The oceanic cycle and global atmospheric budget of carbonyl sulfide

Technical Report · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/527495· OSTI ID:527495

Weiss, P S

A significant portion of stratospheric air chemistry is influenced by the existence of carbonyl sulfide (COS). This ubiquitous sulfur gas represents a major source of sulfur to the stratosphere where it is converted to sulfuric acid aerosol particles. Stratospheric aerosols are climatically important because they scatter incoming solar radiation back to space and are able to increase the catalytic destruction of ozone through gas phase reactions on particle surfaces. COS is primarily formed at the surface of the earth, in both marine and terrestrial environments, and is strongly linked to natural biological processes. However, many gaps in the understanding of the global COS cycle still exist, which has led to a global atmospheric budget that is out of balance by a factor of two or more, and a lack of understanding of how human activity has affected the cycling of this gas. The goal of this study was to focus on COS in the marine environment by investigating production/destruction mechanisms and recalculating the ocean-atmosphere flux.

• Research Organization: Washington Univ., Seattle, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76OR00033
• OSTI ID: 527495
• Report Number(s): DOE/OR/00033--T707; ON: DE97053340
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR-WATER INTERACTIONS
CARBON CYCLE
CARBON OXYSULFIDE
COMPILED DATA
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GLOBAL ASPECTS
SEAS