The Production of Nitric Oxide in the Stratosphere by Oxidations of Nitrous Oxide

摘要

The reaction of the electronically excited oxygen atom O(1D) with nitrous oxide, suggested as a natural source of nitric oxide in the stratosphere, may lead to a production of the order of (1 + or - 0.5) X 10 to the 8th power NO molecules/sq cm sec. The predictability of a reliable estimate of the NO production in the stratosphere depends on the exact determination of the variable flux from the troposphere of N2O molecules (of the order of (1 + or - 0.5) X 10 to the 9th power molecules/sq cm sec). In situ sources of stratospheric N2O seem to be negligible and the introduction of nitrogen oxides by upward transport from the troposphere and of nitric oxide by downward transport from the mesosphere requires adequate conditions at the tropopause and stratopause. An assumed operation of 500 SST aircraft in the stratosphere would lead to an artificial emission of nitric oxide molecules of the same order of magnitude as the natural production from nitrous oxide. (Author)