The Chemical Sensitivity of Stratospheric Ozone to N₂O and CH₄ through the 21st century

Type of content
Theses / Dissertations
Publisher's DOI/URI
Thesis discipline
Chemistry
Degree name
Doctor of Philosophy
Publisher
University of Canterbury. Chemistry
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
Date
2012
Authors
Revell, Laura Eleanor
Abstract

Through the 21st century, global-mean stratospheric ozone abundances are projected to increase due to decreasing chlorine and bromine concentrations (as a consequence of the Montreal Protocol for Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer), and continued CO₂-induced cooling of the stratosphere. Along with CO₂, anthropogenic emissions of the greenhouse gases N₂O and CH₄ are projected to increase, thus increasing their atmospheric concentrations. Consequently, reactive nitrogen species produced from N₂O and reactive hydrogen species produced from CH₄ are expected to play an increasingly important role in determining stratospheric ozone concentrations. Chemistry-climate model simulations were performed using the NIWA-SOCOL (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research - SOlar Climate Ozone Links) model, which tracks the contributions to ozone loss from a prescribed set of catalytic cycles, including the ozone-depleting nitrogen and hydrogen cycles, over latitude, longitude, pressure and time. The results provide a comprehensive picture of how stratospheric ozone may evolve through the 21st century under a range of greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, and quantitatively extend concepts that had previously been understood only qualitatively.

Description
Citation
Keywords
ozone, stratosphere, nitrous oxide, methane, chemistry-climate model
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
Rights
Copyright Laura Eleanor Revell