News
Paper Makes Nature's List of Top Ten Research Highlights of 2009
entered on 5th Jan, 2010 03:50:54 PM MSTA paper authored by A.R. Ravishankara, John Daniel, and Robert Portmann of ESRL's Chemical Sciences Division has made the list of Nature's "top ten" research highlights of 2009.
At year-end, the editors of the journal Nature publish their picks of the top papers published in other journals during the year. The paper by Ravishankara, Daniel, and Portmann garnered the top paper spot in the category of atmospheric science. It was published in Science in October (Nitrous Oxide (N2O): The Dominant Ozone-Depleting Substance Emitted in the 21st Century. Science. 326:123-125, 2009).
The authors calculate the Ozone Depletion Potential of nitrous oxide, a substance long known to play a role in depleting the stratospheric ozone layer but not included in the Montreal Protocol. The ODP gives a measure of the ability of the substance to destroy ozone, relative to chlorofluorocarbon-11. ODPs have long been calculated for chlorine- and bromine-containing substances, but until this paper the concept had not been applied to a non-halogenated substance such as nitrous oxide.
The authors used the ODP to "weight" the emissions of nitrous oxide, and compared the result to the weighted emissions of other ozone-depleting substances. They found that nitrous oxide now tops the list of anthropogenic ozone-depleting emissions, and will remain the frontrunner for the rest of the century.
Background: Based on the seminal work of Paul Crutzen and Harold Johnston, it has been known for nearly 40 years that nitrogen oxides cause ozone reductions and are involved in maintaining natural levels of ozone. Emission of nitrogen oxides from supersonic transport (aircraft) and the ensuing ozone depletion was the very first reason for the concern about anthropogenic impacts on the ozone layer. It has been known for over 30 years that nitrous oxide (N2O) is the primary source of nitrogen oxides in the stratosphere.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is produced by both natural and human-related sources, with about one-third of the sources being human-related. Primary human-related sources of N2O are related to agriculture (agricultural soil management, animal manure management); others include sewage treatment, mobile and stationary combustion of fossil fuel, etc. Nitrous oxide is also produced naturally from a wide variety of biological sources in soil and water, particularly microbial action in wet tropical forests. The preindustrial level of N2O was about 270 parts per billion (ppb), and the current level is roughly 325 ppb. Its concentration in the atmosphere continues to increase.
Significance: This study is the first to suggest that nitrous oxide could be considered to be an ozone-depleting substance in the same way as other gases already regulated under the Montreal Protocol. Considered in this light, the paper shows that anthropogenic N2O emissions were the fourth largest emissions even at the height of the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions in 1987 prior to the Montreal Protocol. It also shows that N2O is now, and is expected to be for the next century, the largest ozone depletion gas emission if the anthropogenic N2O emissions are unabated. The authors note that because N2O is also a greenhouse gas, there would be climate and ozone layer benefits to reductions in N2O emissions- a "win-win" for both ozone and climate.
More information: "Stealth Ozone Destroyer," Nature, Vol 462|24/31 December 2009. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v462/n7276/pdf/462960e.pdf
David Fahey Receives 2009 Daniel L. Albritton Science Communicator Award
entered on 15th Dec, 2009 01:45:19 PM MSTCSD scientist David W. Fahey received the 2009 Daniel L. Albritton Outstanding Science Communicator Award at a ceremony held December 3 in Silver Spring, MD. He received the award for his "...extraordinary work in communicating scientific information about the ozone layer to decision makers, educators, and the public worldwide."
The award specifically recognizes Fahey's leadership of a document known as "Twenty Questions and Answers About the Ozone Layer." The Twenty Questions documents were published in 2002 and 2006 in association with the work of the Scientific Assessment Panel of the United Nations Montreal Protocol, the international agreement that protects the Earth's ozone layer. An update of the document is in preparation for 2010. Fahey has been at the helm throughout this time, which is now nearly a decade of work. He undertook the task with great enthusiasm and creativity. He personally and painstakingly developed the text, figures, and presentation of the Twenty Questions with a mind toward effective communication to diverse audiences. His personal passion for the topic has propelled the truly global reach of the document, which has been translated into all the U.N. languages and communicated by Fahey at levels ranging from the highest international decision making meetings to stakeholders, educators, the general public, and students. He further extended its reach by developing a stunning poster, a step "above and beyond" the call of duty that he personally initiated. This is science communication with impact-- Fahey has given the world a unique scientific communication of impeccable quality.
Background: The OAR Dr. Daniel L. Albritton Outstanding Science Communicator Award recognizes outstanding achievement in communicating the meaning and value of NOAA-related science and research to non-scientific audiences. The award is named in honor of Dr. Daniel Albritton, the first director of NOAA ESRL CSD, who proved to be one of the most effective communicators of NOAA research and related science. His career exemplifies a scientist serving national and international needs and using science for the benefit of mankind.
More information: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/csd/assessments/2006/
ESRL CSD Hosts International Air Quality Forecasting Workshop
entered on 3rd Dec, 2009 02:05:12 PM MSTOn December 2-3, the ESRL Chemical Sciences Division is hosting the International Workshop on Air Quality Forecasting Research. The goal of the workshop is to provide a venue for the discussion of science issues and advancements related to air quality forecasting. Workshop objectives include improving operational air quality forecasts, promoting collaborations among air quality forecasting researchers and practitioners, and nurturing an international air quality forecasting community.
The 2009 workshop is the first of an anticipated annual series of meetings. The NOAA and Environment Canada's Meteorological Service (EC) will sponsor the first two workshops.
The target audience of the workshop includes:
- Those directly involved in developing operational air quality forecast models;
- Those involved in research specifically targeted at supporting operational forecasts;
- Those working to improve predictive capabilities in areas of particular interest to air quality forecasting; and
- Operational users of air quality forecast models.
CSD Deputy Director Jim Meagher and NWS scientist Paula Davidson are on the Organizing Committee for the workshop, and Greg Frost (CIRES and the ESRL/CSD) is the Workshop Coordinator.
Over 100 scientists are attending the workshop, representing a diverse array of organizations including U.S. scientists from NOAA, NASA, DOE, EPA, NPS, NCAR, and academia, as well as international scientists from Canada, France, Germany, Korea, Belgium, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Significance: Air quality forecasting helps to protect the public from the harmful effects of poor air quality, which annually causes tens of thousands of premature deaths and billions of dollars in losses and additional costs. People in 48 states now have NOAA's detailed information updated twice each day on when, where and to what degree poor air quality is predicted, so can take actions to limit harmful effects. Also, state and local air management agencies use NOAA's ozone predictions to inform some 300 communities across the nation with next-day easy-to-use indexed health alerts. Hospital admissions rates are lower for those who have this information (e.g., reducing children's emergency room visits for asthma by roughly 5%).
The workshop contributes to the objectives of the Air Quality Program in NOAA's Weather and Water Goal.
More information: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/csd/events/iwaqfr/
The Thorny Issue of Aerosols and Climate
entered on 7th Oct, 2009 05:22:43 PM MSTA study by CSD scientist Graham Feingold and Max Planck Institute scientist Bjorn Stevens reviewed the work to date on aerosol-cloud-climate interactions, with the aim of shedding light on why the uncertainties remain so large on this topic. They conclude that the complexity of the system means that in some situations, effects of aerosols on clouds and precipitation compensate or cancel each other out (i.e., it is a "buffered system"). Furthermore, these compensating effects vary a lot from place to place on the globe. The study was published on October 1 in the journal Nature.
Significance: The heterogeneity of aerosol-cloud interactions makes it difficult to apply global models and challenging to make sufficiently detailed observations, leading the authors to conclude that current observational approaches and modeling tools used to study the system are not always ideally suited to the task.
Background: Atmospheric particles (aerosols) formed from pollution can cool the climate directly by reflecting sunlight. Soot from biomass burning absorbs sunlight and warms the climate. Aerosols can also affect the formation and properties of clouds, altering their influence on climate. The net effect of all these direct and indirect factors is a cooling by aerosols, which has partially offset the warming by greenhouse gases.
Citation:
Stevens, B., and G. Feingold (2009), Untangling aerosol effects on clouds and precipitation in a buffered system, Nature 461, 607-613, doi:10.1038/nature08281
Solomon to be Inducted into National Women's Hall of Fame
entered on 7th Oct, 2009 10:54:45 AM MSTSusan Solomon, senior scientist in the ESRL Chemical Sciences Division, travels to Seneca Falls, New York, this weekend to be inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Events take place October 10-11 for Susan and nine other women who join the ranks of the institute.
Susan's achievements in research on climate and the ozone layer, along with her leadership of Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, propel her selection for the honor.
Background: The National Women's Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 to honor outstanding women and their contributions to the arts, athletics, business, education, government, humanities, philanthropy and science. It is the oldest national institution dedicated to recognizing and honoring in perpetuity the significant achievements of individual American women. With this year's induction of 10 new members, its ranks now number 236. Located in historic Seneca Falls, the site of the first Women's Rights Convention in 1848, the Hall is a not-for-profit educational institution whose programs include Inductions of distinguished American women, educational activities, and special exhibits and events.
More information: http://www.greatwomen.org/home.php