Global emissions and abundances of chemically and radiatively important trace gases from the AGAGE network
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Measurements from the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) combined with a global 12-box model of the atmosphere have long been used to estimate global emissions and surface mean mole fraction trends of atmospheric trace gases. Here, we present annually updated estimates of these global emissions and mole fraction trends for 42 compounds through 2023 measured by the AGAGE network, including chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, nitrogen trifluoride, methane, nitrous oxide, and selected other compounds. The data sets are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15372480 (Western et al., 2025). We describe the methodology to derive global mole fraction and emissions trends, which includes the calculation of semihemispheric monthly mean mole fractions, the mechanics of the 12-box model and the inverse method that is used to estimate emissions from the observations and model. Finally, we present examples of the emissions and mole fraction data sets for the 42 compounds.
Source: Earth system science data
Authors: Luke M. Western, Matthew Rigby, Jens Mühle, Paul B. Krummel, Chris R. Lunder, Simon O'Doherty, Stefan Reimann, Martin K. Vollmer, Dickon Young, Ben Adam, Paul J. Fraser, Anita L. Ganesan, Christina M. Harth, Ove Hermansen, Jooil Kim, Ray L. Langenfelds, Zoë M. Loh, Blagoj Mitrevski, Joseph R. Pitt, Peter K. Salameh, Roland Schmidt, Kieran Stanley, Ann R. Stavert, Hsiang-Jui Wang, Ray F. Weiss, Ronald G. Prinn
Institutions: University of Bristol, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, CSIRO Environment, NILU, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,509
Funders: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Australian Government, European Commission, University of Bristol, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Bundesbehörden der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft, Miljødirektoratet, Bureau of Meteorology, Australian Government, European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bundesamt für Umwelt
Awards: G1438989640, G1558850049, ADVANCED GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC GASES EXPERIMENT (AGAGE) COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT: MIT COMPONENT, THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS FIVE YEARS OF CONTINUING FUNDING FOR THE MULTINATIONAL, GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT PROGRAM ENTITLED ADVANCED GLOBAL ATMOSPHER, G3383445644, G3445500051, G3690309794, G3895206673, G4022919698, ADVANCED GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC GASES EXPERIMENT (AGAGE) COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT: SIO FIELD OPERA, THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS FIVE YEARS OF CONTINUING FUNDING FOR THE MULTINATIONAL GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT PROGRAM ENTITLED ADVANCED GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC GASES EXPERIMENT (AGAGE). THE CASE FOR REAL-TIME HIGH-FREQUENCY MEASUREMENT NETWORKS IS VERY STRONG AND THE OBSERVATIONS AND THEIR INTERPRETATION ARE RECOGNIZED WIDELY FOR THEIR IMPORTANCE TO OZONE DEPLETION AND CLIMATE CHANGE STUDIES AND TO VERIFICATION ISSUES ARISING FROM THE MONTREAL (OZONE) AND KYOTO AND SUCCESSOR (CLIMATE) PROTOCOLS.AGAGE IS DISTINGUISHED BY ITS CAPABILITY TO MEASURE GLOBALLY AT HIGH FREQUENCY ALL THE IMPORTANT SPECIES IN THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL AND ALL THE IMPORTANT NON-CO2 GASES IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL. THE SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES OF AGAGE ARE IMPORTANT IN FURTHERING UNDERSTANDING OF GLOBAL CHEMICAL AND CLIMATIC PHENOMENA. THEY ARE:1) DETERMINE OPTIMALLY FROM OBSERVATIONS THE GLOBAL RATES OF EMISSION AND/OR DESTRUCTION (I.E. LIFETIME) OF ANTHROPOGENIC CHLOROCARBONS CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS (CFCS) BROMOCARBONS HYDROCHLOROFLUOROCARBONS (HCFCS) HYDROFLUOROCARBONS (HFCS) AND PERFLUORINATED COMPOUNDS (PFCS NF3 AND SF6) THAT CONTRIBUTE MOST OF THE REACTIVE HALOGEN TO THE STRATOSPHERE AND/OR ARE STRONG INFRARED ABSORBERS.(2) DOCUMENT ACCURATELY THE GLOBAL DISTRIBUTIONS AND TEMPORAL BEHAVIORS OF BIOGENIC/ANTHROPOGENIC GASES IMPORTANT IN CLIMATE CHANGE AND/OR OZONE DEPLETION: METHANE NITROUS OXIDE CARBON MONOXIDE HYDROGEN METHYL CHLORIDE AND METHYL BROMIDE.(3) IDENTIFY GREENHOUSE AND OZONE-DEPLETING GASES (E.G. SO2F2 NF3 C4F10 C5F12 C6F14 C7F16 AND C8F18 HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED) INITIATE REAL-TIME MONITORING OF THESE GASES AND RECONSTRUCT THEIR PAST HISTORIES FROM AGAGE AND AIR-ARCHIVE MEASUREMENTS.(4) DETERMINE OPTIMALLY THE AVERAGE CONCENTRATIONS AND TRENDS OF TROPOSPHERIC HYDROXYL RADICALS FROM THE RATES OF DESTRUCTION OF ATMOSPHERIC METHYL CHLOROFORM HFCS AND HCFCS AND ESTIMATES OF THEIR EMISSIONS.(5) DETERMINE OPTIMALLY FROM ATMOSPHERIC OBSERVATIONS AND ESTIMATES OF THEIR DESTRUCTION RATES THE MAGNITUDES AND DISTRIBUTIONS BY REGION OF SURFACE SOURCES/SINKS OF THESE GASES.(6) PROVIDE ACCURATE DATA ON THE GLOBAL ACCUMULATION OF THESE TRACE GASES WHICH ARE USED TO TEST THE SYNOPTIC/REGIONAL/GLOBAL-SCALE CIRCULATIONS PREDICTED BY THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELS.(7) PROVIDE GLOBAL AND REGIONAL MEASUREMENTS OF METHANE CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN AND ESTIMATES OF HYDROXYL LEVELS TO TEST PRIMARY ATMOSPHERIC OXIDATION PATHWAYS AT MID-LATITUDES AND THE TROPICS., G7572722711, G7686751874, G7711067513, G796376008, ADVANCED GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC GASES EXPERIMENT (AGAGE): SIO LABORATORY OPERATIONS, THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS FIVE YEARS OF CONTINUING FUNDING FOR THE MIT COMPONENT OF THE MULTINATIONAL, GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT PROGRAM ENTITLED ADVA
OpenAlex ID: W4416735693