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Organic material in the global troposphere
Author(s) -
Duce R. A.,
Mohnen V. A.,
Zimmerman P. R.,
Grosjean D.,
Cautreels W.,
Chatfield R.,
Jaenicke R.,
Ogren J. A.,
Pellizzari E. D.,
Wallace G. T.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/rg021i004p00921
Subject(s) - troposphere , biosphere , environmental science , biogeochemical cycle , aerosol , atmospheric chemistry , atmosphere (unit) , earth science , atmospheric sciences , environmental chemistry , chemistry , meteorology , geology , ozone , geography , ecology , biology
Interest in the global tropospheric chemistry of organic materials has been growing rapidly over the past decade. In addition to a basic concern about the fundamental biogeochemical cycles of organic matter, this interest has arisen largely because of concern about the oxidant‐forming potential of natural hydrocarbons, the possible importance of nonmethane hydrocarbons as a source for atmospheric CO, and the role played by organic material in the formation of secondary aerosol particles. In this review we consider the information presently available on concentration distribution, sources, sinks, and atmospheric transformation reactions of organic matter in the global troposphere. The data base for tropospheric organic compounds is very small. However, it is apparent that while anthropogenic sources often dominate the atmospheric chemistry of organic material in urban and near‐urban air, a key to understanding the global cycling of tropospheric organic substances is a clear understanding of the interaction of the atmosphere with the terrestrial and marine biosphere.