Use of satellite data to constrain the model-calculated atmospheric lifetime for N2O - Implications for other trace gases

Model calculations of the zonal-mean concentrations of N2O in the upper stratosphere are presented showing that about 80 percent of N2O is removed in the stratosphere between 30 deg N and 30 deg S. A comparison of calculated N2O values with remote data on N2O concentrations obtained from Nimbus 7 SAMS instrument indicated that the two-dimensional model of Ko and Sze (1982) may have underestimated the concentration of N2O in the tropical lower stratosphere. It is concluded that the calculated lifetimes for N2O and chlorofluorocarbon-source gases could be 30 percent shorter than previously reported values.