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The temporal trend of stratospheric carbonyl sulfide

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Abstract

Using a database of spectra collected with an airborne infrared spectrometer between 1978 and 2005, the longest record of this type, we have searched for a temporal trend in the stratospheric OCS amount. The total column above 200 hPa, in latitudes from 30° to 60°N, shows a change of about 0.77 ± 0.80% per year relative to the 2010 value which is 1.34 × 1015 molecules cm−2; thus not a significant change. Observations are made from the base of the stratosphere and are uniquely suited to determining the stratospheric OCS abundance.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the support of the research aircraft facilities that provided the aircraft and flight operations to obtain the airborne data, particularly the NCAR Research Aviation Facility and the NASA Ames Medium Altitude Branch. This work was supported in part by the NASA Upper Atmosphere Research program and in part by the National Science Foundation. The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. We thank the reviewers for their very helpful and constructive comments.

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  1. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, 80307, USA

    M. T. Coffey & James W. Hannigan

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  1. M. T. Coffey
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Correspondence to M. T. Coffey.

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Coffey, M.T., Hannigan, J.W. The temporal trend of stratospheric carbonyl sulfide. J Atmos Chem 67, 61–70 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-011-9203-4

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