Long-term tropospheric trend of octafluorocyclobutane (c-C4F8 or PFC-318)
Item
Title (Dublin Core)
Long-term tropospheric trend of octafluorocyclobutane (c-C4F8 or PFC-318)
Description (Dublin Core)
Air samples collected at Cape Grim, Tasmania between 1978 and 2008 and during a series of more recent aircraft sampling programmes have been analysed to determine the atmospheric abundance and trend of octafluorocyclobutane (c-C<sub>4</sub>F<sub>8</sub> or PFC-318). c-C<sub>4</sub>F<sub>8</sub> has an atmospheric lifetime in excess of 3000 yr and a global warming potential (GWP) of 10 300 (100 yr time horizon), making it one of the most potent greenhouse gases detected in the atmosphere to date. The abundance of c-C<sub>4</sub>F<sub>8</sub> in the Southern Hemisphere has risen from 0.35 ppt in 1978 to 1.2 ppt in 2010, and is currently increasing at a rate of around 0.03 ppt yr<sup>−1</sup>. It is the third most abundant perfluorocarbon (PFC) in the present day atmosphere, behind CF<sub>4</sub> (~75 ppt) and C<sub>2</sub>F<sub>6</sub> (~4 ppt). Although a number of potential sources of c-C<sub>4</sub>F<sub>8</sub> have been reported, including the electronics and semi-conductor industries, there remains a large discrepancy in the atmospheric budget. Using a 2-D global model to derive top-down global emissions based on the Cape Grim measurements yields a recent (2007) emission rate of around 1.1 Gg yr<sup>−1</sup> and a cumulative emission up to and including 2007 of 38.1 Gg. Emissions reported on the EDGAR emissions database for the period 1986–2005 represent less than 1% of the top-down emissions for the same period, which suggests there is a large unaccounted for source of this compound. It is also apparent that the magnitude of this source has varied considerably over the past 30 yr, declining sharply in the late 1980s before increasing again in the mid-1990s.
Creator (Dublin Core)
Oram, D. E.
Mani, F. S.
Laube, J. C.
Newland, M. J.
Reeves, C. E.
Sturges, W. T.
Penkett, S. A.
Brenninkmeijer, C. A. M.
Röckmann, T.
Fraser, P. J.
Date (Dublin Core)
2018-01-15
Type (Dublin Core)
info:eu-repo/semantics/Text
Format (Dublin Core)
info:eu-repo/semantics/application/pdf
Identifier (Dublin Core)
10.5194/acp-12-261-2012
https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/12/261/2012/
Source (Dublin Core)
eISSN: 1680-7324
Language (Dublin Core)
eng
Relation (Dublin Core)
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/226365
Rights (Dublin Core)
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
