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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 Laboratory (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, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 43; ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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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

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