LABORATORY STUDIES ON THE STRATOSPHERIC NOX PRODUCTION-RATE

The chemistry of the production of NO in the stratosphere was examined in a two part study. First, the absolute quantum yield for the production of NO(2Π)+N(4S) from N2O photolysis at 193 nm was measured to be less than 8 × 10-3. Second, in a new type of experiment, the yields of NO from the photolysis of N2O at 193 nm in N2O/O2/N2 and the photolysis of O3 at 248 nm in O3/N2O/O2/N2 mixtures was measured. The measured yields showed excellent agreement with NO yields predicted from a model using previously measured rate parameters. The results of this "integrated' experiment reduced the most probable uncertainty in the yield of NO from near 80% (calculated from the uncertainties in each individual step) to less than 30%. -Authors