Isotopic fractionation of stratospheric nitrous oxide
- Creators
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Yung, Yuk L.
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Miller, Charles E.
Abstract
We propose an isotopic fractionation mechanism, based on photolytic destruction, to explain the ^(15)N/^(14)N and ^(18)O/^(16)O fractionation of stratospheric nitrous oxide (N_2O) and reconcile laboratory experiments with atmospheric observations. The theory predicts that (i) the isotopomers ^(15)N^(14)N^(16)O and ^(14)N^(15)N^(16)O have very different isotopic fractionations in the stratosphere, and (ii) laboratory photolysis experiments conducted at 205 nanometers should better simulate the observed isotopic fractionation of stratospheric N_2O. Modeling results indicate that there is no compelling reason to invoke a significant chemical source of N_2O in the middle atmosphere and that individual N_2O isotopomers might be useful tracers of stratospheric air parcel motion.
Additional Information
© 1997 American Association for the Advancement of Science Received 11 August 1997; accepted 9 October 1997. We thank K. Boering, H. Craig, W. DeMore, R. Friedl, Y. Jiang, J. Kaye, T. Rahn, S. Sander, M. Thiemens, and M. Wahlen for valuable discussions and inputs. C.E.M. thanks the National Research Council for a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Research Associateship. This research was supported in part by NASA grant NAG1-1806 to the California Institute of Technology.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 47425
- DOI
- 10.1126/science.278.5344.1778
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20140723-110519108
- National Research Council
- NAG1-1806
- NASA
- Created
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2014-07-23Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-10Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences