Three‐dimensional simulations of atmospheric methyl chloroform: Effect of an ocean sink

A global three‐dimensional chemical tracer model of the distribution and seasonal cycles of the surface concentration of CH 3 CCl 3 is compared with surface observations from the Atmospheric Lifetime Experiment (ALE) for the years 1980–1985. Two‐dimensional OH distributions calculated by a photochemical model are empirically adjusted from observed trends in the global average and the interhemispheric ratio of methyl chloroform. The effects of the recently discovered ocean sink for methyl chloroform were investigated. The model simulates the 5‐year record of observations made at the five ALE sampling sites to generally within ±5% of the observed mean. The calculated average global lifetime of methyl chloroform is 5.7 ± 0.3 years. The estimated global mean OH concentration is 6.5 ± 0.4 × 10 5 cm −3 . However, the inclusion of the ocean sink does not significantly improve the simulation of the observed interhemispheric gradient of methyl chloroform. Atmospheric transport dominates the simulated CH 3 CCl 3 seasonal cycle throughout the northern hemisphere but is less important in the southern hemisphere.