Sampling Sites

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    Concentration Units (Click to see graph)

    Global Warming Potential*

    Atmospheric lifetime (years)*
    Carbon dioxide
    CO2

    ppm

    1

    120
    Methane
    CH4

    ppb

    25

    12
    Hydrogen
    H2

    ppb
    Nitrous oxide
    N2O

    ppb

    298

    114
    Carbon monoxide
    CO

    ppb
    ~2

    0.25

    Trichlorofluoromethane
    CCl3F
    CFC-11

    ppt

    4,750

    45
    Dichlorodifluoromethane
    CF2Cl2
    CFC-12

    ppt

    10,900

    100

    Trichlorotrifluoroethane
    CCl2FCClF2
    CFC-113

    ppt

    6,130

    85
    Carbon tetrachloride
    CCl4

    ppt

    1,400

    26
    Chloroform
    CHCl3

    ppt

    30

    0.51
    Dichloromethane
    CH2Cl2

    ppt

    8.7

    0.38
    Methyl chloride
    CH3Cl

    ppt
    13
    1.0
    Tetrachloroethene
    Cl2C=CCl2

    ppt
    Methyl chloroform
    CH3CCl3

    ppt

    140

    4.8

    Chlorodifluoromethane
    CHClF2
    HCFC-22

    ppt

    1,700

    11.9
    Chlorodifluoroethane
    CH3CClF2
    HCFC-142b

    ppt
    2,400
    19

    Dichlorofluoroethane
    CH3CFCl2
    HCFC-141b

    ppt
    700
    9.3

    Difluoroethane
    CH3CHF2
    HFC-152a

    ppt
    124
    1.4

    Tetrafluoroethane
    CH2FCF3
    HFC-134a

    ppt
    1,300
    13.8

    Fluoroform
    CHF3
    HFC-23

    ppt
    14,800
    270
    Perfluoroethane
    CF3CF3

    ~ 4 ppt

    10,000

    11,900

    Bromochlorodifluoromethane
    CBrClF2
    Halon-1211

    ppt

    1,890

    16

    Methylbromide
    CH3Br

    ppt

    5

    0.7
    Dibromotetrafluoroethane
    CBrF2CBrF2
    Halon-2402

    ppt

    1,640

    20
    Bromotrifluoromethane
    CBrF3
    Halon-1301

    ppt

    7,140

    65
    Sulfur hexafluoride
    SF6

    ppt

    22,800

    3,200
    Trifluoromethyl sulfur pentafluoride
    CF3SF5

    ppt

    17,700

    800
    Nitrogen trifluoride
    NF3

    ppt

    17,200

    740
    Carbon tetrafluoride
    CF4

    ~80 ppt

    7,390

    50,000

    ppm = parts per million (106), ppb = parts per billion (109), ppt = parts per trillion (1012).

    * The Global Warming Potential (GWP) is typically used to contrast different greenhouse gases and provides a simple measure of the radiative effects of various greenhouse gases relative to CO2 defined as 1. Atmospheric lifetimes is the general term used for the "adjustment time", the time-scale characterizing the decay of an instantaneous pulse input into the reservoir. One hundred year time horizon GWPs and atmospheric lifetimes taken from Table 2.14, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis, IPCC WG1 AR4 Report. See also http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/pns/current_ghg.html

    References

    Greenhouse Gas Molecules | Global Warming | ChemConnections