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The Montreal Protocol for Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, halons, chlorinated solvents, methyl bromide) not only reduced the halogen atom burden of the atmosphere that depletes stratospheric ozone, but had the added advantage of decreasing our current greenhouse forcing by a CO2 equivalent of 8 Gt CO2-eq per year (2 Gt C-eq per year). This is a significant amount of reduction since the Kyoto Protocol has set a target of only 2 Gt CO2- eq per year during the first commitment period. It may prove easier to further reduce other non-CO2 greenhouse emissions (SF6, N2O, CH4, perfluorocarbons or PFCs, hydro-CFCS or HFCs) than to reduce carbon dioxide emissions because of fossil fuel's important usage in energy and in the worldwide economy. NOAA is planning to develop, operate, and maintain new gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer and electron capture detection systems that will measure a whole spectrum of new greenhouse, ozone depleting, and air quality gases worldwide and in the continental US to monitor their distributions, emissions, and trends. The work will involve a multi-discipline approach including new techniques of separation and detection, aircraft, biological, chemical, and physical field studies, modeling, and preparation of accurate calibration gases.
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NOAA ESRL Contact
James Elkins
James.W.Elkins@noaa.gov CIRES Contact
Geoff Dutton
Geoff.Dutton@noaa.gov |
