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The origin of atmospheric nitrous oxide
Author(s) -
Goody R. M.,
Walshaw C. D.
Publication year - 1953
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49707934205
Subject(s) - nitrous oxide , atmosphere (unit) , nitrogen , mixing ratio , mixing (physics) , decomposition , homogeneous , oxide , environmental science , atmospheric chemistry , atmospheric sciences , environmental chemistry , chemistry , thermodynamics , geology , physics , ozone , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
New observational data are discussed which indicate that: (a) Nitrous oxide is uniformly mixed with the atmosphere up to 10 km and perhaps to 40 km, and that the volume mixing ratio is 3.5 × 10 −7. (b) Bacterial reactions in the soil can supply nitrous oxide to the atmosphere at a rate sufficient to compensate photo‐chemical decomposition. (c) The formation of nitrous oxide by homogeneous chemical reactions is probably of less importance. (d) The average magnitude of the nitrogen cycle between earth and atmosphere is probably not less than 10 11 molecules cm −7 sec −1. .