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Signature of stratospheric air at the Tibetan Plateau
Author(s) -
Liang MaoChang,
Tang J.,
Chan ChuenYu,
Zheng X. D.,
Yung Yuk L.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2008gl035246
Subject(s) - stratosphere , downwelling , troposphere , atmospheric sciences , isotopologue , environmental science , flux (metallurgy) , northern hemisphere , carbon cycle , tracer , climatology , plateau (mathematics) , chemistry , geology , physics , upwelling , oceanography , molecule , ecology , organic chemistry , ecosystem , nuclear physics , biology , mathematical analysis , mathematics
Current estimates of gross carbon flux tend to ignore the downwelling flux of CO 2 from the stratosphere. Observations showed that there is a phase shift between the time series for the concentration of the standard isotopologue C 16 O 16 O and C 16 O 18 O at Waliguan, China (36°17′N, 100°54′E, 3816 m) and several other places. Previous attempts to explain the shift have not been satisfactory. Here we show that the phase shift could be explained by the downwelling air from the stratosphere, and demonstrate that this source of CO 2 provides a useful tool for constraining the carbon cycle. Using O 3 as a proxy of stratosphere‐troposphere exchange, we find excellent correlation between O 3 and C 16 O 18 O observed at the Waliguan Observatory. The observed variability of C 16 O 18 O is consistent with model predictions, thus supporting that the surface air has significant contributions from the stratosphere. Quantitative modeling may provide a powerful tool for constraining the sources and sinks of CO 2 using the isotopically enriched CO 2 from the stratosphere as a tracer.