometry
  • Nakamura, Toshio; Nakazawa, Takakiyo; Honda, Hideyuki
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 92, Issue 1-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-583x(94)96045-3
journal June 1994
Age of soil Organic Matter and soil Respiration: Radiocarbon Constraints on Belowground c Dynamics journal April 2000
Seasonal variation of mass transport across the tropopause journal June 1996
Revision of the stratospheric bomb 14 CO 2 inventory journal May 2000
Measurements of N 2 O isotopologues in the stratosphere: Influence of transport on the apparent enrichment factors and the isotopologue fluxes to the troposphere journal January 2004
Observations of radiocarbon in CO 2 at seven global sampling sites in the Scripps flask network: Analysis of spatial gradients and seasonal cycles journal January 2012
Observations of radiocarbon in CO 2 at La Jolla, California, USA 1992-2007: Analysis of the long-term trend journal January 2012
Weakened stratospheric quasibiennial oscillation driven by increased tropical mean upwelling journal May 2013
Where do fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions from California go? An analysis based on radiocarbon observations and an atmospheric transport model: FOSSIL FUEL CO journal October 2008
Simulation of particle fluxes and cosmogenic nuclide production in the Earth's atmosphere journal May 1999
On the structural changes in the Brewer-Dobson circulation after 2000 journal January 2011
Stratospheric contribution to the global bomb radiocarbon inventory: Model versus observation journal September 1994
Balloon‐borne low temperature air sampler journal June 1975
Chemistry–Climate Model Simulations of Twenty-First Century Stratospheric Climate and Circulation Changes journal October 2010
Using transport diagnostics to understand chemistry climate model ozone simulations journal January 2011
The influence of dynamics on two-dimensional model results: Simulations of 14 C and stratospheric aircraft NO x injections journal January 1991
A novel approach for independent budgeting of fossil fuel CO 2 over Europe by 14 CO 2 observations : BUDGETING OF FOSSIL FUEL CO journal December 2003
Discussion Reporting of 14 C Data journal January 1977
Seasonal and latitudinal variability of troposphere Δ 14 CO 2 : Post bomb contributions from fossil fuels, oceans, the stratosphere, and the terrestrial biosphere : SEASONAL AND LATITUDINAL VARIABILITY OF TROPOSPHERE Δ journal December 2002

Cited By (3)

Production of cosmogenic isotopes 7 Be, 10 Be, 14 C, 22 Na, and 36 Cl in the atmosphere: Altitudinal profiles of yield functions: COSMOGENIC ISOTOPES IN THE ATMOSPHERE journal July 2016
Radiocarbon Production by Thunderstorms journal November 2017
Sixty years of radiocarbon dioxide measurements at Wellington, New Zealand: 1954–2014 journal January 2017

Similar Records

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES