Premium
Interlaboratory calibration of atmospheric nitrous oxide measurements
Author(s) -
Rasmussen R. A.,
Pierotti David
Publication year - 1978
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/gl005i005p00353
Subject(s) - nitrous oxide , troposphere , atmosphere (unit) , environmental science , northern hemisphere , atmospheric sciences , southern hemisphere , calibration , mean value , atmospheric chemistry , meteorology , climatology , chemistry , physics , geology , ozone , mathematics , statistics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
We conducted an intercalibration program among eleven laboratories making measurements of N 2 O in the atmosphere in December 1976. The laboratories responding to the intercalibration effort included five in the United States, one in Canada, two in Great Britain, and two in West Germany. The laboratories were in good agreement on the atmospheric concentration of nitrous oxide, with one exception. Excluding the one result which showed an anomalously low value, the other ten laboratories show a mean concentration of 323.5 ± 8.7 ppb v/v N 2 O for the Northern Hemisphere tropospheric background level for mid‐1976. These results are in agreement with most recent atmospheric measurements of N 2 O, although some groups have reported values approximately 10% lower. However, the preponderance of recent evidence suggests very strongly that the absolute concentration of nitrous oxide in the troposphere is between 315 and 330 ppb v/v.