Brominated organic species in the Arctic atmosphere

Journal Article · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984 · Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL011i005p00429· OSTI ID:6225143

Berg, W W; Heidt, L E; Pollock, W; Sperry, P D; Cicerone, R J; Gladney, E S

Measurements are reported of four gas-phase, brominated organic species found in the Arctic atmosphere during March and April 1983. Volume mixing ratios for CH/sub 3/Br, CH/sub 2/BrCH/sub 2/Br, CHBr/sub 3/, and CH/sub 2/Br/sub 2/ were determined by GC/MS analysis from samples taken Arctic wide, including at the geographic North Pole and during a tropopause folding event over Baffin Bay near Thule, Greenland. Methyl bromide mixing ratios were reasonably constant at 11 +- 4 pptv while the other three brominated organics showed a high degree of variability. Bromoform (2 to 46 pptv) was found to be the dominant contributor to gaseous organic bromine to the Arctic troposphere at 38 +- 10% followed by CH/sub 2/Br/sub 2/ (3 to 60 pptv) at 29 +- 6%. Both CH/sub 3/Br and CH/sub 2/BrCH/sub 2/Br (1 to 37 pptv) reservoirs contained less than 20% of the organically bound bromine. Stratospheric samples, taken during a tropopause folding event, showed mixing ratios for all four species at levels high enough to support a stratospheric total volume mixing ratio of 249 pptv Br (888 ngBr/SCM).

• Research Organization: National Center for Atmosphere Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, Colorado 80307
• OSTI ID: 6225143
• Journal Information: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 11:5; ISSN GPRLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ARCTIC REGIONS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CHEMISTRY
CONCENTRATION RATIO
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ORGANIC BROMINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
POLAR REGIONS
TROPOPAUSE
TROPOSPHERE