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Hossaini, R, Chipperfield, MP orcid.org/0000-0002-6803-4149, Montzka, SA et al. (3 more authors) (2015) Efficiency of short-lived halogens at influencing climate through depletion of stratospheric ozone. Nature Geoscience, 8 (3). pp. 186-190. ISSN 1752-0894
Abstract
Halogens released from long-lived anthropogenic substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons, are the principal cause of recent depletion of stratospheric ozone, a greenhouse gas. Recent observations show that very short-lived substances, with lifetimes generally under six months, are also an important source of stratospheric halogens. Short-lived bromine substances are produced naturally by seaweed and phytoplankton, whereas short-lived chlorine substances are primarily anthropogenic. Here we used a chemical transport model to quantify the depletion of ozone in the lower stratosphere from short-lived halogen substances, and a radiative transfer model to quantify the radiative effects of that ozone depletion. According to our simulations, ozone loss from short-lived substances had a radiative effect nearly half that from long-lived halocarbons in 2011 and, since pre-industrial times, has contributed a total of about −0.02 W m−2 to global radiative forcing. We find natural short-lived bromine substances exert a 3.6 times larger ozone radiative effect than long-lived halocarbons, normalized by halogen content, and show atmospheric levels of dichloromethane, a short-lived chlorine substance not controlled by the Montreal Protocol, are rapidly increasing. We conclude that potential further significant increases in the atmospheric abundance of short-lived halogen substances, through changing natural processes or continued anthropogenic emissions, could be important for future climate.
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Nature Geoscience. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. | ||||
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Institution: | The University of Leeds | ||||
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Inst for Climate & Atmos Science (ICAS) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > National Centre for Atmos Science (NCAS) (Leeds) |
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Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications | ||||
Date Deposited: | 02 Oct 2015 09:25 | ||||
Last Modified: | 29 Oct 2020 15:32 | ||||
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2363 | ||||
Status: | Published | ||||
Publisher: | Nature Publishing Group | ||||
Refereed: | Yes | ||||
Identification Number: | https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2363 |
Available Versions of this Item
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Efficiency of short-lived halogens at influencing climate through depletion of stratospheric ozone. (deposited 13 Apr 2015 14:04)
- Efficiency of short-lived halogens at influencing climate through depletion of stratospheric ozone. (deposited 02 Oct 2015 09:25) [Currently Displayed]