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A strong source of methyl chloride to the atmosphere from tropical coastal land

Nature volume 403, pages 295–298 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

Methyl chloride (CH3Cl), the most abundant halocarbon in the atmosphere, has received much attention as a natural source of chlorine atoms in the stratosphere1,2. The annual global flux of CH3Cl has been estimated to be around 3.5 Tg on the grounds that this must balance the loss through reaction with OH radicals (which gives a lifetime for atmospheric CH3Cl of 1.5 yr)3,4,5. The most likely main source of methyl chloride has been thought to be oceanic emission2,6,7,8, with biomass burning the second largest source9. But recent seawater measurements10 indicate that oceanic fluxes cannot account for more than 12% of the estimated global flux of CH3Cl, raising the question of where the remainder comes from. Here we report evidence of significant CH3Cl emission from warm coastal land, particularly from tropical islands. This conclusion is based on a global monitoring study and spot measurements, which show enhancement of atmospheric CH3Cl in the tropics, a close correlation between CH3Cl concentrations and those of biogenic compounds emitted by terrestrial plants, and OH-linked seasonality of CH3Cl concentrations in middle and high latitudes. A strong, equatorially located source of this nature would explain why the distribution of CH3Cl is uniform between the Northern and Southern hemispheres, despite their differences in ocean and land area.

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Figure 1: Sampling locations and cruise track of the 39th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition.
Figure 2: Seasonal change of atmospheric methyl chloride.
Figure 3: Measurements made at Cape Hedo of Okinawa Island.
Figure 4: Latitudinal distribution of methyl chloride.

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Acknowledgements

We thank staff at the Atmospheric Environment Service station for assistance in sample collection at Alert. We are grateful to the National Institute of Polar Research, Japan for the opportunity to participate in the 39th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition. We also thank the staff of the Global Environmental Forum Foundation for their assistance with sample collection at Hateruma and with the Skaugran cruise. In addition, we also thank the staff of the Environmental Management Center (Indonesia) for their assistance in the field study at Jakarta and Bandung. This work was supported in part by the Science and Technology Agency of Japan, by the Global Environment Fund (Environmental Agency of Japan), and by the Atmospheric Environment Service of Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2, Onogawa, Tsukuba, 305-0053, Ibaraki , Japan

    Y. Yokouchi, Y. Noijiri, T. Machida, Y. Inuzuka, H.-J. Li & Y. Fujinuma

  2. Atmospheric Environment Service, 4095, Dufferin St., Toronto, M3H 5T4, Ontario, Canada

    L. A. Barrie & D. Toom-Sauntry

  3. Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1, Komaba, Meguro-ku , Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan

    H. Akimoto & H.-J. Li

  4. Center for Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies, Tohoku University, Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-0845, Japan

    S. Aoki

Authors
  1. Y. Yokouchi
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  2. Y. Noijiri
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  3. L. A. Barrie
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  4. D. Toom-Sauntry
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  5. T. Machida
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  6. Y. Inuzuka
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  7. H. Akimoto
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  8. H.-J. Li
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  9. Y. Fujinuma
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  10. S. Aoki
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Correspondence to Y. Yokouchi.

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Yokouchi, Y., Noijiri, Y., Barrie, L. et al. A strong source of methyl chloride to the atmosphere from tropical coastal land. Nature 403, 295–298 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35002049

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