Chemistry of the Stratosphere and Troposphere

Introduction

The national research effort in pursuit of an understanding of secular trends in the Earth system and the mechanisms that control those changes centers on four key areas (see Our Changing Planet: An Investment in Science for the Nation’s Future):

• Seasonal to Interannual Climate Variability
• Climate Change Over Decades to Centuries
• Changes in Ozone, UV Radiation, and Atmospheric Chemistry
• Changes in Land Cover and in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

This component of our research is directed primarily at the third national objective — an understanding of the processes that control the production and destruction rate of ozone in Earth’s atmosphere and of production and removal of photochemical oxidants in general from the atmosphere. As such, the research is focused on mechanisms, on photochemical processes, on free radicals, on observational strategies, on interpretive calculations/models, and on airborne missions. Each component is treated as an integral part of the research.

 

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